Delivery & Program Management Lead

Job description

The Delivery & Program Management Lead is responsible for end‑to‑end delivery excellence across the Integration and Platform Practice, encompassing integration platforms, cloud platforms, modern data platforms, development and operations (DevOps), and testing capabilities. This role ensures that client engagements are delivered with high quality, predictable timelines, controlled costs, and strong stakeholder confidence. It combines delivery management, program governance, resource and capacity planning, commercial awareness, Agile (iterative delivery) / Scrum (team delivery framework) leadership, and DevOps alignment to drive successful client outcomes. The role serves as the single point of accountability for delivery—from planning and resourcing through execution, reporting, and closure. Skills, Experience and CompetenciesCore SkillsProject and program managementScheduling, planning, and milestone trackingResource and capacity managementCommercial and financial awarenessRisk, issue, and dependency managementScope and change controlStakeholder communication and executive reportingAgile, Scrum, and DevOps delivery modelsTools: planning and scheduling (Microsoft Project), Agile delivery (Jira, Azure DevOps), governance/reporting dashboards (Power BI), delivery documentation and repositories (Confluence or SharePoint), and integrated RAID and change registers (risk, assumptions, issues, dependencies; change control). Experience10–15+ years of IT delivery, program, or portfolio management experience7–10+ years managing complex enterprise integration or platform programsProven experience delivering multi‑stream, multi‑vendor initiativesStrong background in consulting or systems integration environments CompetenciesDelivery leadership with a focus on transparency, predictability, and outcomesStrong stakeholder management across client executives, vendors, and internal leadershipAnalytical and commercial mindset (forecasting, burn, margin awareness, change impacts)High standards for quality and governance; comfortable leading steering committees and auditsContinuous improvement mindset; able to standardize ways of working and uplift teams Key ResponsibilitiesProgram & Project Delivery ManagementOwn end‑to‑end project and program delivery across integration and platform initiatives.Define delivery approach, milestones, and execution plans aligned with client objectives and SI strategy.Ensure delivery meets commitments on scope, schedule, quality, and cost/commercials.Proactively manage delivery risks, issues, and dependencies.Drive successful transitions from sales to delivery and delivery to operations. Scheduling, Planning & Milestone TrackingDevelop and maintain detailed delivery schedules and milestone plans.Track progress against baselines and manage forecast versus actuals.Coordinate multiple teams and workstreams across parallel projects.Ensure alignment of delivery plans with release, sprint, and deployment calendars. Resource & Capacity ManagementLead resource planning and allocation across remote and local architects, consultants, developers, testers, and DevOps roles.Balance demand versus capacity to maximise utilisation and delivery effectiveness.Plan ramp‑up, ramp‑down, and skill mix aligned to delivery roadmaps.Work with practice and HR teams on workforce planning and skills alignment. Agile, Scrum & DevOps EnablementAct as Scrum Master or Agile delivery lead where required.Support Agile, Scrum, SAFe, and hybrid delivery models.Enable sprint planning, PI planning, release planning, and remove delivery impediments.Ensure delivery aligns with DevOps and CI/CD pipelines and drive continuous improvement. Commercial & Financial OversightSupport delivery within agreed commercial models (fixed price, T&M, managed services).Track effort, burn, and margins (where applicable).Identify risks to commercials early and define mitigation actions.Support invoicing milestones and change control processes. Quality & GovernanceEmbed quality through entry/exit criteria, quality gates and reviews, and alignment with testing and DevOps practices.Chair or participate in delivery governance, steering committees, and reviews.Ensure compliance with enterprise delivery standards and audit requirements. Stakeholder Communication & ReportingAct as primary interface with client stakeholders and remote and local internal team and leadership.Provide clear status reporting, risk/issue logs, progress dashboards and forecasts.Manage scope changes, expectations, and communication proactively.Build trust through transparency, predictability, and delivery confidence. Continuous Improvement & Practice EnablementIdentify opportunities to improve delivery efficiency and predictability.Standardise delivery, planning, and reporting practices and support delivery management tooling/automation.Contribute to scaling the Integration & Platform Practice sustainably. Qualifications and CertificationsProject Management Professional (PMP) or Projects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) or equivalent.Scrum Master Certification (Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), SAFe Scrum Master) (desirable).SAFe Agilist / Release Train Engineer (RTE) (desirable)DevOps certification (e.g., Azure DevOps Engineer or equivalent) (desirable)Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) (desirable for managed services environments)