Head of Programmes

Head of Programmes Job – Isle of Wight

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Head of Programmes to join a leading defence and engineering organisation based on the Isle of Wight. This senior leadership job offers the chance to shape and lead a high-performing Programme Management Office (PMO) responsible for delivering complex projects and programmes across a technically advanced and highly regulated environment.

The Role

The successful Head of Programmes will lead and develop the PMO, ensuring robust governance, delivery excellence, effective risk management and strong financial control across multiple projects. The Head of Programmes will oversee Programme Managers, Project Managers and Project Controllers while ensuring customer commitments, business objectives and financial targets are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Programme Management Office.
• Provide portfolio-level governance and oversight across multiple programmes and projects.
• Drive PMO maturity, governance standards and best practices.
• Manage programme risks, opportunities, dependencies and delivery performance.
• Lead, mentor and develop programme and project management teams.
• Support strategic customer engagement and stakeholder management.
• Ensure accurate portfolio reporting, forecasting and financial control.

Skills and Experience Required

The ideal candidate for this Head of Programmes job will possess:

• Significant experience in senior Programme, Portfolio or PMO leadership roles.
• Experience within defence, aerospace, engineering, manufacturing or similarly regulated sectors.
• Strong knowledge of project controls, governance, financial forecasting and risk management.
• Proven leadership experience managing programme and project professionals.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness and business acumen.

Desirable Experience

• APM PPQ, PMQ, MSP Practitioner or equivalent qualifications.
• Experience developing and maturing PMO functions.
• Knowledge of Power BI, Microsoft Project, SharePoint, SAP or similar systems.
• Experience in portfolio reporting and business intelligence development.