Delivery Lead (CPMO)
Posted 1 week ago by Hays Specialist Recruitment
£650 Per day
Inside
Hybrid
Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
Summary: The Delivery Lead (CPMO) role involves overseeing and intervening in critical programmes within a large local authority's transformation agenda. This position focuses on ensuring that major programmes are on track, realistic, and aligned with strategic priorities, while also providing robust challenge and oversight. The role requires deep experience in managing complex programmes and the ability to navigate politically sensitive environments. It is a 6-month contract based in Oxford, offering a competitive day rate.
Key Responsibilities:
- Assess, challenge, and stabilize critical programmes to ensure alignment with strategic priorities.
- Hold a delegated mandate to intervene when delivery performance, risk, or benefits begin to drift.
- Work closely with Programme Directors and SROs to challenge optimistic reporting and test delivery confidence.
- Escalate unresolved issues to the CPMO Director for timely executive intervention.
- Focus on delivery outcomes and ensure proper mobilization of programmes and early surfacing of risks.
Key Skills:
- Deep experience in leading or overseeing complex programmes in multi-stakeholder environments.
- Understanding of portfolio governance, delivery risk, and benefits management.
- Ability to challenge senior leaders and navigate politically sensitive situations.
- Pragmatic, authoritative, and calm under pressure.
- Experience in public sector or politically charged environments, with exposure to transformation programmes.
Salary (Rate): £650 per day
City: Oxford
Country: UK
Working Arrangements: Hybrid
IR35 Status: Inside IR35
Seniority Level: Mid-Level
Industry: Other
Delivery Lead (CPMO) - Paying up to £650 Per Day, Inside IR35, Based in Oxford, Hybrid Working, To Start ASAP, 6 Month Contract
Your new company
Join a large, upper tier local authority delivering one of the most ambitious and politically complex transformation agendas in the sector. With major programmes underway, including high profile Local Government Reorganisation, the organisation is reshaping how services are funded, governed and delivered. To strengthen control and confidence across this change landscape, the council has established a new standalone CPMO. This team exists to bring clear oversight, robust challenge and early intervention across the change portfolio. As a CPMO Delivery Lead, you will sit at the heart of this capability, focused squarely on whether major programmes are genuinely on track to deliver.
Your new role
This is not a programme management role, it is a delivery oversight and intervention role. As an Interim CPMO Delivery Lead, you will be responsible for assessing, challenging and stabilising the organisation's most critical programmes, ensuring they remain realistic, controlled and aligned to strategic priorities.You will hold a delegated mandate to step in where delivery performance, risk or benefits begin to drift. Working closely with Programme Directors and SROs, you will challenge optimistic reporting, test delivery confidence and insist on corrective action where required. When issues cannot be resolved at programme level, you will escalate clearly and decisively to the CPMO Director to support timely executive intervention. Your focus will be on delivery outcomes, not process for its own sake. You will help ensure programmes are properly mobilised, risks are surfaced early and leadership has a clear, honest view of what is achievable and when.
What you'll need to succeed
You will bring deep experience of leading or overseeing complex programmes in large, multi stakeholder environments and be comfortable challenging senior leaders when delivery reality does not match the narrative. You will understand portfolio governance, delivery risk and benefits management and be confident intervening in politically sensitive, high profile programmes. You will be pragmatic, authoritative and calm under pressure, able to cut through complexity and focus attention on the issues that genuinely threaten successful delivery. Experience operating within public sector or highly political environments is essential, with previous exposure to major transformation or reorganisation programmes highly desirable.
What you'll get in return
You'll play a pivotal role in bringing grip, realism and confidence to one of the most significant transformation portfolios in the region. This role offers high visibility, genuine influence and the opportunity to shape outcomes at pace, alongside a competitive day rate and strong likelihood of extension as the portfolio evolves.
What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
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