Programme Manager

Job summary

We are looking for a Grade 7 Programme Manager to become the operational backbone of the award-winning One Public Estate (OPE) programme.

The OPE team is a friendly, highly collaborative, and diverse group operating in a fast-paced environment. This role offers you significant autonomy and stretch in a supportive environment that values diversity of thought, individual skills, and delivery expertise. If you have a proven track record of solving problems in complex environments, leading through uncertainty, and working as a strong team player, we would love to hear from you.

About One Public Estate (OPE)

OPE is a unique and impactful partnership between the Office of Government Property (OGP) in the Cabinet Office, the Local Government Association (LGA), and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Established in 2013, we work with 98% of local authorities in England and have funded over 850 transformational property-led projects.

Our mission is to support public sector partners to drive economic growth, unlock housing supply (supporting the target of 1.5 million homes), and reform public services through optimisation of public property assets. We act as a convenor, neutral broker, and technical expert, while also delivering major capital initiatives like the Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) on behalf of MHCLG.

We are currently embarking on an exciting transition to an evolved place-based operating model. This role is critical to sustaining our core programme excellence while helping us design and navigate this future shape.

Job description

As the G7 Programme Manager, you will be the operational backbone of the OPE programme. Reporting directly to the Grade 6 Programme Director, you will be an active member of our Senior Leadership Team (SLT). You will operate with a high degree of autonomy to ensure the smooth, day-to-day management of our existing multi-million-pound portfolio, while directly contributing to the strategic layout, evolution, and long-term future direction of the programme.

The role requires exceptional leadership skills to navigate a complex, blended team across central and local government. You will oversee critical programme infrastructure and maintain robust governance up to Director General level. You will line manage the incoming EO Programme Assistant and SEO Data and Analysis Lead, and will proactively task manage across the wider team.

Key focus areas will include:

• SLT Contribution & Programme Evolution: Act as a core member of the Senior Leadership Team to steer, shape, and map out the future strategic direction of the programme during its transition to a wider place-based operating model.
• Programme Governance & Delivery: Maintain and optimise comprehensive business and resource plans in conjunction with our LGA counterparts. Ensure robust Risk, Assumption, Issue, and Dependency (RAID) monitoring is in place to unblock delivery challenges early.
• Financial & Contract Management: Take full oversight of a c. £4m budget. Lead on commercial and grant management with the LGA, ensuring compliance, tracking financial liabilities, and establishing future grant arrangements.
• High-Level Executive Governance: Drive forward the Programme Executive Group, which is chaired at Director General (DG) level, ensuring high-quality reporting and departmental compliance.
• Leadership & People Management: Provide strong leadership across the blended team, including direct line management of two Cabinet Office staff, and task management across a wider team, building capability to free up strategic capacity.
• Strategic Briefing: Coordinate and draft inputs for official correspondence, including ministerial submissions, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, and future Spending Review bids.

Person specification

Essential Experience criteria

• Complex Programme Delivery: Substantial experience managing complex, fast-paced portfolios or programmes using recognized delivery techniques.
• Public Sector Expertise: Proven experience working effectively within or alongside central government, local authorities, or multi-agency partnerships.
• Financial Accountabilities: Experience managing significant budgets and navigating commercial, contract, or grant management processes.
• Senior Stakeholder Management: Exceptional communication, negotiation, and influencing skills, with a track record of briefing senior leaders and managing complex governance structures.

Technical Skills/Qualifications

A recognised project or programme management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, MSP, APMP).

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Qualifications

A recognised project or programme management qualification (e.g., PRINCE2, MSP, APMP).

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,204, Cabinet Office contributes £16,571 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Application process

As part of the application process, we will assess you against the following skills and experience. Behaviours and Strengths will be tested at interview.

To apply, please submit a CV and personal statement of no more than 1,250 words, clearly demonstrating how your skills and career history meet the essential skills criteria above.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

The interview will consist of questions based on the Success Profiles:

• Leadership (Behaviours)
• Making Effective Decisions (Behaviours)
• Communicating and Influencing (Behaviours)
• Seeing the Big Picture (Behaviours)

There will also be two questions to assess your Strengths.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – week commencing 29th June

Expected interview date/s – week commencing 6th July

Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Feedback

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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Kirsty Rouillard
• Email : Kirsty.Rouillard@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: info@csc.gov.uk.
For further information on the Recruitment Principles, and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 344kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External (1) (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 82kB)