Programme Director - Oxford

Programme Director Jobs

Some companies have an ongoing policy of continuous business change and/or transformation. Others assemble teams solely to put one C&T project into action. In both cases, however, the task is better served by the installation of a director overseeing and influencing the whole programme. The programme director either assembles a team of managers or takes over an existing team, and is the eyes, ears and voice in the board on all matters related to the change and transformation taking place.

The programme director’s overarching responsibility is to ensure the C&T programme is designed, implemented, monitored and followed up carefully and methodically, with as little as possible left to chance, to maintain the support of the board and the shareholders. Whereas business change generally faces little opposition from within, transformation can seem to represent a higher risk, even when the sums all add up. The programme director may in some cases therefore be required to inform and reassure such parties of the benefits of the new direction.

The skills required

Rock solid board-level experience seeing a business change or transformation programme from idea to final report is an absolute must for the majority of companies looking for a programme director. Some, however, will consider managing a complex, high value programme under the direction of a board as enough of a qualification to make the step up. It all depends on the size of the business and the nature of the programme being dealt with.

Because of the unknown factors in any change and transformation programme, it is important that research is fully carried out ahead of the programme starting and that the information gained is understood and communicated well. Having a board and the shareholders on your side makes business change and transformation all the smoother, so you need to recognize great communication, whether you are personally delivering it or whether you hire an internal communications manager.

Programme Director Jobs in Oxford

The county town of Oxford and famous throughout the world for its university, Oxford is actually a thriving, self-contained city with a diversity of industries not directly related to its county status or education sector. It has been a successful city for so long that its architecture spans the millennia, and since much of the most important buildings were churches, it got the name “city of dreaming spires”.

Without doubt the university and its related activities (bars, cafes, hotels, shops, theatres etc.) is the key single employer of the city, and the university heritage also plays into its thriving tourism industry. All this contributes to the thriving nature of the city, which is busy all the year round.

But a major industry just to the south east of the city centre is car manufacturing, at the Cowley BMW plant, home of the new Mini. The plant used to be the Morris Motors plant during the First World War, and this attracted a railway and other communications to serve it. During World War Two the plant made training planes for the RAF. After the war mergers and acquisitions changed the company to BMC, then British Leyland, Austin Rover, the Rover Group and finally BMW (but locals still call the factory Morris’s).

With a thriving, ever changing population and various high-tech and heavy industries, Oxford often throws up Programme Director positions to help oil the wheels of commerce. It’s certainly an exciting place to live and work.

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Find Programme Director Jobs with Cast UK

Cast UK is focused on several areas of business, including change and transformation, for managers and directors only. The advantage of this specialist approach over general recruitment agencies is clear to see, and is why companies and top candidates come to Cast UK first when they seeking to fill these roles.

Although we’re headquartered in Manchester with offices in London and Birmingham, we recruit for companies all over the UK. Our recruitment consultants are fully trained and often come from the line of work in which they are recruiting, so we know the needs and desires of candidates and employers alike. Call Cast UK today on 0333 121 3345 so you can become our latest success story.

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