Summary

Historic England have an exciting opportunity for a Programme Manager to work on our Unpath’d Waters programme and lead on the oversight of the projects that reside within the Heritage Data Programme.

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has awarded £14.5 million to the research and development of emerging technologies, including machine learning and citizen-led archiving, in order to connect the UK’s cultural artefacts and historical archives in new and transformative ways. Five ‘Discovery Projects’ will harness the potential of new technology to dissolve barriers between collections – opening up public access and facilitating research across a range of sources and stories held in different physical locations. Historic England is leading one Discovery Project, called Unpath’d Waters, focusing on marine heritage collections.

This is a fixed term contract until November 2024. The opportunity is based in Swindon or London – we offer hybrid working where you will be based in the office and from home.

What you will be doing:

You will work in close collaboration between our Digital Strategy, Heritage Improvement Application Strategy (HIAS) and other areas of the strategic business, building effective business relationships.

You will work in the Project & Programme Management (PPM) Business Systems team; as part of the Business Improvement Group where you will be responsible for undertaking Programme Management activities for the Unpath’d Waters programme and Heritage Data programme.

You will lead programme delivery, and eventual closedown and/or renewal of the programme; whilst being accountable for ensuring progress towards programme objectives.

You will be responsible for developing and implementing Programme Management plans, monitoring and controlling scope & change controls, schedules, timekeeping, risks and issues – whilst monitoring resources.

As the Programme Manager you will be responsible for programme evaluation and monitoring activities with six/monthly reports expected.

As a key member of the team you will be required to understand and control conflicting priorities of the programme whilst keeping all elements on track; knowing when tenacity is required to keep on schedule.

You will have direct line management and indirect leadership of a functioning programme team; in particular, line management of project managers & project / programme officers will be required.

You will be required to maintain regular reporting to senior management and stakeholders, into the HIAS programme and Digital Strategy. 

Developing and maintaining a good working relationship with other Project and Programme Managers, establishing programme priorities with Programme Leads, SRO and stakeholders.

Who we are looking for:

• Proven experience of working in a Programme management role and certified to MSP foundation (minimum) or willing to work towards this qualification

• Experience of leading teams of any size

• Excellent communication and relationship management skills

• Good organisational skills including attention to detail with emphasis on change control

• Ability to take ownership of challenges with tenacity to ensure overall good programme delivery

  We are an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusion. If you have a disability or neurodiversity, we would be happy to discuss reasonable adjustments to the job with you. Having just won the Gold Award from MIND, we also recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance.

  We are an inclusive employer and believe that flexible working options are for everyone. We want to make sure our working arrangements don’t prevent anyone from joining us because of their personal circumstances. We also want to provide you with the best balance in your home and work life that we can.

  We are open to considering options including job sharing, part-time working, compressed hours working and different working locations, including hybrid working. Please visit our jobs pages or contact us to find out more.

  Why work for Historic England

  We offer a wide benefits package including a competitive pension scheme starting at 26% contributions, a generous 28 days holiday, corporate discounts, free entry into English Heritage sites across the country and development opportunities to ensure you achieve your goals.

  We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity for everyone. Diversity helps us to perform better and attract more people to support our work. We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds.

  We particularly encourage applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic candidates and candidates with disabilities as they are underrepresented within Historic England at this level.

  Historic England want all of our candidates to shine in the recruitment process. Please tell us what we can do to make sure you can show us your very best self. You can contact us by email at ResourcingTeam@Historicengland.org.uk or telephone 07763387811 if you have any recruitment queries.