Transformation Programme Manager

About the Borough

Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.

We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.

About the Service and Team

This role will sit within the Corporate Transformation and PMO team, which is the engine room responsible for driving the Change & Transformation Programme across the organisation. Kingston has developed a very ambitious transformation agenda, which includes a number of large strategic programmes that will transform the way services are delivered, empowering staff and improving outcomes for residents.

As a team we are dynamic, innovative and supportive. We like to test and pilot new ways of working and digital tools to help support project and programme delivery. The team has a dynamic skill set consisting of delivery, change and PMO expertise and we work together to support and learn from each other. If you enjoy working in a fast paced environment and working with multiple stakeholders then this is a very exciting time to join the team!

About the Role and Our Ideal Candidate

About the role
Following a recent corporate peer challenge review by the LGA, there is a need to mobilise a new programme to respond to the peer challenge review’s actions and recommendations - focusing on transforming our enabling services to ensure all internal processes and practices are streamlined and that as organisation, we empower staff to self serve where possible. It is vital that as an organisation we are efficient and enable our workforce to work effectively.

We are looking for an experienced Programme Manager who can bring teams together, work in collaboration, facilitate change and work closely with partners and senior stakeholders to deliver at pace. This is a new programme of work so there will be opportunities to help influence and shape the deliverables and outcomes we want to achieve. You will need to work with multiple senior stakeholders and have strategic oversight/ management of multiple workstreams. This Programme will report into our existing transformation governance and the PMO team will be able to support reporting and assurance capabilities.

Our Transformation Programme has great support from our senior leadership team and the team already has numerous Programme Managers in place. We are looking for another innovative and creative leader to join the team to deliver a fundamental programme of work. So if you are proactive and passionate about transforming ways of working and delivering better outcomes then we would love to hear from you!

In this role you will:

• Define and deliver the new programme - ‘Transforming enabling services’ by working with stakeholders to develop a programme plan, key milestones and identify/ track benefits in line with the programme's objectives.
• Work collaboratively with services across the organisation, including Heads of service, Directors, SRO’s and business partners to deliver at pace. Taking an action oriented approach to delivery
• Line manage a small Project delivery team and matrix management of other staff connected to the programme including senior stakeholder management
• Be responsible for the Programme reporting at several different governance forums
• Work closely with the SRO to define and deliver the Programme vision, key deliverables and working collaboratively with all workstream leads to drive delivery.
• Work closely with other Programme Managers and Directors to ensure synergies and dependencies are identified and management - avoiding duplication of effort
• Provide strategic management capacity working as part of the Transformation Management Team

About you

• Have a track record of managing complex change projects and programmes in a public sector setting
• Need to have strong leadership skills and be able to manage effective relationships across the organisation in a complex stakeholder environment
• Be able to demonstrate strong stakeholder engagement and management skills, at all levels of the organisation
• Have a collaborative approach to delivering change
• Have a strong coaching and mentoring mentality to help the Programme team to thrive whilst enabling and upskilling others

Our Offer to You

As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.

Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:

• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
• Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
• Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
• Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
• Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
• Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
• Interest free season ticket loans
• Local Government Pension Scheme
• Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
• Zip car scheme
• Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support

Application Process

Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.

We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
Here at Kingston we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.

Additional Information

We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.

To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.

We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.

The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.