Programme Management Office Lead

About the role

This is a great opportunity to build something from the ground up.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is delivering its ambitious nature recovery strategy Wilder 2030. As our portfolio of projects, partnerships and funding opportunities continues to grow, we’re creating a Programme Management Office to bring greater coordination, visibility and strategic focus across the organisation.

As our Programme Management Office Lead, you’ll establish and lead the Trust’s PMO, helping us turn ambition into action and ensuring our projects and programmes deliver the greatest possible impact for people and nature.

You’ll work across teams, influence decision-making, improve organisational planning and help shape how we deliver Wilder 2030.

In this role, you’ll:

• Establish and lead Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Programme Management Office, developing practical systems, governance and ways of working that support successful project and programme delivery.
• Oversee our growing portfolio of projects and programmes, ensuring resources are effectively planned, risks are managed and leadership teams have the insight needed to make informed decisions.
• Coordinate and strengthen the Trust’s grant funding processes, helping secure the investment needed to deliver our Wilder 2030 ambitions.
• Build project management capability across the organisation, supporting colleagues to deliver ambitious projects more effectively.

To be successful, you’ll be highly organised, collaborative and solutions-focused, with the confidence to bring clarity to complexity and build strong relationships across teams. You’ll enjoy helping others succeed and be motivated by creating meaningful outcomes for nature and communities.

What we can offer you

Alongside the opportunity to play a key role in delivering our strategy, we offer a benefits package designed to support your wellbeing, development and work-life balance.

• Flexible hybrid working, including our 9-day fortnight working pattern, giving full-time colleagues a regular non-working Friday every fortnight
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and an additional three concessionary days during our festive shutdown.
• Sustainable Travel Employer benefits, including additional leave for low-carbon travel.
• 9.5% employer pension contribution and salary exchange option.
• Electric bike and electric vehicle salary-sacrifice schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Enhanced parental leave and company sick pay.
• Personalised development opportunities designed to help you grow your skills and career.
• The chance to work alongside passionate experts in nature recovery, community engagement and environmental change.

About you

We’re looking for someone who enjoys creating clarity, building capability and helping organisations deliver at their best.

You might already be leading a PMO or programme function and be looking for a role where your work has genuine purpose. Or perhaps you’re an experienced project or programme manager who’s ready to step into a broader role and build something new. Either way, you’ll be excited by the opportunity to use your skills to help create a wilder future for Derbyshire.

We’re particularly interested in candidates with:

• Experience establishing or managing PMO functions, project governance frameworks, portfolio management systems or similar delivery structures
• Strong project and programme management skills, including overseeing multiple priorities and supporting successful delivery
• Excellent organisational, planning and prioritisation skills
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, including the ability to build relationships across teams.
• The ability to develop practical systems and processes that improve organisational effectiveness

This role might be right for you if:

• You enjoy creating structure, systems and processes that help organisations achieve more.
• You are comfortable balancing strategic thinking with practical delivery
• You can bring people together around shared priorities
• You enjoy helping others succeed and improving the way organisations work.
• You want your work to contribute directly to nature recovery and community impact.

We are happy to talk flexible working! This role is offered at full time however we are happy to discuss other working hours with the successful applicant.

This role will be based at our office in Middleton, we support hybrid working and a balance of home and office working will be supported. We’re a local charity, so applicants should be able to access our office and other locations across Derbyshire when required.

• First interviews are planned for Tuesday 20th October online
• Second interviews are planned for Tuesday 27th October in person at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust

For more information please refer to the job pack and key terms on our website. If you have any questions about the role which are not answered in the documents, or require adjustments to the application process, please either email [email protected] or call 01773 881188.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is an equal opportunities employer that strives to be a diverse and inclusive environment in which everyone is valued. We welcome applications from eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

We recognise that our workforce needs to represent the communities and people we work with. We particularly encourage applications from underrepresented groups within Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and the wider charity and conservation sector, such as people from Black and Ethnic Minority backgrounds and those who identify as LGBTQ+.

We are proudly a Disability Confident Commitment employer. The scheme is helping us recruit and retain great people to meet our workforce needs. As a member of the scheme we interview anyone with a disability whose application meets the essential criteria for the role. You can request this and adjustments including accessible formats of this vacancy by emailing [email protected]