Make a real impact. Shape outcomes for children and families.  Lead change that matters.

Barnardo's is looking for an exceptional Programme Delivery Manager to drive some of the most high impact, strategic programmes across the charity. If you are energised by supporting the delivery of complex projects, passionate about delivering meaningful change and skilled at bringing people together to deliver results, then is an opportunity to make a genuine difference at scale.

As our Programme Delivery Manager you will be leading the delivery of multiple, strategic programmes across Children's Service portfolio driving outcomes and ouputs, whilst balancing robust governance and mitigating risk.

This role is a hybrid position which typically means you will work from home or a Barnardo's hub office for most tasks but you will be expected to attend in-person meetings across the UK when required.

You will bring:

Education/Knowledge

• Formal qualifications in programme management (e.g. MSP, APM PMQ, AgilePM).
• Strong applied knowledge of programme and project delivery, gained through professional experience.
• Familiarity with programme and portfolio management methodologies, including Agile and Waterfall.
• Strong comprehension of delivery governance, benefits management, and performance measurement frameworks.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Experience

• Demonstrable Experience leading the delivery of high value programmes in a public or third sector organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of successfully delivering large, multi-workstream programmes in a complex, geographically dispersed environment.
• Demonstrated data analysis and reporting skills using insights to support decision making and improve outcomes.
• Demonstrable experience developing programme-level delivery plans, managing risk logs, and tracking interdependencies.
• Demonstrable experience producing accessible, impactful reports and presentations to senior stakeholders and boards.
• Proven ability to build and lead high-performing delivery teams, supporting others' growth and wellbeing.
• Demonstrable ability to influence and collaborate across directorates and with external partners to ensure alignment and delivery of project/programme outputs and outcomes.

Skills/Abilities

• Effective communicator. High quality written and verbal communication skills and able to translate technical issues and influence decision-makers.
• Delivery-focused. Able to maintain momentum, unblock teams, and manage multiple priorities.
• Skilled at using data and insight to drive continuous improvement and support informed decision making.
• Adaptable and proactive. Comfortable with ambiguity and adaptive in a changing environment.

When completing your application please refer to your skills knowledge and experience in relation to the Person Specification and Job Description. This should be done with an understanding of the context of the service described.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

• Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
• Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
• The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our Buy Your Leave scheme
• A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
• Service related sick pay from day 1
• Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
• Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
• Cycle2work scheme
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
• 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
• Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
• Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
• Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

• Reference number:22464
• Job Title:Programme Delivery Manager
• Location:Workplace offer: Hybrid working, Barnardo's hub/office or home address
• Contract type:Permanent
• Hours:36.25
• Salary:£52,265 - £73,927 plus £312 per annum Office at Home Allowance
• Closing Date:18 March 2026
• Interview Date:To be confirmed