Are you an experienced delivery leader with a passion for driving complex digital programmes and leading high-performing technical teams?
Join The Open University as a Senior Technical Delivery Manager and play a pivotal role in delivering innovative, scalable digital services that support students and staff across a world-class institution.
About the Role
The role of Senior Technical Delivery Manager (known internally as Senior Delivery Manager) currently sits within the Engineering Profession in Digital Services. The successful candidate will be based in a multi-disciplinary team requiring collaboration across the team and with key stakeholders from across the University.
This role will initially be assigned to a specific area such as Student support and administration (SSA) group, Data, or Core Services but may be redeployed to other teams or domains in future, depending on organisational needs. The core responsibilities and expectations will remain consistent with the role’s job description.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage the end-to-end delivery of high impact projects or programs, within multi-disciplinary teams, that will be delivering complex digital products and services to stakeholders.
- Ensure agile delivery practices are applied effectively to meet organisational goals.
- Ensure delivery aligns with strategic priorities and stakeholder expectations.
- Plan, schedule, prioritise and manage work effectively and deliver to agreed timelines.
- Identify and mitigate risks, blockers, and dependencies across teams.
- Use agile tools (e.g. Jira, Azure DevOps) to manage workflows and reporting.
- Communicate delivery progress, risks, and outcomes clearly and effectively.
- Influence decision-making through data-driven insights and delivery metrics.
- Ensure transparency of delivery outcomes to senior leadership.
- Build strong relationships with product owners, business leads, and technical teams.
- Work with leadership to identify and mobilise resources required for the product/project/program.
Line management
- Provide line management to Delivery Managers and/or other team members, including performance development, coaching, career progression, and wellbeing support.
- Foster a high-performing, inclusive culture that aligns with organisational values and delivery excellence.
- Be an active contributor to the Delivery Practice.
- Collaborate with stakeholders and team members to ensure we achieve the intended outcomes whilst delivering efficiently.
About You
- Proven knowledge and experience of Delivery Management of the full service and digital product life cycle, including using Agile and other techniques.
- Deep understanding of technical delivery, with the ability to work with engineering teams, navigate architectural discussions, and ensure alignment with delivery outcomes.
- Strong people, communication and negotiation skills and a proven ability to work with external partners, stakeholders, and customers, including the ability to push back and challenge the status quo.
- Experience of working in multidisciplinary teams (large and small) delivering a specific product, service or transformation.
- Support financial planning and monitor delivery spend (if applicable) to ensure alignment with project goals.
- Have an understanding of Product Management, Service Design and development practices – although this may not be your specialty.
- Skilled at building trust, managing team dynamics and motivating people.
- Experience of working with different delivery frameworks.
- Experience of Coaching and mentoring.
- Experience of financial management.
- Experience of supplier management in ensuring third-party performance alignment to delivery objectives.
Behaviours
- Communication: Communicates effectively with a variety of audiences; negotiates well and appropriately manages conflict.
- Initiative and problem solving: Uses initiative to identify and solve problems proactively; uses good judgment to refer issues upwards as necessary and identifies and manages risk.
- Team work: Builds respectful and productive working relationships and works collaboratively across organisational boundaries towards common goals.
- Working under pressure: Remains effective and positive even when under pressure.
- Ability to learn: Understands and adapts to new ways of working.
- Continuous improvement: Identifies opportunities for continuous improvement; shows commitment to own professional development; demonstrates enthusiasm, willingness and ability to learn new skills.
Support with your application
If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk quoting the advert reference number.
Why Join The Open University?
At The Open University, we’re proud to be leaders in accessible education and digital innovation. This is your opportunity to drive meaningful transformation and deliver services that impact thousands of learners.
Our benefits include
- 33 days annual leave on top of bank holidays and a three-day Christmas closure period.
- Access to a leading pension scheme for UK higher education with generous employer contributions.
- Staff Fee Waivers for OU study, meaning you could earn a degree for free.
- Hybrid working, with limited requirement to attend the office in-person, with agile working and family friendly policies.
- Discounts, wellbeing support, and development opportunities.
Ready to make an impact?
Apply now and help shape the future of digital delivery at one of the UK’s most respected and innovative institutions.
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