Programme Director

Details
Reference number

436678

Salary

£81,000 - £117,800

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

GPA - Capital Projects

Type of role

Property

Senior leadership

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Swindon

About the job
Job summary

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government's office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty's Government – we are leading significant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

Job description

The role reports into the GPA Director of Capital Projects and leads on the delivery of the portfolio of programmes. You will work alongside other Deputy Directors to ensure consistency of approach, governance, client and stakeholder engagement, working as a key member of the Capital Projects Directorate leading a high-profile programme of work.

The post holder must work closely with other GPA Directorates and other Government Department colleagues. We are looking to hear from candidates with proven project and programme management skills honed in a property and commercial development environment. This role is as much about being a leader in the GPA as it is about being an exceptional project delivery professional, so it is crucial you are able to share our values and promote an inclusive organisational culture. If you'd like to make a difference, delivering an exciting and challenging programme supporting Civil Service reform then please get in touch.

Beyond the bricks and mortar, the GPA is about providing great workplaces for our people. The Programme Director roles are central to this, leading on the delivery of one of several interlinked programmes across the Government office portfolio. This complex delivery challenge is at the heart of the success of GPA and the vanguard of creating modern environments and promoting flexible working practices for the Civil Service. This is an exciting and high-profile role with significant delivery and commercial leadership responsibilities, as well as opportunities for career growth and progression.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Direction: Provide strategic leadership to the Portfolio team and Capital Projects Senior Leadership Team, fostering collaboration across the organisation, strategic partners, and key enabling functions such as IT, HR, and Legal. Working with other programme directors, contribute to an environment of continuous improvement, applying shared lessons learnt to improve project delivery across the GPA. Work with strategic partners to provide clear briefing and accountability. Lead the regional Programme team, coaching and supporting to develop individual and collective skills and experience. Leading Project Directors and support staff to interface with other GPA directorates and clients. Setting clear, strategic direction and plans for the commercial development, delivery and occupation of new buildings. Contributing to policy and standards including around design and ways of working, with responsibility for a portfolio of geographically grouped projects to reshape roles and align focus against essential scope and best athlete for tasks in conjunction with framework partners. Promote a commercial development approach across GPA and its strategic partners, while ensuring compliance with the Equality Act, health and safety obligations, and Civil Service standards. Understand and ensure that the constraints and considerations imposed on GPA as building occupier and Employer (such as with the Equality Act) as well as those of the Civil Service, are represented within the project deliverables.
• Programme and Portfolio Oversight: Oversee portfolio delivery and performance, managing demand in partnership with Asset Management and Portfolio Planning to build and prioritise a programme of projects that supports strategic objectives, workplace efficiency, and space optimisation. Drive programme management, PMO capabilities, and reporting, ensuring accurate monitoring of projects, resources, budgets, and benefits realisation against delivery milestones. Ensuring benefits are realised in line with the Business Cases, using appropriate levels of governance (in agreement with the Portfolio Management Office) and control throughout delivery and providing timely and accurate reporting to meet diverse stakeholder needs. Contribute to appropriate programme & project Business Cases and securing investment approval through the GPA Investment Committee, Ministers and the Treasury. Manage budgets, monitoring expenditure and costs against delivery and realised benefits as the programmes progress. Maintain robust risk management processes. Securing value for money from third party strategic partners.
• Project Initiation & Business Case Development: Lead project initiation and business case development, ensuring robust alignment with senior stakeholders, Programme Boards, and HMT, and securing approvals in line with governance frameworks and policies. Responsible for agreeing and setting the outline brief to the project director, along with achievable budget and programme targets. Collaborate with GPA colleagues to support strategic investment planning and the development of compelling business cases. Work with GPA colleagues on development appraisals providing a commercial developer perspective to advise on the redevelopment of existing freehold assets. Develop project proposals, business cases and routes to market that optimise cashable and non-cashable benefit returns on investment.
• Governance, Risk & Compliance: Ensure effective governance, compliance, and risk management, including adherence to procurement, technical, contractual, and health and safety standards throughout the project lifecycle. Develop and maintain commercial approaches and financial benchmarks, proactively managing affordability, cost assurance, and value optimisation across a complex supply chain and within allocated budgets. Maintain robust risk management processes.
• Working Across Government & Stakeholder Engagement: Building strong relationships with senior leaders across government and externally. Working collaboratively across the GPA including in partnership with the Client Solutions Directorate and Operations. directorate, putting client experience at the forefront of delivery. Managing stakeholders across government at the most senior level and developing strong relationships across organisational boundaries in order to deliver programme benefits. Engage and influence senior stakeholders and customers, including Ministers, providing transparent communication, anticipating emerging needs, and ensuring a high-quality delivery experience.
• 6. Sustainability and Lifecycle Planning: Champion sustainability and Greener Government commitments, embedding environmental objectives into project delivery and property management throughout the asset lifecycle. Work with other directorates to ensure that needs of the building lifecycle are considered within the proposals, reducing energy usage and operational/ maintenance costs.

