Director of Strategic Programmes

Role: Director of Strategic Programmes (Technology)

Specsavers is here to change lives through better sight and hearing by delivering outstanding value, being loved by every customer, and creating the place where all colleagues are proud to belong, as we grow our business.

Technology’s purpose is to underpin the long-term framework by defining, delivering, and supporting clear, value focused and efficient technology that enables Specsavers to change lives through better sight and hearing.

The strategic programmes team provide the necessary technology capabilities, skills, people and partners to deliver digital transformation of our technology platforms, enabling a seamless blended journey for our customers.

The role

The role of Director of Strategic Programmes is a crucial role in the overall leadership to ensure that all aspects of technology are successfully delivered as per the agreed outcomes, timelines and budget of our transformation programmes. This will require working in close collaboration with the relevant Business Programmes Director(s) to ensure a seamless delivery of both technology and business transformation.

The role requires a blend of strategic thinking, collaboration, leadership, business change and technology delivery knowledge to ensure programme activity is not only delivered, but aligned with the overall Programme Objectives; and services the strategic objectives of our Long Term Framework.

This role will be pivotal in working with the broader technology and business change teams to adopt a more mature and sustainable approach to delivering complex, global programmes.

You will be a direct report of the Group Director of PMO & Delivery who leads the Group delivery function

Responsibilities:

Programme Leadership and Delivery:

• Establishes, shapes, and leads on the execution of the technology delivery of the largest and most complex strategic change programmes (budgets > £10m, resources > 100, multiple 3rd parties) that will have significant impacts across the organisation, ensuring alignment with Specsavers’ strategic objectives and goals
• Accountable to the Programme Sponsor for successful technology delivery, typically a regional or global executive board member.
• Direct line management of technology Heads of Delivery, Programme Managers, and Portfolio Delivery Managers, with matrix management of other technology functions.
• Manage, motivate, and support programme teams to achieve required outcomes, ensuring clarity on accountabilities, roles and responsibilities.
• Working closely with the business change management teams to ensure the impacts on business functions are considered and understood, that there is strong business ownership of the changes being implemented, that all change is effectively communicated, and that transition support is in place before and after the new capabilities are deployed

Stakeholder Management and Governance:

• Collaborate with other business divisions/functions to ensure resource availability and capability.
• Establish appropriate governance, ensuring effective Programme Steering Boards and timely removal of blockers.
• Provide clear insights for decision-making, presenting options and trade-offs to reduce delivery risks.
• Ensure programme plans align with the Long-Term Framework, Group Strategy, and Target Operating Model.
• Working closely with the value streams and programme leadership teams to ensure that Business Cases are robust and that the programme vision, scope and required outcomes are clear and agreed

Requirements:

• Over 15 years of experience, leading programmes that included the following:
  • High levels of management complexity: senior stakeholders spanning multiple business Divisions/Countries/Functions.
  • High levels of technology complexity, including significant replacement of and/or integration to legacy technology
  • Building of new digital platforms, transforming the technology estate and delivering large scale business change
  • Required significant shaping activity and stakeholder engagement to agree the required outcomes, scope, and programme structure
  • Programme Sponsors that were board members
  • Management of stakeholders who may not have been aligned to the programme objectives/outcomes during the early stages of the programme
  • Budgets of over £10m, teams of > 100 people spanning multiple Divisions/Functions and management of multiple 3rd parties including large engineering teams
  • Multi-year deliveries that with phased delivery to achieve business value early
  • Significant impact on the organisation that requires highly effective communication, training, and operational readiness activities

Preferred Education / Qualifications

• Project/Programme Management qualifications (e.g., Prince2 / MSP / AgilePM)
• Change Management qualification (e.g., Prosci)
• MBA

Location: Hybrid with 2/3 days a week at our office based just outside of Southampton

If you are looking to join an organisation in growth mode that places customers at the heart of decision making, please apply today. We look forward to hearing from you.