Senior Programme Manager

Salary: £75,000 per annum

Location: London Office/Hybrid Working

About the role:

The Senior Programme Manager is a new strategic leadership role within the Education and Membership Directorates, responsible for leading complex, cross-organisational programmes that deliver the Royal College of Pharmacy strategic priorities and future vision.

This role will lead the design, development, implementation and evaluation of high-profile programmes and change transformational initiatives across education, membership and associated services. Working in partnership with Directorate and Executive leaders, the postholder will develop robust business cases a strategies and delivery plans ensuring effective governance, delivery, oversight and benefits realisation across a diverse portfolio of strategic initiatives work.

The Senior Programme Manager role will play a key role in translating strategy into deliverable programmes that enhance member value, improve organisational effectiveness and support growth by working closely with colleagues responsible for membership, education, digital transformation and service delivery to drive and translate strategic change ambitions into executable programmes that deliver measurable organisational and member value.

Main Responsibilities:

• Lead the development and delivery of complex, multi-year strategic programmes aligned to organisational strategy and priorities and objectives.

• Lead and develop robust business cases, options appraisals and investment proposals to support strategic decision-making and initiatives.

• Translate strategic objectives into clearly defined structured programmes of work, defining scope, governance, resource requirements, delivery approaches and success measures.

• Lead successful programme delivery from initiation through implementation, embedding effective evaluation processes and benefits realisation.

• Work with subject matter experts and functional leaders to deliver programmes supporting membership, education and digital priorities.

• Establish and maintain programme governance, reporting and assurance arrangements.

• Develop and manage programme budgets, risks, issues, dependencies and resource plans.

• Monitor programme performance against agreed milestones, budgets and benefits, taking corrective action where required.

• Prepare high-quality reports and recommendations and presentations for steering groups, executive committees and governance bodies.

• Build and maintain effective relationships with Executive Directors, senior leaders, suppliers and external stakeholders.

• Lead, influence and motivate cross-functional teams through a matrix management approach.

• Promote programme management best practice, continuous improvement and lessons learned approaches across the organisation.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Significant experience leading complex programmes and cross-organisational change initiatives.

• Expertise in programme management methodologies and governance frameworks.

• Proven experience developing business cases and strategic investment proposals.

• Strong financial, budget and resource management skills.

• Excellent stakeholder engagement, relationship management and influencing skills.

• Experience presenting to and reporting to boards, steering groups or governance bodies.

• Strong analytical decision making and problem-solving capabilities.

• Experience leading matrix teams and managing internal and external suppliers.

• Excellent presentation and communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex information clearly and credibly

Desirable:

• Experience in a membership body, healthcare or education environment.

• Professional qualification in programme or project management (MSP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, AgilePM Practitioner or equivalent

• Experience leading digital transformation, service redesign or organisational change programmes.

How we are currently working:

Royal College of Pharmacy supports and works in a hybrid way, which means you will be able to work from home, however, there will be an expectation for collaborative face-to-face working – on average and typically this may be something between 4-8 working days per month at our London Office.

Interview and Assessment Details:

Interviews will be held on Monday 30 November 2026 (AM) and Tuesday 1 December 2026 (PM) in-person at Royal College of Pharmacy, 66-68 East Smithfield, London, E1W 1AW.

As part of the selection process, if you are invited for an interview, you are required to prepare and deliver a 15-minute presentation based on the scenario below.

Presentation Topic: Programme Recovery “You have recently inherited a high-profile strategic programme that is experiencing significant challenges”:

• The programme is behind schedule against agreed milestones.

• Costs have exceeded the approved budget.

• Stakeholder confidence has declined.

• Concerns have been raised regarding governance, delivery performance, and the likelihood of achieving the intended benefits.

Please outline the approach you would take during your first 90 days to stabilise, recover, and successfully reposition the programme for delivery. Your presentation should demonstrate how you would:

• Assess the current situation and establish the root causes of underperformance.

• Prioritise actions needed to stabilise programme delivery.

• Rebuild confidence with sponsors, stakeholders, and governance groups.

• Review and strengthen programme governance, reporting, and controls.

• Manage programme risks, issues, dependencies, and budget pressures.

• Lead and motivate delivery teams through a period of uncertainty and change.

• Develop and implement a realistic recovery plan.

• Measure progress and demonstrate programme recovery and success.

🗓️ Closing date: 25 November 2026

If you would like to learn more about the role, view our job description 👈

Please attach your CV and Cover Letter

We are passionate about creating a culture of belonging, inclusion, and diversity these are part of our core values at Royal College of Pharmacy and we are striving to have an organisation that represents the diversity of the profession. At RCPharm we do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, age, or disability and we encourage applications from all backgrounds.