Managing Sponsor

Are you solution-focused with the ability to bring people together to get the right results and outcomes for the business? Are you a collaborator, data-centric and ready for an exciting opportunity to support programme success at Heathrow as we invest into our assets, transforming our airport?

The Managing Sponsor / Sponsor’s Agent is a critical role in the Programme Sponsorship team which sits within the Heathrow Portfolio Management Office (PMO). We operate at a strategic level and collaborate daily with Finance, Strategy, Programme stakeholders and the organisation’s leadership teams. We are very unique to be able to work across all of Heathrow's programmes - Asset Management & Compliance, Baggage, Commercial, Carbon, Efficiency, and Security.

We are excited to be growing as we embed a culture of benefits and outcomes across the business. Providing time and focus for our delivery teams, bringing consistency across programmes with clear benefit ownership - improving the end-to-end programme delivery with insight-driven analytical decision-making to deliver our capital investments.

Managing 1-3 programmes, you will play a pivotal role in managing the interface between business areas and programme teams. You will be doing the detailed day-to-day work of sponsorship - related to requirements, risk, financial assurance, stakeholders and communications, and you will be responsible for benefits being tracked and measured, using a new benefits management framework.

Sponsorship is a challenging and rewarding role requiring diverse skills and experience. At different stages, the sponsor will need to take on different roles. The Managing Sponsor must be able to communicate an enthusiasm for the programme and its intended benefits. The fluid and dynamic nature of the role is built around relationships with the programme and all the stakeholders.

Note: we are recruiting 2 roles for this team. As well as the Managing Sponsor role, we have an opportunity for a “Sponsor’s Analyst / Data Analyst” role for someone looking for the next step in their career development - see separate Sponsor’s Analyst / Data Analyst advert ref 1704.

**Your role will involve**:

- Having accountability for programme outcomes and benefits, through the ownership of the Benefits Management Plan (BMP) and its reporting for one or more H7 programmes.
- Acting as an internal and external advocate of sponsorship and clearly communicating the requirements and the strategic importance of the programme(s).
- Being ready to have difficult conversations as well as provide the right level of challenge, in the interest of the programme’s success.
- Supporting the functional sponsor as the voice of the business in programme-related decisions and sponsors will be prepared to play an active role in all programme-related conversations.
- You may have line management responsibilities for other Heathrow employees, being responsible for performance management and developing the capabilities of their team, helping them to progress their careers.

**These skills are essential**:

- A proven leader and decision-maker who can work across corporate and functional boundaries within the organisation.
- A credible influencer and enthusiastic advocate of the Programme.
- Proven track record and experience of planning and implementation of complex projects, within a live operational environment, with multiple stakeholder interfaces
- Experience of commercial and contractual environment
- Strong stakeholder skills, the ability to manage ambiguity & influencing skills
- Experience of synthesising large and complex concepts into fundamentals, and producing evidence based, accurate and incisive analysis.

**Ideally, you'll also have**:

- Familiarity with Heathrow’s programme delivery and governance processes.
- Experience in a range of capital / revenue projects with a clear understanding of project management and sponsorship, particularly APM / MSP.
- Professional qualifications (membership of an appropriate institution) or evidence demonstrating continued personal development.

LI-HP1 #LI-Hybrid