Who are we?

Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Programme Manager / Delivery Lead

Function: Specialty Technology
Reports to: Head of Delivery & Change
Location: London / Hybrid
Direct Reports: Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Delivery Professionals

About the Role

Howden is a fast-paced dynamic organisation with ambitious growth targets. Howden Specialty is a rapidly growing international insurance broking business placing over £7billion of premium supporting seventy thousand clients in 110 countries. We are transforming our business to a tech and AI enabled cutting edge digital leader. An experienced PMO is required to support the CTO and Specialty Transformation Committee (STC) governance including: supporting stakeholders to triage and produce inputs as part of the STC intake process,  prepare monthly STC packs, track and monitor actions and support ongoing SDLC and delivery governance adherence of a portfolio of projects. 

The role is a permanent position.

The Programme Manager / Delivery Lead is accountable for the leadership, governance and successful delivery of strategic technology programmes and projects across Howden Specialty Technology.

The role combines programme leadership, people management and delivery governance, ensuring that projects and product initiatives are delivered in a controlled, predictable and compliant manner whilst supporting the wider transformation objectives of Specialty Technology.

Working closely with the Head of Delivery & Change, CTO, Product, Architecture, PMO and Change teams, the role is responsible for establishing delivery excellence through robust governance, effective resource management, financial control and adherence to the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).

Delivery Leadership

• Lead the successful delivery of strategic technology programmes and projects across Specialty Technology.
• Provide oversight, challenge and assurance across all project and agile delivery activities.
• Drive delivery predictability, quality, governance compliance and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Identify, manage and mitigate programme risks, issues, dependencies and delivery constraints.
• Ensure delivery plans are realistic, integrated, resourced and aligned to agreed business outcomes.
• Establish appropriate governance structures and decision-making forums to support programme success.

People Leadership

• Line management of Project Managers, Scrum Masters and associated delivery professionals.
• Recruit, onboard and develop high-performing delivery teams.
• Undertake regular performance reviews, objective setting, coaching and career development activities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement and delivery excellence.
• Support succession planning and capability development across the Delivery function.

Governance & Delivery Standards

• Define, implement and maintain delivery governance, frameworks, methodologies and controls.
• Drive adherence to agreed delivery standards, policies, processes and operating models.
• Support the Head of Delivery & Change and CTO in evolving the Delivery Lifecycle and governance framework.
• Ensure consistent application of project, programme and agile delivery practices across the portfolio.
• Provide regular assurance reviews and quality assessments of delivery artefacts and plans.

Financial Management

• Maintain accountability for programme and project financial performance.
• Ensure accurate forecasting, tracking and reporting of project expenditure.
• Provide oversight of Project Manager and Scrum Master budget responsibilities.
• Support business case development, investment governance and funding approval processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve value delivery and optimise technology investment.

Resource & Capacity Management

• Ensure accurate capacity planning across delivery teams.
• Maintain visibility of resource utilisation, allocation and future demand.
• Oversee leave management, team availability and delivery capacity forecasting.
• Collaborate with Technology leadership to address resource gaps and capability requirements.

SDLC Compliance & Controls

• Ensure compliance with Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) policies and standards.
• Drive effective project governance throughout all delivery stages.
• Maintain appropriate controls supporting audit, risk and regulatory requirements.
• Promote continuous improvement of delivery frameworks, tooling and governance processes.

Technology Governance Coordination

• Coordinate and support:
  • Architecture Review Board (ARB)
  • Change Advisory Board (CAB)
  • Investment Funding submissions
  • Business Case preparation and approval activities
• Ensure delivery teams are prepared for governance reviews and decision forums.
• Track actions, decisions and approval outcomes through completion.

Change, Training & Adoption

• Partner with Business Change teams to ensure effective adoption of delivered solutions.
• Coordinate training, communications and change activities required to realise business value.
• Support delivery teams in embedding change management best practice throughout programme lifecycles.

PMO & Executive Reporting

• Produce and assure portfolio, programme and project reporting outputs.
• Lead preparation of governance materials, Steering Committee packs and executive reporting.
• Ensure reporting remains accurate, timely, transparent and decision-focused.
• Provide meaningful delivery insights, trends and recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Stakeholder Management

• Build effective relationships with business and technology stakeholders.
• Develop stakeholder engagement and communication strategies.
• Influence and collaborate across multiple levels of the organisation, including C-suite executives.
• Present delivery status, risks, investment cases and strategic recommendations to senior leadership forums.

Leadership Contribution

• Act a senior member of the Specialty Technology leadership community.
• Participate actively in Delivery Leadership, Technology Leadership and governance forums.
• Contribute to strategic planning, operating model development and organisational transformation initiatives.
• Champion continuous improvement, innovation and delivery maturity growth across the organisation.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Essential

• Significant experience leading complex technology programmes and portfolios.
• Proven people leadership experience managing Project Managers, Scrum Masters or comparable delivery teams.
• Strong programme, project and agile delivery management expertise.
• Experience working within regulated and governance-driven environments.
• Demonstrable financial management and budget control experience.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including engagement with Executive and C-suite stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of SDLC, governance frameworks and technology delivery controls.
• Experience preparing business cases, investment submissions and executive governance materials.
• Strong communication, facilitation and influencing skills.
• AI Basic to Strong skills

Desirable

• Insurance, Financial Services or Professional Services experience.
• SAFe, Agile, Scrum, MSP, PRINCE2 or PMP certifications or relevant proven industry experience.
• Experience operating within product-led and value-stream delivery models.
• Knowledge of Architecture Governance, Change Governance and Portfolio Management practices.

Key Behaviours

• Accountable and results driven.
• Commercially aware and value focused.
• Collaborative and inclusive leader.
• Strategic thinker with strong execution capability.
• Data-driven decision maker.
• Resilient and adaptable in complex environments.
• Committed to continuous improvement and delivery excellence.
• Acts with integrity and in line with Howden values.

Success Measures

• Delivery performance against committed outcomes.
• Financial performance against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Governance and SDLC compliance levels.
• Quality and predictability of delivery plans.
• Team engagement, retention and capability growth.
• Stakeholder satisfaction.
• Audit and risk outcomes.
• Realisation of business value from delivered initiatives.

Additional Accountability for Specialty Technology

• Direct accountability for the successful delivery of designated strategic Specialty Technology programmes and initiatives.
• Leadership of the Project Manager and Scrum Master community.
• Driving the maturity of the Delivery Centre of Excellence and Delivery Performance Engine.

Supporting the evolution from project-based execution to product and value-stream aligned delivery across Specialty Technology.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define.

What you might not expect is a job where everyone has a voice, where volunteering in the community is part of the day job, and where everyone is encouraged to play a part towards our sustainability goals. We want people who want to make a difference - not just in the workplace, but in the industry and in the wider community.

Our culture: People First

Our core values dictate how we live and work. We are a group with independence and people at its heart and we are a home for talent with a unique culture: the biggest small company in the world

The focus on being a People First business has always been at the very heart of the Group; Our vision was to create an independent business with a unique culture and one that would survive and thrive as a business controlled by the people working for it. And finding the most talented and entrepreneurial people to join the Group has been and will continue to be key.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Howden Group Holdings we consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness and respect, regardless of their age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status or family circumstances.

What do we offer in return?

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new

• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges

• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

Reasonable adjustments

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs.  Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.

Permanent