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Purely focused on Programme and Project Management Recruitment
Arras People is the only project management recruitment business in the UK which has a dedicated team and a specialist focus on programme management and project management recruitment.
We provide programme and project management recruitment consultancy services across all industry sectors and business functions and all skill levels from entry level project managers, experienced project and programme managers and director/exec level. Specifically, we provide programme management and project management recruitment for the following roles:
 Programme Management:
Programme Manager
Programme Director
Director of Programmes
Head of Programmes
Project Management:
Project Director/Head of Projects
Senior Project Manager
Project Manager
Assistant Project Manager
Consultant Project Manager
Delivery Manager
Implementation Leader/Manager
Project Leader
Stage Manager
Workstream Lead
Work Package Manager
 Project Management Specialist:
Bid Manager
Bid Director
Business Analyst
Business Realisation Manager
Commercial Project Manager
Contracts Project Manager
Cost Manager
Development Manager
Project Rescue Specialist/Project Troubleshooter
Process Lead
Process Mapper
Project Resource Manager
Risk Manager
Systems Analyst
Change Management:
Change Manager
What, exactly, are programme management and project management?
While it is hard to nail down a specific definition for project management and programme management, it is not an impossible feat. Below are two definitions we culled from the Association for Project Management's Definitions page. Other definitions for programme management and project management can be found on the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) web site (programme management and project management, respectively), and Wikipedia (programme management* and project management). A third unique site to turn to is Hydra Management, who have conducted their own survey, asking contracting executives to define what 'program management' (Note: US spelling) is.
*Re-directs to United States-spelled version, 'program management'
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APM Definitions for Programme Management and Project Management
PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT – Programme management is the co-ordinated management of related projects, which may include related business-as-usual activities that together achieve a beneficial change of a strategic nature for an organisation. What constitutes a programme will vary across industries and business sectors but there are core programme management processes.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT – Project management is the process by which projects are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are realised. Projects are unique, transient endeavours undertaken to achieve a desired outcome. Projects bring about change and project management is recognised as the most efficient way of managing such change.
How can Arras People help you recruit your next programme manager or project manager?
Everyday we have programme and project manager professionals registering with us – candidates are able to register for contract roles, permanent roles or either. The dedicated programme and project management team at Arras People are all experienced project management professionals – we fully understand what our candidates are looking for and when they are available. This means we are able to react quickly to your requirement and provide you with an initial shortlist of candidates.
As we're experienced in programme management and project management, we understand the roles and responsibilities of your requirements which makes us a little different when speaking to you about your needs and to our candidates - we know their job, aspirations, challenges - and they find it refreshing to speak to a recruitment business which really understands what they're looking for.
Arras People also has a popular programme and project management job board which attracts many project management professionals looking for a new opportunity and challenge.
You can contact the Programme and Project Management team directly to discuss your requirements today or call on 01706 366 444 and ask to speak to the PM team.
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The Programme Management and Project Management Roles We Provide and Previous Recruitment
Programme Management
Programme Manager
The Programme Manager role is open to many interpretations that will vary depending upon company, sector and discipline. Roles, responsibilities, experience and remuneration vary immensely, but don't worry; the right person is probably out there somewhere.
For the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), programme management is seen as "a vital component in the delivery of change; whether change to public or customer services, or change within organisations. In the government context, Programme Management is what the best policy makers have always done, though they may not have called it that; thinking through the end-to-end process to translate policy into delivery plans and into desired outcomes".
The Association for Project Management (APM) sees programme management as the "co-ordinated management of related projects, which may also include business-as-usual activities". Others see the programme manager's role as ensuring that the strategic goals of the business are met. Through all these definitions there seems to be an agreement that the Programme Manager is managing more than a single thread of activity.
Our experience shows that sectors have very differing uses for the job title Programme Manager and the complexity and seniority associated with the function. In construction, the delivery of Programmes such as Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport had Programme Managers who represented the key players and who were charged with the delivery of the many threads to complete this complex task. In the professional services environment, we see programme managers who again take responsibility for large complex deliverables, guiding the project managers and managing the relationships with the client.
In the public sector, we have examples such as the NHS Connecting For Health Programme, where the term Programme manager is again used both on the NHS and supplier sides. Then again, we see the term 'programme manager' used in Local Authority positions, where roles such as the Youth Offending Team are seen as a programme and hence have a programme manager.
