Programme Manager - Local Government Reform

Directorate: Chief Executive’s

Section: Strategy, Economy and Communications

Location: Civic Centre

Grade: Level 14 (Subject to Review)

Salary: £51,356 - £54,495 per annum (Subject to Review)

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract type: This is a fixed term role for 12 months.

This advert is open to both Internal and External applicants.

About us

We are a city of strengths, with a proud heritage and bright future. Working for Stoke-on Trent City Council is more than just a job, it's about making, protecting and improving the services for the local population, reducing inequalities and improving independence for the people who live and work in the city. And that’s where you come in. We are always looking for people of the highest calibre with skills, knowledge and experience to help us deliver our compelling vision.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s diverse and talented workforce is its greatest asset and most valuable resource. The skills, knowledge and experience of our c.4,600 employees are essential to delivering our ambitions and vision for our organisation and Stoke-on-Trent. We want to be an employer that people are proud to work for, and where our staff are supported, developed and rewarded in an inclusive way that helps them to excel and to deliver the high-quality services that our residents need.

The Role

The role will be part of the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent joint PMO, managed by the Stoke on Trent Head of LGR Programme Delivery and based in the Strategy, Economy and Communications Service. The role is a hybrid role, with the Civic Centre in Stoke on Trent as its base, but with flexibility to work from home and a variety of locations across Staffordshire as per the demands of the work.

Key Responsibilities

• The planning and execution of preparatory and transition activities.
• Driving progress, shaping direction and ensuring clarity and momentum at every stage.
• Working closely with the LGR Programme Delivery Leads, business and workstream leads and stakeholders from councils across the county.
• Working hand in hand with the joint PMO, ensuring that plans, risks, reporting and readiness activities align with programme standards and expectations.

About You

• Experience in Programme Delivery: proven track record of overseeing complex programme delivery in a fast paced, multi organisational environments, ensuring resources, governance, risks and dependencies are effectively managed to enable successful outcomes.
• Experience in leading teams in ambiguous environments: Experience overseeing and motivating a team of professionals with a degree of diversity of activity.
• Strong analytical skills: able to interpret complex programme data, identify risks, trends and resource pressures, and translate insights into clear, evidence based recommendations for senior decision makers.
• Delivering planning expertise: demonstratable experience building and managing integrated programme plans, controlling critical paths and milestones and ensuring alignment to strategic priorities and resource capacity.
• Stakeholder management: demonstratable ability to build strong, trust based relationships across multiple council’s, senior leaders, workstream leads and external partners, alignment and maintaining clear consistent communication.
• Influencing and negotiation skills: to help shape decisions, gain support and align people who may have different priorities and perspectives.

What we offer

• A competitive salary based on your skills, experience and talent.
• Hybrid and flexible working options.
• An excellent local authority benefits pension scheme.
• Professional development through learning opportunities, regular training sessions and apprenticeship and management schemes.

Pre-Employment Checks

• Right to Work in the UK.
• Proof of address.
• Satisfactory references.
• Occupational Health Clearance.
• Evidence of professional qualifications or registrations.
• DBS check at the appropriate level (if applicable for the role).

For more information on the role, please contact the Recruiting Manager Lewis Gabb.

The Council will not accept any speculative CVs from employment agencies. No agency terms and conditions accompanying any such CVs will be accepted by the Council. Any unsolicited information sent by an employment agency will be treated as the property of the Council.

Please note that if an employee who is currently at risk of redundancy within the organisation applies for this vacancy their application will receive priority. If this happens you will be advised accordingly.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

At Stoke-on-Trent City Council, we believe our strength comes from the diversity of our community, and we want our workforce to reflect that. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. We understand that some people, especially those from underrepresented or marginalised backgrounds, may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet all the listed requirements. If this role interests you and you think you could be a good fit, we encourage you to apply. We are proud of what makes each of us unique and are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels included, can be themselves, and can succeed together.

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