Programme Director

Job summary

SLC offer a blended working model which will typically be 2 days in the office and 3 days from home.

Is it time you unlocked your potential?

Student Loans Company is a non-profit making Government-owned organisation to provide loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK. Since 1989, we have enabled our customers to invest in their futures by delivering secure, accurate and efficient assessment, payment and repayment services.

Our Values

Culture is at the heart of everything we do at SLC and we are guided by our five values which help make SLC a great place to work:

• Honesty: We act with integrity and transparency, sharing information openly and addressing challenges with courage.

• Empowerment: We enable people to take initiative, make impactful decisions, and continuously learn and grow.

• Accountability: We deliver on commitments, own our successes and mistakes, and strive for quality outcomes.

• Respect: We value diverse perspectives, actively listen, and create an inclusive environment where everyone belongs.

• Trust: We collaborate across teams, build dependable relationships, and work as one to deliver for our customers.

These values are more than words—they guide our decisions, shape our collaborations, and strengthen our impact on the students we serve.

Job description

About the role

As Programme Director, you will lead the delivery of large, complex and multi‑year transformation programmes that are critical to strategic outcomes, operating at pace across technology modernisation, target operating model change, process improvement and data evolution. You will be accountable for mobilising, governing and delivering programmes within highly complex environments, working confidently with executive and board‑level stakeholders across multiple organisations and delivery partners.

You will bring deep experience of operating in regulated environments, applying strong judgement and discipline to balance pace, risk, compliance and value for money. A core focus of the role is rigorous financial control, with responsibility for managing and forecasting significant budgets, developing robust business cases, and ensuring every investment delivers measurable benefits against tightly governed cost and savings targets.

You will establish clear and effective programme governance, proactively managing risk, issues and dependencies to enable informed decision‑making and successful outcomes. As an experienced people leader, you will lead and develop teams of programme and project managers, creating a high‑performing, accountable delivery culture. You will use data‑driven insight to resolve complex problems, challenge ways of working and drive continuous improvement. Above all, you will combine strong commercial and delivery expertise with an understanding of public‑sector accountability, delivering complex change with credibility, pace and impact.

This is a senior, high‑impact leadership role where you’ll shape and deliver complex, nationally significant transformation, build enduring executive relationships, and leave a visible legacy while strengthening your profile and progression at the most influential levels of programme delivery.

Person specification

What you bring:

• Exceptional leadership skills, with the ability to inspire, motivate, and guide teams in achieving programme objectives.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence a diverse range of stakeholders across various levels.
• Demonstrated ability to manage programme budgets and financial resources effectively.
• Effective analytical and problem-solving skills, capable of making data-driven decisions.
• Excellent risk management, analytical and problems-solving skills.
• Able to challenge ways of working to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Ability to build, establish, and maintain influential relationships to drive effective decision making.
• Proven experience in leading large, complex transformation programmes, with a deep understanding of programme management methodologies, tools, and techniques.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering large-scale transformation programmes within complex organisational environments.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Student Loans Company contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

You can expect more from a career with SLC. We support colleagues to unlock their potential through our Career Pathways development programme and offer an excellent benefit and rewards package that includes:

• 28 days annual leave plus 8 public holidays

• Option to buy/sell annual leave

• Flexi-time and enhanced flexible working options available

• Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme

• Life insurance cover for 4 x annual salary

• Enhanced company sick pay and family leave including maternity, paternity and adoption

• Contributory lifestyle benefit options including discounts at hundreds of retailers, cycle to work scheme, access to the Civil Service Sports and Leisure Club for discounted gym memberships, and an optional dental insurance scheme

• To find out what’s it’s like to work at Student Loans Company click here SLC Careers

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

The Legal Bits

We’ll need you to confirm you have the right to work in the UK. If we offer you a job and you accept, there are some background checks we need to complete before you can start with us. This will include employment history, criminal record check, credit reference check and fraud check.

EDI

As a proud Disability Confident Leader, we’re committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience that empowers people of all abilities. Our team actively promotes accessible hiring practices, supports candidates with disabilities throughout their employment journey to help build a diverse equitable workplace at SLC.

SLC will make reasonable adjustments for those who consider themselves to have a disability or long-term condition in line with the Equality Act 2010. Our application process provides candidates with the opportunity to request reasonable adjustments but if you would like to discuss this in more detail, please email ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk.

Use of AI in Job Applications

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see Candidate Guidancefor more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Talent Acquisition Team
• Email : ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : ask_recruitment@slc.co.uk