So, what makes a Programme Manager? Common skills may include:
- Business Management
- Change Management
- Risk Management
- People Management
- Stakeholder Management
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Programme Director:
The Programme Director in many organisations is a senior responsible person who is charged with the delivery of a desired outcome as defined by the term programme manager. Typically many of the tasks and responsibilities would be recognisable in the description of that of a programme manager. In many instances the term Director has been added for status when in this format rather than meaning that this person is a director as in the definition of a "company director".
A Programme director like a programme manager would typically, but not always be in charge of the delivery of multiple concurrent activities. The use of Programme Director may be a function of scale where a large deliverable requires multiple Programme Managers to be deployed each with their own area of specialism such as Business Change, Facilities, Product X, the term Programme Director being used to define a hierarchy.
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Director of Programmes
Director of Programmes is again a skill set very much aligned with that of a Programme Manager or Programme Director. In our experience the term Director of Programmes is more common in the Public and Third Sector environments.
The key factors for the Director of Programmes in this context are focussed on the deliverable in terms of sector skills and experience. For example: "You will be familiar with current practice and trends in international parliamentary strengthening", or "has nearly 20 years' experience in the life sciences sector in evaluating markets for novel products and technologies"
The Director of Programmes still needs the other key skills such as:
- Programme / Project management experience (in a relevant context)
- Staff and resource management
- Ability to form and maintain constructive relationships with stakeholders and partners.
- Credibility and confidence to act as the programmes representative
- Excellent written and oral communications skills.
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Head of Programmes
Head of Programmes is again a skill set very much aligned with that of a Programme Manager or Programme Director. In our experience the term Director of Programmes is more common in the Public and Third Sector environments.
The key factors for the Director of Programmes in this context are focussed on the deliverable in terms of sector skills and experience for example "The Head of Programmes will develop and lead the activities of 5 major programmes…Candidates will need a history of horticultural research and other project management and demonstrate strong leadership qualities" or "The ideal candidate will have experience of managing a diverse portfolio of partner organisations. Knowledge of human rights and/or gender and development is also essential."
The Head of Programmes still needs the other key skills such as:
- Programme / Project management experience (in a relevant context)
- Staff and resource management
- Ability to form and maintain constructive relationships with stakeholders and partners.
- Credibility and confidence to act as the programmes representative
- Excellent written and oral communications skills.
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Project Management
Project Director/Head of Projects
The Project Director is more commonly known as the Head of Projects. This role generally describes a management position where an individual will have a split role in terms of responsibility and deliverables. In many organisations the Head of Projects will have a team of project staff to manage, which may include Project Managers, Project Engineers, Project Support staff. This management function will be key in terms of resource management, ensuring that project personnel are assigned to the portfolio of projects as well as food and rations type activities.
In addition to this' many Head of Projects roles will have a responsibility for the delivery, maintenance and adherence to project standards. These project standards may be bespoke to the company, based upon industry recognised standards or implementations of recognised methodologies.
Typically Head of Projects will come from a formal project management background and have excellent skills in the area of people and process. In other organisations this may also be called Project Office Manager.
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Senior Project Manager
The division of project manager and senior project manager lies with the organisation. The Project management experience will generally be expected to be broader enabling them to have demonstrated responsibility and success in a wider field, have a greater understanding of wider business issues and practises and this person will be able to apply and use their greater experiences and skills to wider problems. Being hierarchy senior the person holding this position will generally be expected due to their greater experience to be able to offer advice and support to other project managers. A Senior project manager may be without specific projects to manage and may instead to assign to tackle organisational or other issues that impact the organisations projects generally.
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Project Manager
What is a project manager? Simple to define really its the person responsible for delivery of the project. A person with this title holds the responsibly for the planning and execution of the project, for the guiding of the process.
The Wikipedia entry for project manager gives us "A project manager is a professional in the field of project management."
Here is a link to the APM definition for project management, which states "Project management is the process by which projects are defined, planned, monitored, controlled and delivered such that the agreed benefits are realised. Projects are unique, transient endeavours undertaken to achieve a desired outcome. Projects bring about change and project management is recognised as the most efficient way of managing such change."
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Consultant Project Manager
Another flavour of project manager specialisms whose defining feature is to offer advice to the client on project management matters. A consultant project manager tends to be deliberately brought in from outside the organisation with the belief that this enables them to gain a view of the organisation without a prejudicial or political influence.
