Programme Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Employment status and working hours

Fixed term until October 2030, full time.

Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with some flexibility in start/finish times.

Organisation structure

Chief Operating Officer, Strategy & Planning Office.

Your line manager will be Hannah Al-Katib, Director of Strategy & Planning. Day-to-day direction and strategic guidance will be provided by Nick Mount, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor (Digital Campus), who is also the Digital Campus Programme Sponsor.

Place of work flexibility

Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home*. Flexibility can be discussed based on individual circumstances, but must include a minimum of two to three days each month in the Horizons office in Reading. *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable – please see the ‘Working from home’ section on our Careers Site for further information.

Background

The Digital Campus programme is a strategic investment that will transform the digital and online teaching, learning and assessment experiences that the University of the Built Environment offers to our students and staff. As a predominantly online higher education provider, our students and staff rely on the educational technologies and learning platforms we provide to support learning and ensure student success.

Over the next five years, the University is delivering an ambitious programme of change to ensure that these reflect the state of the art, deliver best-in-sector student and staff experiences, maximise student outcomes, and provide a Digital Campus that can support the strategic growth and diversification of our educational offer.

High level summary of job role

As the Programme Manager, you will manage all aspects of work required to ensure that the University delivers the Digital Campus programme. You will work in close partnership with, and be directly accountable to, the Associate Pro Vice Chancellor (Digital Campus). You will be motivated by a job well done, focussed on improvement and finding solutions, and comfortable working with significant autonomy.

As a senior member of the Strategy & Planning Office, you will support the development of the University’s maturity in delivering transformation, working closely with the Senior Project Manager and Director of Strategy & Planning to establish and enhance ways of working. Whilst you will be accountable for the delivery of Digital Campus, you will also work collaboratively to support effective planning across the University’s project portfolio, so that dependencies and competing demands are balanced and delivery is effective.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

• Programme management: Oversee and manage component projects to deliver the programme plan, managing change in the context of BAU activities to deliver transformation through phased evolution.

• Technology-led change: Manage projects that centre on significant digital or technology infrastructures to support teaching and learning, ensuring effective collaboration with end users and technical experts to shape solutions, drive adoption and realise benefits for staff and students.

• Project planning: Support the programme sponsor in the development and review of the Digital Campus business case, and develop, monitor and maintain the component project plans and delivery roadmaps so that critical paths are identified, resources are appropriately managed and prioritised, and stakeholders and delivery teams are enabled.

• Project Delivery: Apply the University’s project management framework to lead all stages of Digital Campus projects, ensuring benefits are realised, delivery is on time, within budget, and in line with KPIs and success criteria.

• Governance and reporting: Ensure robust programme governance and due diligence is in place so that decisions are taken appropriately and in line with organisational delegations of authority and programme progress is reported.

• Leadership: Model excellent programme and project management behaviours and provide informal coaching and mentorship to other project team members. Share best practice and support colleagues in developing project management capability.

• Resource Management: Support budget management, direct resource allocation, and maintain supplier relationships to ensure project success is achieve within agreed cost parameters.

• Stakeholder Engagement: Build effective partnerships across stakeholders through collaboration, co-development and effective communication.

• Risk and issue management: Identify, assess and manage project risks, working with stakeholders to ensure full understanding of the risk portfolio and its potential mitigations. Manage issues and problem-solve to overcome barriers to project and programme success.

• Process Improvement: Contribute to the development and continuous improvement of the University’s project management framework, programme governance and broader transformation capability.

• Drive and monitor the delivery of the projects comprising Digital Campus.

• Engage and collaborate with stakeholders in all stages of the project lifecycle.

• Provide reporting updates to senior management, Executive, and the Board of Trustees and, identify and manage critical activities and the resources that they require.

Other important features of the job role

Line management responsibilities: None, however you will supervise delivery by Digital Campus team members and will liaise with and inform their line managers as needed.

Budget responsibility: Yes, this role is responsible for monitoring expenditure within the Digital Campus budget.

In this role you will liaise with the following: all University departments and teams.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement

How the person requirement will be assessed:

A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment

Please be aware that as part of safer recruitment and onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure unless specified otherwise), and three years employment history. This is all part of our commitment to safeguarding our students. Keeping our students safe is a responsibility shared by everyone within the University.

