Programme/Project Office Lead

Location City of London and Southeast and remote

Our client empowers charities and social enterprises, by providing financial services tailored to their needs.  These services include banking, investment and advisory.
Position Overview:
We are seeking an exceptional Programme Manager / Project Office Lead to play a vital role in executing a multi-year transformation programme. Reporting directly to the Transformation Director, this role holds the responsibility of establishing and managing the Project Office function, ensuring efficient and effective delivery of transformation initiatives. The Project Office Lead will work closely with senior leaders, including the Group Chief Operating Officer and Executive team, and subject experts, primarily in the UK, and the US and Canada, fostering a culture of programme transparency and rigour, collaboration, and innovation, playing a key role in driving the transformation of our operating model, digital technology architecture, cultural dynamics, and governance framework.
Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the Project Office, a central hub for coordinating and managing our transformation initiative projects across the organisation.
• Collaborate with senior leadership and stakeholders to develop comprehensive project plans, ensuring alignment with the overall strategy and vision.
• Line management of a small, central team of project managers, planners, and business analysts.
• Oversight of programme governance, project timelines, deliverables, milestones, budgets, internal and external resource allocation, workload balancing, risks and opportunities.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration, engaging with stakeholders to ensure effective communication, reporting and alignment.
• Own and develop best of breed/fit for purpose programme and project management standards, practices, methodologies, and tools.
• Provide regular reporting and updates to the Transformation Director, Executive team, and Board, highlighting progress, challenges, and recommendations.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and learning within the Project Office and across transformation teams.

Qualifications and Attributes:

• A programme/project office expert, experienced in developing and leading project office teams, with a track record of successfully delivering complex, multi-dimensional initiatives.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, adept at collaborating with cross-functional teams and stakeholders at all levels.
• Proficiency in program and project management methodologies and tools, with the ability to tailor approaches to suit the organisation's needs.
• Comfortable balancing project rigour and discipline with a positive outcome and solution mindset.
• Comfortable and effective in operating with ambiguity, flexible, adaptable, agile.
• A Decision-maker, comfortable with personal accountability and in both leading and following.
• Resilient, comfortable and performs well in high pressure environment, balancing competing priorities with strong commitment to delivering results.
• Customer service orientated.
• A results-driven mindset, coupled with a positive, adaptable, and solution-oriented approach.

• Adept at working effectively across different boundaries, cultures, functions, and reporting lines.

Remuneration and Benefits:

• An opportunity for further leadership and career development.  
• Six weeks holiday plus bank holidays
• A wide range of development opportunities to support personal and professional growth.
• Pension scheme with better-than-market employer contribution options
• Social impact benefit schemes

For further information please email Cathy Kay   cathy.kay@russam.co.uk