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Delivery manager
Depending on the organisation, this can either be a role that has similar responsibilities as a project manager, or it can be a supportive role to a project manager - acting in a similar way as a foreman to a construction manager. An example would be a project manager holding the overall responsibilities of the complete project, with delivery managers concentrating on one or more work packages. Depending on the organisation delivery managers may have less financial responsibilities and so are freed to manage the issues
Confusingly the role can also be a senior one, the delivery manager having responsibilities similar to a programme manager. In this case the delivery manager role is to oversee the project environment at a higher level and across more areas of the organisation or of general responsibility. Things become clearer when the organisation uses the terms 'delivery director' with reporting project managers.
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Implementation Leader/Manager
Tending to be confined to the Information Systems world, the Implementation Leader role is a specialism or a subset of project management that concentrates on the delivery of the product into its home environment. The classic example being a person whose responsibility is to handle the smooth integration of new or updated systems (hardware or software) in a controlled way into the IT ecosystem of the organisation.
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Project Leader
Depending on the organisation this may be simply another description of Project manager or a misnamed project sponsor or project champion. A person with the title Projects leader is likely to be similar to a project director- a senior position with a wider responsibility to how the organisation undertakes its projects.
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Stage Manager
The state manager is another subset of the project manger, this one with the of responsibility being a project stage. Common examples come from the IT domain, i.e. Testing Project manger and/or implementation manager, with responsibility for the testing and implementation stages.
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Workstream Lead
A work package is a piece of the project scope; a convenient lump of the project able to be completed or managed by a single party, a work stream is the collection of activities. Like a cake being a work package, the work stream is the grower shopper, the cook. One can generally perceive this as an interchangeable word with 'process' or 'activity'. The activity/ workstream/ process lead has responsibility for this.
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Work Package Manager
The entire scope of the project, it deliverables the actions needed to capture, create and integrate the aims of the project should be captured in a work breakdown structure. It's an easy trap to define work packages as a list of work but really it should capture an element of the project scope. This is what that package will do for the project rather than how. Its desired outcome for the project rather than a list of actions to be performed. Feel free to swap scope with product but really the scope of the project is the sum of all its deliverables and actions. The sum of the entire projects product features.
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Project Specialist Management
Bid Manager
The Bid Manager (often reporting to the Bid Director) is responsible for managing individual bids. The responsibilities include; initiating and managing the bid plan, managing client expectations, commercial negotiations, managing the bid team (which often includes subject matter experts for each area of the bid – consultants, technical authors, bid administration team)and producing the final deliverable – the bid.
The Bid Manager often needs experience managing "complex bids" which is usually due to the high contract value, the bid rules that need to be followed (public funded work) or indeed the complexity of the project the organisation is looking to win. Often the project's success many months or years later is determined by the foundations laid during the bid exercise therefore excellent commercial acumen, project management and procurement knowledge is crucial.
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Bid Director
The Bid Director is a senior position (normally the Bid Manager(s) would report to the Bid Director) which demands strong commercial experience and a proven track record in large procurement / tender exercises. The Bid Director is normally responsible for the organisations bid management strategy, execution of bids across the business and normally run the bid department in its entirety. The Bid Director role is also seen as a Business Development role – a client facing role and a commercially focused role – the Bid Director will be responsible for negotiations of major tenders and bids.
The Bid Director would also have a strong project management background – strong leadership skills with core skills in planning, risk management, budget/financial management, resource planning and team leadership.
The role of Bid Director is predominantly found within the private sector but there is a need to understand not only privately funded procurement but increasingly public sector procurement rules – Public Private Partnerships (PPP) / Private Finance Initiative (PFI).
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Business Analyst (also: Systems Analyst, Process Mapper and Process Lead)
A Business Analyst (BA) is someone who practices the discipline of business analysis. Business analysis is a structured approach to help an organization to reduce overall costs, provide more efficient use of resources, and better support customers through improving how it works. The person who carries out this task is called a business analyst or BA.
The British Computer Society proposes the following definition of a business analyst:
"An internal consultancy role that has the responsibility for investigating business systems, identifying options for improving business systems and bridging the needs of the business with the use of IT."
Whilst the International Institute of Business Analysis suggests:
"The role of the Business Analyst differs from the role of the Project Manager in that the Business Analyst is responsible for defining and managing the scope of a business solution, while the Project Manager is responsible for the work necessary to implement that solution".