Qualifications and training

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience (E, A).

Certification in a recognised programme or project management methodology (e.g., MSP, APM, PRINCE2, PMP) (E, A).

Previous experience

Extensive experience in leading and managing complex strategic and business improvement projects with organisational scope and at significant scale (E, A, I, T).

Delivering transformation and change with extensive digital/technology components (e.g., systems, platforms, or digital services), and in partnership with technical specialists (E, A, I, T).

Developing and translating business cases into tangible and achievable project plans, roadmaps and actions that deliver specified outcomes and benefits (E, A, I, T).

Negotiating the competing demands of stakeholders, including at senior levels, to keep programmes of work on track (E, A, I).

Managing procurement and supplier relationships in support of projects and programmes of work (E, A, I).

Working in a higher education or not-for-profit contexts (D, A, I).

Contributing to the development or organisational capability in change delivery through programme and project management (D, A, I).

Using digital platforms and tools to work effectively with remote colleagues and teams (D, A, I).

Behaviours and attitudes

Alignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach, which reflect our culture. Refer to the specific behaviours within the Competency Framework (E, I) – summarised within the careers site.

Skills, knowledge, other requirements

Demonstrable skill in organising, prioritising and managing complex and diverse programmes of work and their project portfolios (E, A, I, T).

Advanced digital skills and confidence using Microsoft 365 as well as specialist project management tools (E, A).

Adaptability and resilience with the ability to manage multiple projects and workstreams at once and address complex challenges in a fast-paced environment (E, A, I).

A solution focussed mindset that underpins excellent problem-solving and decision-making abilities (E, A, I, T).

The ability to establish personal credibility, foster effective working relationships, and influence stakeholders through clear communication and collaborative leadership across matrix environments (E, A, I).

Knowledge of effective risk management and governance processes in project contexts (E, A, I).

High levels of numeracy and analytical skills and the demonstrable ability to deploy them to meet project requirements (E, A, I).

Situational and business analysis skills to support process development and improvement (E, A, I).

Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students regardless of your area of work within the University; we want our students to be successful (E, I).

You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed. The University is regulated by the Office for Students and Ofsted, and we have specific requirements and expectations around safeguarding, Prevent, and anti-harassment and bullying. This is all part of our Competency Framework requirements (E, I).

PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary: Salary range £55,000 to £60,000 per annum.

Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.

Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the Universities Superannuation Scheme which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether.

Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).

Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.

Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.

Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.

Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).

Other valuable benefits:

• Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.

• You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.

• We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Hannah Al-Katib on 0118 467 2317 or email h.al-katib@ube.ac.uk. For any other enquiries please contact HR on 0118 467 2454 / 2433 or email recruitment@ube.ac.uk

Did one of our employees recommend you? If you apply on the recommendation of an existing employee, please make sure to mention their name within your application.

We're passionate about sustainability and we have a five-year strategic plan: We expect job seekers to be curious about who we are and what we do. We point you towards a couple of resources about who we are and sustainability.

Closing date and next steps

We will receive applications until the advert closes on Monday 28 September 2026 at 17:00. We will not consider late applications. Our ATS does not screen applications, we humans do. Applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date and occasionally, you may be invited to interview ahead of the closing date.

Interview details

First stage interviews are scheduled for Wednesday 07 October and Thursday 08 October via Microsoft Teams.

Second stage interviews are scheduled for Thursday 15 October 2026 and will take place at our Horizons Head Office in Reading.

We'll ask you to tell us about any dates you cannot make, up to 4 weeks from the closing date; this helps us to plan interviews should you be shortlisted, prior to contacting you.

As part of the interview process, you will likely meet a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Note for internal candidates

If you are an existing employee, we request you inform your current line manager of your intention to apply for this role.

As this is a fixed term role, if you were (in the future) to be offered and accept this role, it would mean relinquishing your contractual permanent employment status with the University. Following the expiry of the fixed term period, your employment with the University would cease, unless an alternative role is secured. If instead you would like to apply for this role on the basis of it being a secondment (i.e. not relinquishing your permanent status), please discuss this with your current line manager. Only your line manager can consider and agree to a secondment because this impacts the resourcing in your current team. Please contact HR if you or your line manager need to discuss this further.