Programme Director

Role purpose: Provide executive ownership of programme outcomes, governance and client confidence. Align the delivery organization around agreed outcomes, protect contractual and commercial interests, and ensure timely decisions and support for the Programme Manager.

Reports to: Executive leadership

Direct reports: Programme Manager and, as appropriate, senior functional or workstream leads.

Role scope: Executive governance, strategic client relationships, delivery assurance, commercial oversight, risk decisions and organizational accountability.

Key responsibilities

• Own overall programme outcomes, governance arrangements, decision rights and accountability across participating teams and partners.
• Serve as the senior relationship lead for the client and executive stakeholders; maintain a clear route for decisions, escalations and commitments.
• Approve or recommend the integrated delivery baseline, major resourcing decisions, budgets and recovery strategies within delegated authority.
• Ensure workstreams, dependencies, milestones, quality controls, technology, operations and transition plans are coordinated around common outcomes.
• Review programme health, schedule, cost, forecasts, earned progress, acceptance, invoicing and cash flow; intervene early when performance departs from plan.
• Lead resolution of material risks, disputes, partner or vendor performance issues, major quality failures, security incidents and decisions that threaten outcomes.
• Oversee change control and ensure proposed changes are assessed for scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk and contractual impact before commitment.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations, applicable laws, safety requirements, information security, privacy, confidentiality, audit and records controls.
• Chair executive governance forums, ensure decisions and actions are recorded, and secure timely participation from the organization and partners.
• Coach and empower the Programme Manager; remove organizational barriers and maintain succession and continuity for critical leadership roles.

Decision authority

• Exercise delegated authority for governance, priorities, resource commitments, recovery actions and escalations.
• Refer changes to contracted scope, material liability, legal position, consortium commitments or expenditure above delegated limits to the authorized approver.
• Ensure commitments to the client are clear, documented and made by an authorized representative.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelors degree in engineering, information technology, management or another discipline relevant to the delivery environment; a postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• Typically 20+ years of professional experience, including substantial leadership of large, complex, multi-disciplinary client programmes.
• Demonstrated executive accountability for outcomes involving multiple workstreams, partners or vendors, with evidence of delivery recovery and stakeholder management.
• Sound understanding of programme governance, contracts, financial controls, risk management, quality assurance and service transition.

Core capabilities

• Executive judgement and clear decision-making; credible communication with senior client and organizational leaders.
• Commercial awareness, negotiation, conflict resolution and disciplined change control.
• Ability to connect strategy, delivery detail, people and financial performance.
• Integrity, accountability, discretion and a consistent focus on safe, compliant and sustainable delivery.

Measures of success

• Outcomes and major milestones are achieved against approved baselines, with material variances escalated and managed promptly.
• Client governance is effective, decisions are timely, and commitments and escalations are documented and closed.
• Forecasts, commercial controls, risk responses and resource decisions support predictable programme performance.
• Deliverables meet agreed quality and acceptance requirements; operational transition is planned and accepted.
• No material compliance, safety, security or confidentiality failure arises from unmanaged leadership controls.