In some organisations, the titles business systems analyst, systems analyst, and functional analyst, process lead, and process mapper may be used in place of Business Analyst, although some would suggest these roles have slight differences.
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Business Realisation Manager
The Business Realisation Manager role is a relatively new title in programme and project management. Sometimes also known as the Benefits Realisation Manager, the role has evolved from recent focus on programme management. The Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) framework focuses on how to "achieve real business benefits through a formal process" and it's this formal process that many organisations see the need for a dedicated business or benefits realisation manager.
The role tends to be found in organisations where there are many programmes and projects running, and may also have a portfolio management strategy. The benefits of a dedicated resource purely looking at the business benefits of the programmes and projects being delivered successful are numerous – find out more about benefits realisation – and is still seen as a luxury. Benefits Realisation Managers are more often seen as a role within the Programme Management Office or Portfolio Management Office and their benefits role is often combined with that of a best practice practitioner (responsible / guardian of the best practice programme and project methodology).
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Commercial Project Manager
In our experience the title of Commercial Project Manager is generally used when the emphasis is higher on the Project Management skills of the project manager rather than any particular sector knowledge. Having said that, it is not always the case as some clients in addition to using the emphasis of the word 'commercial' then also requires specific skills and experience of the domain or products to be delivered.
As an example; '…managing projects, contracts and budgets…'. you will need to call upon all your commercial skills to fulfil this role including Negotiation, legal terminology, report writing, Cash flow forecasting and liaison with foreign subsidiaries. You will also be the face of the company in reporting to Banks, Insurance companies, and Government Authorities.
Alternative Job Titles which we see linked to this role include: Cost/Commercial Manager, Project Manager, Contract Administrator, Quantity Surveyor, Contract Manager, Programme Manager, Financial Project Manager.
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Contracts Project Manager
Like the title Commercial Project Manager, Contracts Project Manager is generally seen where clients are trying to emphasise a particular aspect of the project manager's skill set. In many instances this title will be found in the form of "Contracts/Project Manager" in the construction related sector where there is an easily identifiable dual focus on the role.
The key aspect is "contractual excellence" in terms of experience, typically in a client facing environment where fiscal management may also be required at the P&L (Profit and Loss) level rather than budget.
Again like the Commercial Project Manager, the Contracts Project Manager may be linked to the following roles; Cost/Commercial Manager, Project Manager, Contract Administrator, Quantity Surveyor, Contract Manager, Programme Manager, and Financial Project Manager.
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Cost Manager
The Cost Manager role title is predominantly found within the construction and engineering sector but can also be known as Project Finance Manager, Estimating and Cost Manager, Programme Finance Manager, Programme or Project Accountant. The role of the Cost Manager is to provide focus to the cost elements of the programme or project and tends to be a dedicated role in large and complex programmes and projects which run to multiple million pound budgets.
The Cost Manager is involved across the lifecycle – from initiation, planning, ongoing delivery and closure and the expertise range from procurement activities, tender management (for third party or subcontractor elements), vendor selection, forecasting costs and ensuring the ongoing management of the cost element throughout the project (issue resolution, change management and risk management are all key factors). The Cost Manager is an excellent planner, with expert and sound financial judgement, who has the ability to recognise the realistic from the unrealistic – wherever the estimates are coming from. The Cost Manager will be working closely with all parties involved in the project and will have a excellent understanding of commercial and contractual obligations. The role also tends to have responsibilities directly to the end client – therefore excellent communication skills and negotiation skills are crucial.
The Cost Manager usually has some additional resource support – Project Finance Assistant or Project Co-ordinator with specific financial experience – especially on large programmes and projects.
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Development Manager / Project Development Manager
The role of Project Development Manager can mean two very different roles; a Project Development Manager to manage the development of a new business or service / product offering or a Project Development Manager to manage the development phase of a programme or portfolio of projects.
The Project Development Manager overseeing the development of a new business, department or service/product offering will have sound project management abilities like the project manager and also the skills, experience and abilities of a business development manager. Areas such as strong commercial experience, business planning and wider business leadership experience will enable the project development manager to work not only in a "business development capacity" but also as a strong project leader.
The Project Development Manager responsible for the development of projects (as opposed to project delivery) will be closely aligned to the role of Bid Manager/Director as well as Project Manager. The role of Project Development Manager in this instance may also be a specialist in the given subject matter, working on the technical specifications or design elements as well as the commercial / contractual details. The Project Development Manager's remit may also include pre-sales duties – working with the sales team to ensure client proposal are robust and sound. The role of Project Development Manager tends to be seen in organisations that do have a clear distinction between pre-sales and project delivery where the Project Development Manager's role will be split 80/20 presales / delivery.
