Programme jobs in United Kingdom

Manchester, United Kingdom

The Senior Programme Manager – VCP is a critical delivery and enablement leader responsible for driving execution rigour, pace, and value realisation across Inizio’s Value Creation Plan. Acting as a programme-level leader across multiple priority initiatives, the role brings structure, challenge, and best practice to complex delivery environments, while partnering closely with embedded Project Managers and senior initiative owners.

The role plays a dual mandate:

• Ensure delivery excellence across assigned VCP initiatives through strong programme leadership, governance, and assurance; and
• Enable value creation, by embedding consistent delivery discipline, connecting initiatives where helpful, and supporting leaders to stay focused on outcomes rather than activity.

In this role you will typically supports 3–4 priority VCP initiatives , represents the Central PMO in senior governance forums, and operates as a trusted advisor to initiative sponsors, PMs, and functional leaders. The role could be based out of our Dublin. Manchester, Ashby or London offices ,operatingon a hybrid basis.

• VCP Programme Delivery: Act as programme-level delivery lead across assigned VCP initiatives, partnering with initiative sponsors and assigned project managers to shape delivery plans, milestones, and outcomes aligned to value creation objectives
• Project Planning & Oversight: Provide oversight of delivery plans across initiatives, ensuring scope, dependencies, risks, and critical paths are understood and actively managed at a portfolio level
• Workstream Enablement & Intervention: Provide content-focused workstream support to unblock delivery challenges and accelerate progress where required
• PM Capability Uplift & Standards Enablement: Lead PM enablement and capability uplift, working collaboratively with the Inizio global portfolio lead to embed consistent delivery discipline, governance, and Inizio PMO standards across VCP initiatives. Also identifying opportunities to continue to elevate standards across the organisation
• Embedded PM Partnership: Act as a trusted delivery partner to embedded Project Managers and workstream leads, providing coaching, challenge, and hands‑on support without duplicating delivery ownership.
• Governance & Reporting: Represent the central PMO across VCP governance and SteerCos, providing decision‑ready insight on delivery confidence, trade‑offs, and implications for value realisation. Ensure clear, concise and accurate reporting from priority VCP initiatives, aligned to Inizio PMO standards, through key portfolio governance fora
• Risk, Dependency & Value Leakage Management: Identify and manage delivery risks, cross‑initiative dependencies, and value leakage across the VCP portfolio, coordinating mitigation actions as required
• Delivery & Benefits Assurance: In partnership with Financial Controller, provide delivery and benefits assurance, intervening early where plans lack robustness, momentum weakens, or outcomes drift from intent
• Benefits Definition & Tracking: In partnership with initiative teams and the Finance Enablement Lead, define, baseline, and track initiative‑level benefits, including leading and lagging indicators, ensuring consistency and portfolio‑level oversight.
• Commercial & Financial Collaboration: Work closely with the Financial Controller on business cases, benefits profiling, and timeline stress‑testing during project mobilisation and at critical milestones.

• Senior Programme Management: Proven experience delivering complex, multi‑workstream programmes within a PE‑backed Transformation or Value Creation environment.
• Delivery Discipline & Governance: Strong capability in embedding consistent delivery standards, governance frameworks, and ways of working across enterprise portfolios.
• Planning, Risk & Dependency Management: Demonstrated expertise in integrated planning, risk identification, mitigation planning, and management of cross‑initiative dependencies.
• Senior Stakeholder Engagement: Confident communicator with experience engaging Executive Sponsors and presenting clear, outcome‑focused updates at SteerCos and governance forums.
• Commercial & Financial Acumen: Strong understanding of business drivers and operation, business cases, benefits realisation, cost of change, and financial impacts on programme delivery.
• Strong Influencing Skills: Able to influence changes within project governance or delivery structures through influence and dialogue rather than direct control
• Relevant qualification in Programme or Project Management (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2, PMP or equivalent senior‑level experience delivering large‑scale programmes within a Central PMO or transformation environment.
• Industry and/or Content experience across some or all of: Pharma / Lifesciences / Healthcare or Medical; Global Professional Services; AI‑enablement; Global business expansion; Operating model transformation
• Opportunity to shape and deliver Inizio’s Value Creation Plan
• High visibility role with Executive leadership
• Competitive reward and benefits package

At Inizio, we’re a global team driven by a shared purpose: to reimagine health. Formed in 2022 through the coming together of Ashfield and Huntsworth, we unite decades of experience with cutting‑edge capabilities to deliver impactful solutions across the commercialization journey – from discovery to post‑launch. Our global network of over 10,000 experts operates across 50 countries, supporting clients with strategic insight, medical excellence, creative engagement, and real‑world delivery. We work with the world's leading health and life sciences businesses to solve complex challenges and drive meaningful outcomes for our clients and patients.

What sets Inizio apart is our people – and we believe everyone should have the opportunity to thrive. Here, you’re encouraged to reimagine your possibilities: to grow, to be curious and to make real change happen. It’s a place where your individuality is valued, your development is supported, and your ambition is celebrated. If you’re ready to push boundaries and accelerate your career, Inizio is the best place to be.

At Inizio, we value inclusivity, recognize the power of diversity and inspire the next generation of change‑makers. We are an equal opportunities employer. We believe in creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity, equity and inclusion. We aim to recruit from a diverse slate of candidates and foster an environment that provides the right conditions for long‑term success. We welcome all applications regardless of race, colour, religion or belief, gender, gender identity, age, national origin, marital status, military veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation and physical or mental disability.

Inizio may use AI technologies to support certain aspects of our recruitment process, but all hiring decisions at Inizio are made by our human recruiting team. We are committed to fair, inclusive, and human‑led hiring practices.