Programme Director – National Timing Centre (NTC)

This newly created senior leadership position will be responsible for driving the successful delivery of a Major Government Programme (NTC) that forms part of the UK’s most significant national projects. As Programme Director, you will be supporting the delivery of the government’s PNT programme, helping to address strategic risks to the UK. Accordingly, this role carries high visibility, substantial responsibility and direct accountability to senior government stakeholders.

This role will be pivotal in shaping and leading a newly formed Programme, setting its vision, structure and long-term direction. It will galvanise internal and external teams, mobilising expertise and resources around a critical mission to deliver one of the UK’s most significant national programmes.

This world-first Programme is unprecedented in scale and complexity – nothing like this has been delivered before. It is essential to protecting critical interests and strengthening the UK’s digital infrastructure.

Key responsibilities:

To ensure the Programme delivers its intended benefits, on time, within budget, and to the agreed quality standards, while managing risks, dependencies, and stakeholder expectations at the highest level.

• Strategic Leadership – Set the Programme vision, objectives, and delivery strategy in alignment with government priorities and Programme goals.

• Delivery Oversight – Lead and coordinate multiple interdependent projects, ensuring integration and coherence across workstreams.

• Accountable for strategic procurement and commercial supplier management – Applying strong financial and commercial acumen to manage substantial budgets and complex contracts in technically demanding environments.

• Stakeholder Engagement – Build and maintain strong relationships with Ministers, senior officials, delivery partners, and external stakeholders.

• Governance & Assurance – Establish robust governance structures, reporting mechanisms, and assurance processes in line with GMPP and Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) standards.

• Risk & Issue Management – Identify, assess, and mitigate strategic risks, escalating where necessary to the SRO or Programme board.

• Resource & Budget Management – Oversee Programme budgets, secure funding, and ensure optimal use of resources, including supplier and contract management.

• Benefits Realisation – Ensure that the Programme delivers measurable outcomes and benefits, tracking progress against agreed KPIs.

• Capability Building – Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing Programme team, fostering a culture of delivery excellence.

• Proven track record of leading complex, high-value major Programmes in environments where discovery, innovation and interdependencies are the norm.

• 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).

• Leading the design and optimisation of programme operating models.

• Exceptional leadership and resilience, able to inspire confidence and maintain focus under pressure, whilst navigating ambiguity.

• Strategic thinker with strong influencing and negotiation skills at senior government and stakeholder levels.

• Deep understanding of Programme management methodologies (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2) and government assurance processes, with the ability to apply them in novel, high-stakes contexts.

• Accountable for strategic procurement and supplier management, driving commercial excellence and upholding organisational integrity and reputation.

• Financial and commercial acumen, with experience managing substantial budgets and contracts in technically demanding settings.

• Ability to operate effectively in politically sensitive environments, balancing competing priorities and maintaining alignment with national objectives.

• Adept at working at the intersection of leading-edge science and engineering, translating technical complexity into actionable delivery plans.

• Commitment to national security and resilience, recognising the critical role this programme plays in the government's PNT programme, contributing directly to the mitigation of nationally significant risks identified on the UK’s National Risk Register.

Key Leadership Qualities:

• 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 which deliver excellent customer value.

•  A leader who can inspire others, sharpen focus, enable delivery, reinforce standards, and foster a culture of continuous learning and improvement.

• Skilled in navigating scrutiny and challenge from senior stakeholders; whilst preserving effective relationships and professional standing.

Highly Valued Experience:

• Proven track record of delivering large-scale, complex major programmes at pace, across both public and private sectors.

• We strongly encourage applications from candidates with proven and recent experience within the Digital and/or IT Infrastructure, Defence, Intelligence, Telecommunications sectors.

We actively recruit citizens of all backgrounds, but the nature of our work in specific departments means that nationality, residency and security requirements can be more tightly defined than others. You will be asked about this throughout the recruitment process. To work at NPL, you will need to obtain BPSS security clearance.

To work in this role, you will need to have Developed Vetting (DV) clearance with no restrictions, or you must have the ability to obtain DV clearance (with no restrictions).

Please note: Applications will be reviewed, and interviews conducted throughout the duration of this advert therefore we may at any time bring the closing date forward. We encourage all interested applicants to apply as soon as practical.

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview
 
NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.
 
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