Programme Manager

Are you looking for the next step in your project or programme management career? Are you interested in managing programmes that change lives for the better and help to bring new ideas and businesses to life?

We have a vacancy for a highly motivated Programme Manager to join our team. This crucial role involves collaborating with high-profile public and private sector clients in the UK and globally, to deliver our large programmes. Reporting to the Director of Policy & Engagement, the successful candidate will undertake a multifaceted role encompassing:

– Programme management for innovation, entrepreneurship and acceleration programmes run by Oxentia, with responsibility for ensuring programmes are delivered to the highest standard.
– Client relationship management and contributing to a strong team ethos by building key stakeholder relationships.
– Collaborating with colleagues to generate new business opportunities and develop new product ideas.
– Managing and tracking client programme budgets ensuring all costs are monitored in real-time to ensure planning, forecasting is accurate, and margins are maintained.
– Providing support and coordination for various company and client events.
– Producing reports with a high standard of written English.

Benefits

Salary dependant on experience within a range of £38-46k, plus generous pension, private health and life cover, bonus and a positive and inclusive working culture.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for this position, please send your CV and covering letter by email to careers@oxentia.com, quoting the reference Ox040. Closing date for applications is midnight on the 17th February 2025. First round interviews will be held from 24 February 2025. Strictly no agencies.

We’re a flexible and inclusive employeer, so if you’ve got any questions, or perhaps feel you meet some but not all of the criteria, please drop us a line for an informal, confidential chat. Oxentia Ltd is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.

If you feel you’ve got the skills and competencies to help us make a real impact to our clients around the world, we’d love to hear from you.

The nature of this post will require flexibility to meet urgent work needs as they arise. This may entail some work outside normal office hours. The successful candidate will be expected to adopt a flexible and proactive attitude to meet the needs of the programme(s).

Oxentia is based in Oxford with the main office located close to the city centre. The role may be suitable for remote or hybrid working but will involve regular touch points with the team in Oxford and may also involve UK and international travel, including overnight stays.

Essential Criteria

– Proven experience in programme and project management.
– A flexible approach to project management to suit working within a team with diverse approaches.
– Strong knowledge of project management software, processes, and administrative systems.
– Demonstrable experience in establishing positive working relationships with senior stakeholders, managers, partners, clients, and colleagues.
– Communicating effectively with consideration of stakeholders’ level of influence, expectations, and needs, ensuring high levels of satisfaction.
– Ability to work independently, demonstrating a high degree of autonomy when managing and executing programme responsibilities.
– Excellent organisational skills, working independently to meet deadlines, multitasking, and maintaining meticulous attention to detail.
– Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to ‘think on your feet’ in dynamic and challenging situations.
– Excellent verbal and written English.

Desirable Criteria

– Experience of innovation management, consulting, or enterprise & entrepreneurship programmes.
– Organisation or delivery of training or business support services.
– Business development experience.
– Interest in continuous improvement initiatives within the organisation, adopting latest innovations and technology to create and develop new products and processes.
– Competence in other languages, particularly Spanish or Polish.

Successful candidates will also need to demonstrate competence in

– Defining clear roles, responsibilities and accountabilities for programmes that align with organisational practices.
– Consolidating, documenting, and managing the fundamental components of programmes (scope, schedule, resource requirements, budgets, risks, opportunities and issues, and quality requirements).
– Anticipating, addressing, and resolving differences between individuals and/or interest groups.
– Empowering and inspiring others to deliver successful programmes, leading by example and sharing best practices with wider team.
– Willingness to support the business in other areas beyond this job description, including business development, marketing activity and sharing knowledge and expertise with the team.
– Adopting a flexible attitude, adaptability, and a commitment to excellence.

Oxentia is a successful innovation management and technology commercialisation consultancy that started in 2004 as an operating division within Oxford University Innovation Ltd, the world-leading technology transfer company of the University of Oxford.

Oxentia’s mission is to provide high-quality innovation management consulting services and advice derived directly from practitioners’ perspectives to organisations around the world, adding value and enabling economic growth at all levels. Since its inception, Oxentia has engaged with large corporate businesses and SMEs, university spinouts, accelerators, incubators, research organisations, foundations, and governments, as well as academics from research institutions and universities across most continents of the world.

We have managed diverse cultural approaches within different socio-economic environments, giving us a unique perspective on innovation and commercialisation strategies that can be implemented in different regions and countries. To date, Oxentia has worked with clients in more than 70 countries.

Our methodology to support innovators, entrepreneurs and startups is grounded in the need for tailored, personalised support. Oxentia’s experience in supporting startups and entrepreneurs is built upon three pillars: capacity-building programmes for early-stage startup creation and support, entrepreneurship competitions for startups and scaleups, and individual specialist consultancy and mentoring for startups. Over the years, over 12,000 entrepreneurs have benefitted from programmes run by Oxentia, resulting in over 5500 new jobs created and more than $350m raised.