Director of strategic programmes

Job Title: Director of strategic programmes

Jisc grade: PRS5

Salary: c£100,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package

Job Type: Permanent

Hours: 35

Reports into: Director of technology, performance and governance

Working style: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office. We have hubs located in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.

About Jisc:

At Jisc, we're passionate about harnessing the power of technology and data to transform education, research and innovation. As the UK's vital digital, data and technology partner, we work at the heart of the education and research community, helping institutions unlock their potential, solve complex challenges and create opportunities that change lives.

For more than 30 years, we've built world-class networks, delivered defining digital services and provided trusted expertise that enables universities, colleges and research organisations to innovate, collaborate and thrive.

Our work touches the lives of millions of learners, educators, researchers and staff every day, often behind the scenes. From supporting groundbreaking discoveries and life-changing research to enhancing teaching, learning and the student experience, we help our members inspire progress and create lasting impact.

Join Jisc and be part of an organisation with a bold vision: to transform how knowledge is created, shared and used, helping shape a more connected, innovative and inclusive future for education, research and society as a whole.

Lead one of the most significant digital infrastructure transformations in UK education, research and innovation

We're seeking an exceptional Director of Strategic Programmes to lead the delivery of a transformational investment programme expected to exceed £300 million over four years. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future resilience, capability and security of the UK's research and education infrastructure, delivering outcomes that will have a lasting national impact.

This is not a technical specialist role. Instead, we're looking for an accomplished programme leader who can bring together people, partners, suppliers and stakeholders behind a shared vision, providing the direction, governance and delivery excellence needed to turn ambitious investment plans into measurable outcomes.

The role

As Director of strategic programmes, you will lead one of Jisc's most strategically important initiatives. Working at executive level across Jisc, government bodies, suppliers, customers and delivery partners, you will oversee the successful mobilisation and delivery of a complex portfolio of work spanning infrastructure, networks, cyber resilience, organisational change and service transformation.

You'll be responsible for creating the conditions for success: establishing robust governance, ensuring effective assurance and risk management, maintaining stakeholder confidence and driving a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

The decisions you make will help ensure the services and infrastructure relied upon by universities, colleges, research organisations and innovators across the UK remain resilient, secure and future-ready.

What you'll be doing

• Providing overall leadership for a major strategic transformation programme, to benefits realisation.
• Developing and securing confidence in programme strategies, plans, governance structures and delivery approaches.
• Leading engagement with senior stakeholders, including government representatives, funders, executive leaders, customers and strategic partners.
• Managing substantial programme budgets and ensuring investment delivers measurable value and long-term benefits.
• Overseeing programme governance, assurance, risk management and executive reporting.
• Building and leading high-performing multidisciplinary teams and fostering a culture of collaboration and delivery excellence.
• Managing complex supplier relationships and commercial partnerships to ensure strong performance and value for money.
• Driving organisational change, adoption and operational readiness to ensure successful transition into business-as-usual services.

About you

You will be an experienced programme leader with a strong track record of delivering large-scale, high-value transformation programmes within complex environments. You’ll be equally comfortable operating at strategic and operational levels, able to navigate ambiguity, build credibility quickly and bring diverse stakeholders together around a common goal.

You will bring:

Essential

• Significant experience leading major transformation programmes with substantial budgets and multiple workstreams.
• A proven track record of delivering complex, business-critical programmes involving senior stakeholders, suppliers and specialist delivery teams.
• Strong expertise in programme governance, assurance, risk management and financial oversight.
• Experience developing and managing investment cases, delivery plans and benefits realisation frameworks.
• Outstanding stakeholder engagement, influencing and communication skills, including at executive and board level.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in complex organisational environments.
• Expertise in supplier and commercial management.
• Strong knowledge of recognised delivery methodologies such as MSP, PRINCE2 and Agile.
• Current or previous MSP Practitioner certification.

Desirable

• Experience delivering programmes within digital infrastructure, technology, telecommunications, cyber security or similarly complex environments.
• Experience working within higher education, research, public sector or regulated sectors.
• Portfolio management or PMO leadership experience.
• Additional programme, risk or Agile certifications.
• Experience within technology-intensive organisations.

Why this role?

This is more than a programme leadership role. It's an opportunity to deliver nationally significant change at a scale few organisations can offer.

You'll join a purpose-driven organisation at the heart of UK education and research, helping to shape the digital foundations that support discovery, learning and innovation for generations to come.

If you're motivated by complexity, inspired by meaningful transformation and excited by the opportunity to lead a programme of national importance, we'd love to hear from you.

Don’t meet every single requirement?

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, if you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Hybrid working:

Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value, so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.

Why work for us?

At Jisc, every role is meaningful, and every individual is valued. We foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth, offering opportunities to develop new skills and make a real impact in education and research. With a strong focus on work-life balance, we embrace flexible working that prioritises outcomes over hours, empowering you to create a rhythm that energises both your professional and personal life.

Our Guiding Principles:

Jisc’s culture is powered by our four guiding principles: putting customers first, driving innovation, creating impact, and championing inclusive collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes and shape a better future.

Discover the amazing benefits we provide! Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas
• Buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window
• Generous flexible pension schemes
• A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, mental health first aiders and support
• A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development
• Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
• Financial well-being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
• A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big-name high-street stores
• Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co-parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks
• Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave

Equity, diversity and inclusion:

Jisc believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging.

We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.

Application process:

Please let us know how we can best accommodate you throughout the recruitment process. We’re committed to making our process accessible and comfortable for everyone - just tell us what works best for you.

Interested? Don’t leave it too late to apply. We may close the vacancy early once we’ve received enough applications.

We’re really looking forward to getting to know the real you. While we encourage the use of AI tools to help you get started on your CV or cover letter, we encourage you to review your application before submitting. Make sure it truly reflects your own voice, experiences, and personality.

If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile.

We have a thorough background screening process that verifies the details you share with us in your CV and your application. Any inaccurate information supplied during the application stages can lead to a job offer being withdrawn.

Sponsorship:

Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial re-imbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re-location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge.

No agencies please