Delivery Principal - Public Sector

The overview

Softwire is one of the UK’s leading digital technology consultancies, offering services in software engineering, design, innovation, cloud, mobile and data. We deliver high-profile and cutting-edge digital projects for household names across the public and private sectors.

Softwire was founded on one simple idea: if we can create the best possible culture and working environment then everything else will fall into place. And it seems to be working - We were recently voted number 1 company to work for in the UK at the Best Company awards, and we have a loyal and growing client base who trust us with their hardest problems and their mission critical projects.

We focus on creating a great culture and working environment and we are looking for people who share our core beliefs about what makes a great place to work:

• That if a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly.
• That work should be fulfilling but can also be fun.
• That kindness matters and should be extended to employees and clients alike.
• That by being trusting and trustworthy as an organisation and as individuals we can dispense with tedious bureaucracy and rules.

In brief

We’re looking for people who have a track record of successfully delivering bespoke software development projects in an agency setting; people who can own all aspects of that delivery: commercial, team, project vision, project delivery, and client management.

We are looking for team-players who are experienced people managers, and who have strong client empathy and client management skills. We also value exposure to pre-sales, and provide opportunities to make use of, or grow, pre-sales and account experience.

In return, we can offer interesting projects with brilliant clients, high levels of autonomy and ownership, and strong – and stretching – management support. You’ll have the opportunity to try new things – whether they be skills you’re developing, or new initiatives that improve our processes or company culture.

The role

We are looking for an experienced delivery principal with a strong track record of delivering complex software programmes for public sector clients, gained within a consultancy or agency environment. You will bring hands-on experience across discovery, alpha and beta, with a solid understanding of government service standards and user-centred design.

As a delivery principal, you will lead a portfolio of projects and engagements and be accountable for the commercial performance, delivery outcomes, and team success across your work. You’ll be comfortable balancing commercial and delivery pressures, able to lead multidisciplinary teams, manage senior stakeholders, and translate technical complexity into clear, confident decisions that deliver lasting public value.

Delivery principals report to (and work closely with) delivery directors, who are responsible for overall portfolio performance and client account management.

Delivery principals are part of Softwire’s senior management team, working together to support the exec board in shaping the company’s operation and strengthening its relationship with employees and clients.

The key responsibilities of the role are:

Delivering high value services to our clients

As a Delivery Principal, you are accountable for the success of projects. You’ll lead delivery – either directly, or more often through managing delivery, technical and design leads. You’ll be responsible for ensuring client satisfaction, while also meeting Softwire’s commercial goals, and ensuring a happy team.

To do so, you’ll be empowered to guide clients through the delivery process, shaping the engagement for success from the first meetings, and resourcing the team. You’ll inspire trust with senior stakeholders, acting as the most senior line of project escalation for any issues, and have broad discretion on how to solve them.

You may do this on a programme of work spanning thousands of days of effort, or on a portfolio of smaller projects with independent delivery leads.

Accelerating the careers of others

Delivery Principals are highly experienced people managers. They bring experience in forming and leading multi-disciplinary teams. They bring out the best in the people they’re responsible for, both through strong line management of Delivery Leads, and by supporting the resourcing and progression of others on their projects.

You are expected to take responsibility for the “performance contract” of multiple employees – setting expectations and challenges, providing support and feedback, and ensuring appropriate reward upon delivery. You will also help your Delivery Leads mentor and manage more junior colleagues of their own.

You may also choose to be involved in providing career mentoring for more junior colleagues, or providing or commissioning knowledge-sharing or other training initiatives.

Generating additional business for Softwire

As Softwire’s most senior delivery staff, Delivery Principals are very capable in front of both existing and prospective clients. You should inspire confidence and impress not only through your expertise, but through seeing the bigger picture. You will look for opportunities to build and expand existing accounts.

For example, this will include:

• Ensuring clients receive - and, crucially, feel that they have received - an excellent service from Softwire, so they are motivated to bring repeat business and/or recommend our services to others.
• Meeting prospective clients, devising project plans and technical approaches, preparing written proposals and in-person pitches.
• Thinking beyond your immediate remit on a project to understand how Softwire can make it a success and where else we might be able to provide value to a client.

It may also include:

• Taking the lead on key sales bids, understanding clients’ problems and shaping our response to them
• Attracting business to Softwire through your personal reputation in the industry – e.g. thought leadership, speaking at conferences, and personal networks.

You bring extensive experience of successfully delivering large software development projects within the public sector directly or via agency experience and a broad skillset that lets you understand and spot risks, and address issues in whatever areas a project demands.

You have prior agency experience and are familiar with reconciling commercial and quality drivers in a client-focused environment. You have excellent client management and relationship building skills. You are used to getting things done to external timetables and can balance competing demands to progress both the strategic and the tactical.

You possess strong expertise in the public sector, particularly in the discovery, alpha and beta phases. You have comprehensive knowledge of government service standards and the user-centered design and you experience in supporting others through these processes.

You appreciate working autonomously within a supportive environment.

You are collaborative and want to create something enduring while having fun doing so.

You are familiar with how software is created. You don’t need to be able to write it yourself, but you can have informed conversations with technical team members and understand the technical context and repercussions of project or scope decisions.

Experience and qualifications

• A demonstrable track record of successfully delivering challenging projects / programmes.
• Experience working in a delivery leadership role within an agency, consultancy environment or direct government department
• Experience managing teams, with accountability for the work of 10+ onshore staff
• Strong knowledge of modern software engineering practice (SDLC) and an awareness of technical approaches and trends.
• An interest in technology and how things are created

Communication and consultancy skills

• Lead meetings with senior (e.g. C-level) external stakeholders.
• Understand and give context to complex situations, drawing out the key points and driving shared clarity
• Identify and trouble-shoot issues that may range from relationships to process, and lead the team in solving them
• Communicate and present, creating strong narratives to inform and empower the audience in support of decision making
• Develop strong working relationships with both client stakeholders and Softwire staff.

Delivery skills

• Drive the kick-off of a project, helping clients clarify their requirements, uncovering their underlying needs, desires, and constraints, and leading them to appropriate solutions
• Design an appropriate programme of work to meet those needs within the constraints of timeline, team and budget
• Directly manage Delivery and Technical Leads, ensuring effective workflows, reporting and governance arrangements are in place to support successful delivery of the project
• Demonstrate an ability to turn analytical insights and data points into action, leading interventions when projects require them.

You are aware of:

• Relevant tools and processes that support the SDLC (covering task management, user research, design, quality assurance, development, deployment)
• Agile methodology and process
• Commercial models and consideration (T&M, FP, etc) as applicable to agencies

The package

Softwire operates transparent pay scales and a profit share scheme based on role and overall company performance:

• Base salary is based on experience in role and ranges from £92,100 to £103,700
• You can expect to receive an average of between £15,000 and £20,000 in profit share depending on your experience and company performance.
• Pension: Additional 5% of salary

Additional benefits: 25 days annual leave (with the option to buy and sell), time off for company-wide morale activities, time off for charitable / CSR activities, free annual eye test, and opt-in health insurance, cycle to work scheme, and payroll charity donations.

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