via indeed · 3 June 2026 ·3 days ago

Grade 6 Head of PMO - Water System Reform Programme

DEFRA
London parttime, fulltime
14,851 more jobs in London.
Upload your CV and see which ones actually match you.
Upload CV

Details
-----------

Reference number

463969

Salary

£67,730 \- £81,535
National: £67,730 \- £75,480

London: £73,165 \- £81,535

For details of our pay on appointment policy, please see below under the heading ‘Salary’.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28\.97%
GBP

Job grade

Grade 6### Contract type

Permanent### Business area

DEFRA \- SW \- Water \& Flood Management### Type of role

Project Delivery### Working pattern

Flexible working, Full\-time, Job share, Part\-time### Number of jobs available

1
Contents
------------

  • Location

  • About the job

  • Benefits

  • Things you need to know

  • Apply and further information

Location
------------

Travel to London and to our other offices will be required as part of the role.About the job
-----------------

Job summary

We are seeking a Grade 6 Head of Programme Management Office (PMO) to lead delivery across the Water System Reform Programme. This is a senior leadership role responsible for establishing and running an effective PMO for a high‑profile, complex, and ambitious programme delivering once‑in‑a‑generation reform of the water system. The role will provide leaders and ministers with assurance, insight, and confidence that the programme will deliver intended outcomes, benefits, and value for money.### Job description

Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world\-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day\-to\-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink. In terms of programme and project delivery, Defra has one of the largest and most complicated portfolios in Government.

Water is vital for life \- clean, freshwater for drinking and sanitation, providing for farms and industry, creating and sustaining the ecosystems on which all life depends. Yet water is a finite natural resource, facing increasing pressures from climate change and population growth. Never before has political, media and public attention been focused on water as it is now. The Independent Water Commission made recommendations for reform of the system. The White Paper sets out the actions now needed to fix the system. This brings a great opportunity, and we have been given a mandate to make some once in a generation changes.

We are seeking a Head of PMO to join the Water System Reform Programme. The programme will deliver White Paper commitments to reform the water system, including an integrated and empowered regulator resetting regulation for the water system, and reforming the water system planning. This is ambitious reform across a complex landscape of regulators, industry and consumer, where the programme will need to achieve cross\-sector coordination and build public trust. The postholder will have the opportunity to shape and develop the programme set up, including establishing an effective PMO function and team.

The Head of PMO is a key leadership role for the Water System Reform Programme. The postholder will be an integral member of divisional SLT and directorate wide people, inclusion and wellbeing groups.

The team is part of the Water Reform directorate and works closely with policy, strategy and group corporate services teams leading work across the programme. The PMO and programme team are responsible for:

  • Establishing and operating programme management standards, controls and ways of working across all projects and workstreams, ensuring coherence across projects to deliver the ambition of the reforms.

  • Developing and maintaining integrated programme plans, managing programme\-level reporting, providing assurance and quality oversight across the programme and producing briefings and decision papers to support informed decision\-making by the SRO, programme director and senior stakeholders.

  • Directing and supporting projects, including through targeted provision of project management support.

  • Portfolio\-level reporting on outcomes and targets across the Group.
As Head of PMO for the Water System Reform Programme you will be accountable for establishing and leading the PMO for this major, complex programme. You will define and maintain the standards for project and programme management to enable senior leaders to make informed decisions and the programme to deliver it’s intended outcomes, benefits and value for money. This includes ensuring robust governance, controls, planning, risk and benefits management, financial and delivery reporting, and assurance mechanisms are in place.

You will be responsible for implementation and sharing of best practice, and the development and application of project procedures, tools and techniques to standardise methodologies. You will provide expert guidance, support and insight on the programme which will be typically moderate to high in complexity and risk, and act as the source of all programme information and metrics.

You will lead a small team of project managers to provide targeted, expert support to project teams in establishing, managing and delivering their required outcomes.

This role is aligned to the Project Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF). Further information on the PDCF can be found on the gov.uk homepage (search "Project Delivery Capability Framework").

Responsibilities

  • Lead the PMO in supporting the programme to deliver against this once in a generation reform of the water system, including ministerial visibility of progress and public accountability

  • Lead the PMO to support the programme to deliver against the business case, championing the use of Defra best practice project management standards, frameworks, and processes and alignment with Government standards for project delivery.

  • Develop and oversee the programme business case.

  • Develop and agree budgets for the project and/or programme. Forecast and track costs against agreed budget.

  • Oversee identification of project resources, recruitment, deployment, and reassignment of resources throughout the project lifecycle.

  • Provide advice on tools and techniques for managing stakeholder relationships.

  • Establish processes and standards for effectively managing risks and issues.

  • Ensure appropriate governance is in place for the project.

Person specification


  • Experience of leading a PMO team or managing complex projects or programmes with detailed knowledge and experience covering planning, scheduling, resource management, risk and issue management, change control, governance, and assurance.

  • Working knowledge of financial management, business case development, change and implementation and benefits management in a project or programme environment.

  • A visible leader with experience of promoting diversity, inclusion and equality of opportunity, respecting differences.

  • Strong interpersonal skills, and the ability to develop effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, collaborating across boundaries.

  • Ability to work well under pressure, motivating and supporting others to deliver under challenging timescales and competing priorities.

  • Excellent presentation, briefing and drafting skills

  • Knowledge and experience of Project Management methodology supported by professional qualifications such as:

  • PRINCE2 Practitioner

  • P3O Practitioner

  • Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner

  • Agile Project Management Practitioner

  • APM Project Management Qualification

  • APM Chartered Project Professional

  • APM Project Leadership Programme

  • APMG International Project Planning and Control Foundation

  • Leading and Managing Project Workstreams
Information about the role will be provided via a candidate group information session to be held at 12:45 on 10th June Info Session for Head of Programme Management Office, Floods \& Water

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Leadership

  • Making Effective Decisions

  • Managing a Quality Service

Benefits
------------

Alongside your salary of £67,730, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £19,621 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28\.97%

  • 25 days’ leave (rising to 30 days over 5 years) plus bank holidays.

  • A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28\.97%.

  • A day off per year for the King's birthday.

  • Access to a range of retail discounts (these include supermarket, tech, gym, holiday, phone and more).

  • Flexible working options such as condensed hours, part\-time and flexi time.

  • 3 paid volunteering days per year.

  • Funding for professional membership of a recognised professional body.

  • Learning and development tailored to your role and budget for training or qualifications.

  • A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.

  • Cycle to work scheme.

  • Health cash plan to help you manage health costs for a reduced monthly fee.

  • Access to the Employee Assistance Programme open 24 hours, 7 days a week, that provides support to you during any times of stress or difficulty.

  • Free access to Headspace for wellbeing.

  • Season ticket loan for public transport.

Things you need to know
---------------------------

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance

The market for this type of role

Similar openings
14,851
jobs in London
Full-time
80%
of roles in the UK
Remote possible
4%
of roles
DEFRA

2 open positions · London

📊 Job market · the UK
70,547
active jobs
8.3%
Remote
Ø 2d
avg. online

Frequently asked questions

How many jobs are available in London?
Currently 14,851 roles in London on AlmostHired, across 4,950 different companies. Our data is updated daily.
Do roles in the UK offer remote work?
4% of roles in the UK allow remote work, either partial or full. To filter specifically for remote positions, use AlmostHired.
How do I know if I match this role?
Upload your CV — our AI compares your profile to the job requirements and gives you a precise match score, with matching and missing skills.