Senior Programme Manager

Senior Programme Manager

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Programme Manager to join World Vision, an important charity helping vulnerable children across the world.

Position: Senior Programme Manager

Location: Milton Keynes/Remote – minimum of 2 days per month in the office

Hours: Full-time - 36.5 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Salary: £42,750 per annum, depending on experience + good range of benefits

Closing date: 18th October 2024

About the role:

We are looking for an experienced Programme Manager to lead life-changing projects that bring hope to the world’s most vulnerable children.

As a Senior Programme Manager (SPM), you will be pivotal in managing a diverse portfolio of institutional donor-funded programmes, including commercial contracts and grants. Working alongside World Vision National Offices and key implementing partners, you will ensure that programmes are effectively delivered on time, within budget, and in line with donor expectations. You’ll be the driving force behind impactful projects, supporting vulnerable communities in fragile settings and ensuring that our partners deliver on their commitments.

Key areas of responsibility include:  

• Lead the implementation of complex, high-risk programmes, ensuring positive outcomes for children in fragile contexts, including managing consortium projects where World Vision is either the lead or a key partner.
• Manage relationships with donors, lead on key donor-facing interactions, and ensure timely submission of financial and narrative reports.
• Collaborate closely with Programme Finance Officers to monitor budgets, manage financial risks, and ensure compliance with contractual obligations.
• Proactively assess programmatic and organisational risks, adapting programme strategies as needed to ensure goals are met.
• Act as the primary liaison between internal teams and external stakeholders, including country offices, partners, and donors.
• Oversee the start-up, implementation, and closeout of multiple programmes, ensuring strong governance and adherence to project management frameworks.
• Promote learning within your portfolio, sharing insights and best practices with donors, agencies, and colleagues, and representing World Vision at key international conferences and events.

About you:

We are looking for a strong leader with proven experience managing large, complex programmes funded by institutional donors such as the UK Government or the EU, ideally in fragile or conflict-affected areas.

Expertise in managing consortium-led programmes, commercial contracts, and payment-by-results initiatives is essential.

Key skills required for this role:

• Outstanding communication and relationship management skills, with the ability to represent World Vision at a strategic level with donors, partners, and other key stakeholders.
• Solid experience in financial management and adaptive programme management, with the ability to drive successful delivery in challenging environments.
• A passion for working in international development, alongside a degree in a relevant field (International Development, Programme Management, etc.) or equivalent experience.
• Willingness to travel to fragile contexts to support programme implementation and engage with field teams.

About the organisation:

World Vision UK is an international children’s charity working with children, their communities, and with supporters and partners, in almost 100 countries. Through long-term development projects, emergency responses and advocacy we’ve helped bring lasting change to millions of children, over more than 60 years. As a Christian organisation, everything we do is motivated by our faith as we strive to reflect God’s unconditional love.

As a child-focused organisation, we are committed to the safeguarding of children, therefore any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of applicable background checks, including a criminal records check.

We are a registered organisation operating the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS) and we shall check with your previous employers about your behaviour and conduct. We will be requesting you to complete a form known as a Statement of Conduct. For more information see: The Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.

Please note we can only consider applicants who presently have the right to work in the UK and all candidates must be personally committed to the Christian faith and be able to respect, uphold and work within our client’s Christian mission, values, culture, and faith statements. This individual will represent and speak on behalf of a Christian charity and as such the Occupational Requirement for an active Christian faith is justified under the Equality Act 2010 Schedule 9, Part 1, clause 3.

You may also have experience in areas such as: Programme Manager, Head of Programmes, Head of Project and Programmes, Senior Programme Manager, Grant Programmes Manager, Principle Project Manager, Director of Programmes, Charity Programmes Manager etc.

PLEASE NOTE: This role is being advertised by NFP People on behalf of the organisation.