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Project Rescue Specialist/Project Troubleshooter
Project Rescue Specialist or Project Troubleshooter can be specific terms used when an organisation needs an interim resource to make good a programme or project which has failed. The specialist resource will be experienced in quickly embedding themselves into the programme or project, understanding the issues quickly and installing solutions to get the programme or project back on track. Often this specialist will have many years previous experience of similar situations or be highly knowledgeable in programmes or projects within a specific industry sector or business function. The roles tend to be interim appointments with the specialist resource moving on when projects have been stabilised or a new longer term resource has been identified.
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Project Resource Manager
The Project Resource Manager role can fit into an organisation's project management structure in a number of different ways. In a professional services / consultancy organisation, the management of the resources is crucial to making the business profitable. The Project Resource Manager focuses on the resource needs of the portfolio of programmes and projects and the available resource pool – the objective: to ensure resources are fully utilised and the programmes and projects have the right capabilities to deliver.
Taking a pool of say 200 project resources; the skills and experience will vary considerably from project support staff to technical specialists, consultants to project managers. In order for the Project Resource Manager to perform the role exceptionally well they will be experienced in project management – the ability to understand and interrogate both the individual project plans for resource needs and the higher level programme / portfolio level plans. Project Resource Managers are generally excellent communicators – they're talking to individuals in the resource pool every day – understanding the skills and experiences of each individual – keeping a track of who is assigned to what project – for how long – and feedback on their performance on that project.
The Project Resource Manager is a crucial role in providing a robust system and associated processes to enable them to quickly identify available resources; monitor resource utilisation; work with line managers to address skills gaps; quickly identify new assignments; manage the unassigned resources; identify and address scheduling issues and release resources from assignments to meet needs across the portfolio. Not only is the Project Resource Manager providing a visible service within the organisation they are also responsible for providing detailed metrics in areas such as forecasted hours vs. actual hours. The systems in place are invaluable to senior management in making decisions with regards additional resource – the need for recruitment to fill peak demand periods or skills gaps.
The role of Project Resource Manager may sit within a Programme Management Office (Portfolio Management Office) structure and work closely with other personnel in the support of the programmes and projects. For some organisations this role may sit further up the organisation hierarchy and be dedicated to resource scheduling for the entire organisation. The Project Resource Manager may also sit at department level – depending on the organisations programme and project structure and may also have additional support from roles such as Resource Planner, Resource Scheduler, Recruitment Resourcing Specialist (a dedicated HR resource) and Programme / Project Planner.
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Risk Manager
Risk Managers help organisations understand, evaluate and take action on all their risks. Risk can be seen as any uncertainty that is a threat to a business. Risk Managers first assess risks and where appropriate develop plans for managing risk with a view to increasing the probability of success and reducing the likelihood of failure.
Every organisation needs to manage risk but not all have dedicated Risk Managers. Far from being responsible for risks, Risk Managers provide expertise and guidance to help make risk management a culture of an organisation with an effective policy and programme led by top management with clear responsibilities laid down for every manager and employee to be involved in the management of risk. Where risk management is undertaken effectively it provides confidence that the business is being effectively managed.
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Change Management
Change Manager
Change Managers help an organisation to implement new ways of working within an organisation. Although mostly associated with IT projects, a Change Manager can be utilised by any organisation that is looking to transform its business model.
The Office of Government Commerce suggests:
"The business change manager role is primarily benefits-focused. The role is responsible, on behalf of the Senior Responsible Owner, for defining the benefits, assessing progress towards realisation, and achieving measured improvements.
The business change manager role must be 'business side' in order to bridge between programme and business operations.
Where the programme affects a wide range of business operations, more than one business change manager may be appointed, each with a specific area of the business to focus on."
Working closely with all those actively involved in a process/business area the first stage of any change is to understand how things are currently being done. The difficulty here is about recognising that change is required. Identifying how things could be improved, developed, and implemented follows and involves the Change Manager working closely with individuals and teams to ensure a sustainable transformation. The need to discard old behaviour and retrain to a new way of working can be a big challenge. Once everyone is happy with the change, the final stage is to ensure that the transformation is sustained. This model is often referred to as Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze, although less so with IT Service Management projects.
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