Person specification

• As a senior member of the Capital Projects team, it is important that the successful candidate is able to manage a challenging portfolio of work within a highly regulated and complex senior stakeholder environment.
• This will require personal resilience, adaptability and tenacity to drive delivery, achieving results both personally and as leader of a significant team.
• Thinking and acting strategically across different delivery areas, setting direction and communicating with clarity to deliver.
• Demonstrates a strong understanding of programme governance, business case development, and commercial oversight, ensuring value for money, compliance, and risk management throughout the project lifecycle.
• Brings a commitment to public value and environmental sustainability, embedding Greener Government objectives and lifecycle thinking into planning and delivery of capital programmes.

Experience & Technical Skills

Essential criteria:

• A deep understanding and experience of Complex Capital Programme Delivery through the end to end project lifecycle, from strategy, through initiation to delivery, coupled with knowledge of enterprise Programme Management Office (PMO).
• A proven track record of managing large-scale, high value, complex property investment projects and programmes with a focus on new build and refurbishment commercial office projects. This should be on a national level, within a highly complex multi-client environment, driven by a culture of excellence in customer service.
• A broad understanding of project delivery in different sectors, particularly commercial office and central government, to deliver value for money public sector requirements to balance programme business cases and agreed design guide requirements within determined range of commercial office standards.
• An in-depth knowledge and understanding of the procurement and management of professional services, commercial developer and construction partner contracts, to include NEC contract Suite and procurement/contract strategies as well as handling challenging commercial relationships. Ability to maintain a commercial focus, with experience of enhancing and delivering value and continuous improvement through hands-on leadership.
• Strong relationship management, interpersonal, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to operate and build effective relationships at all levels within an organisation particularly at Director level and also across customer groups. Understanding stakeholders' drivers and behaviours, utilising these to deliver on the GPA's commercial requirements.
• Leading a multidisciplinary team working in a matrix environment and building strong relationships across team/business area/ departmental/ boundaries with clear evidence of the ability to deliver through others. An ability to build networks of influence, formal resource management and direction of teams. Able to build effective teams, balancing restrictions on appointment routes and budgets, to flex and deploy appropriate resource, underpinned by the development and individual and team performance.
• A high degree of personal resilience, tenacity and focus on outcomes. Able to navigate often complex and demanding regulatory, commercial and political landscapes, all the time maintaining a dynamism with a focus on achieving measurable and impactful results delivering excellent customer value.
• Demonstrable Digital literacy, with ability to develop and utilise collaborative IT platforms such as Google Workspace or Microsoft Office/Sharepoint and be able to demonstrate productive use of A1 tools.

Desirable criteria:

• Senior leadership in complex/regulatory environment; public-sector/Civil Service preferred

Qualifications and Accreditations

Essential criteria:

• Qualifications - Full (e.g. Chartered) professional membership/accreditation of a recognised property or construction professional body, for example but (not limited to) RICS and/or an equivalent programme qualification for example ChPP / FAPM / MPLA, or the experience and willingness to seek such membership/accreditation.

Desirable criteria:

• Degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction, or related discipline
• CSCS Card Holder (Management/Professional)
• NEC Accredited Project Manager
• Experience with project‑based delivery, e.g. PRINCE2, MSP or equivalent

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• Customer Perspective
• Commercial Accumen
• Property Market Knowledge
• Innovation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Government Property Agency contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Generous annual leave

Things you need to know
Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and well-being and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued.The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme (RIS) to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

We promote 60% office attendance for this role. You will be required to spend 3 days in the office and 2 days remote working.

Sift

The sift is due to take place week commencing 1st December 2025.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a -750 word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.

Interview

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a virtual staff engagement exercise and potentially a technical assessment/conversation on the 8th December 2025. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel's decision-making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

GPA policy is for interviews to be held face to face, with virtual interviews only by absolute exception. The date of interview will be week commencing the 15th December 2025 and the location will be confirmed when you are invited to interview. If you feel this will be a problem for you, please contact to discuss prior to submitting your application.

At interview, applicants will be scored against 2 behaviours - Communicating and Influencing, and Leadership.

Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, Strength and Technical (core skill) questions.

This may also require a presentation focusing on your skills and experience, which we will confirm before the interview stage.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants
Job contact :

• Name : Mike Lewis
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

The Department's recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the GPA People Team by email at , in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at: Email: or in writing to: Civil Service Commission Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ.

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