Senior Programmes Manager

Senior Programmes Manager

We are looking for a Senior Programmes Manager to lead the strategic funding, oversight and active management of a dedicated portfolio of grants focused on a specific thematic area supporting intervention implementation, evaluation and research.

Job role: Senior Programmes Manager

Salary: £54,899 per annum, plus generous benefits

Contract type: 12-month contract (Maternity cover)

Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week

Location: Central London (hybrid working)

Closing date: 27 November 2026

Interviews: w/c 7 December 26

The Role

As a What Works Centre, the organisation generates and champions high-quality evidence to improve outcomes for children and families. The Programmes Team creates the conditions for robust evidence generation and use by identifying opportunities, shaping funding activity and overseeing delivery from inception to close. The team develops partnerships with delivery organisations, evaluators, co-funders and stakeholders, supports evaluation readiness and implementation, and oversees grants, budgets, risks and project delivery. Throughout its work, the team embeds EDIE, anti-racism, lived experience and stakeholder voice into programme design and decision-making.

The team’s purpose is to:

• Create the conditions for high-quality research evidence to be generated and used.
• Build partnerships that enable robust and ethical evaluation.
• Represent delivery perspectives to help bridge practice, evidence and policy.
• Design and implement funding strategies for complex evidence-generation programmes.

You will lead the funding, strategic oversight and portfolio management of programmes within the Strengthening Family Networks priority area, ensuring projects are delivered effectively, on time, within budget and generate robust evidence through independent evaluation.

Key areas of responsibility include:

• Grant funding
• Grant management
• Thematic Leadership
• Line management
• External stakeholder management
• Develop and improve processes and systems

About You

We are looking for someone with:

• Significant experience of managing large, complex, multi-stakeholder programmes or projects. In particular, experience exercising strategic judgement across complex programmes, balancing delivery, stakeholder, financial and evaluation considerations.
• Experience of grant-making, commissioning and/or grant/contract management
• A track record of successful budget management including reviewing, rephasing and realigning budgets
• Familiarity with research and evaluation methods (including randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental design, and feasibility studies)
• Experience at working in a fast-paced environment with a demanding workload and competing priorities
• Knowledge of barriers to research in early intervention and children’s social care, or related areas (for example: child/young people’s mental health; domestic abuse; violence against women and girls, education)
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills; able to present research to non-technical audiences

Please refer to the Job Description and the job pack for more information when you click to apply. Please submit a cover letter of no more than 1,000 words. Your cover letter should be structured around the four questions below and provide clear, specific examples of your relevant experience. We recommend spending approximately 200-250 words per question, but you do not need to allocate words equally across all sections.

1. Programme and portfolio leadership - Please describe your experience of leading complex programmes or portfolios involving multiple stakeholders. Include examples of how you have managed delivery, risks, budgets and competing priorities, and how you have used data, evidence, evaluation findings or learning to inform decision-making and improve outcomes.

2. Grant-making, commissioning and programme oversight - Please describe your experience of grant-making, commissioning, contract management and/or overseeing externally delivered programmes. Include examples of how you have assessed proposals, managed funding agreements or contracts, monitored performance, and addressed delivery, financial or operational risks.

3. Evidence generation and evaluation - Foundations funds intervention delivery to support the generation of high-quality evidence. Please describe your experience of working alongside research, evaluation or evidence-generation activity. This may include commissioning or managing evaluations, supporting evaluation readiness, using evaluation findings, or balancing delivery and evaluation requirements within programmes.

4. Children and families sector knowledge, stakeholder management and people leadership - Please describe your knowledge and experience of children's social care, family support, early intervention or related sectors. Include examples of how you have:

• Built and maintained effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Worked collaboratively with delivery organisations, funders, evaluators, local authorities or other partners.
• Supported, managed or developed colleagues to achieve programme objectives.

The organisation strives to be a great place to work, where everyone is high performing and where together the teams can achieve impact that makes a real difference for vulnerable children and families. Focussig on generating and championing high quality evidence, working directly with government and local leaders to provide practical solutions and encourage change. Join an organisation with ambitious aims and our people are essential to it’s success

You may have experience in areas such as Programme, Programmes, Programme Manager, Senior Programme Manager.

Please note this role is advertised by the recruitment agency acting for the client, Not For Profit People. #INDNFP