Programme Manager

Programme Manager At Clarion, our people are at the absolute heart of what we do. We’re proud that our core values of PASSION , CARE , IMAGINATION , and TRUST define the way we carry out our work across all of our teams. If you share our values and want to be a part of a successful, dynamic, and creative global business then we want to hear from you. The Opportunity: Clarion Events is accelerating its digital and technology transformation, investing in the platforms, products, data capabilities and operational improvements that will shape the future of our business. Sitting within the Central Technology function, this role will operate across the full technology portfolio (Enterprise Apps, Data, IT, Digital) helping to deliver a diverse roadmap spanning customer-facing digital products, business systems, data and analytics platforms, automation initiatives, and technology enablement programmes. As Programme Manager, the role will initially focus on leading a multi-year programme of initiatives that deliver change globally for our EMEA, North America and Clarion Connect teams, driving revenue while reducing the running costs of our technology stack. The first global programme this role will own aims to migrate our global teams to a new Marketing & Segmentation platform, integrate this within our data & business applications ecosystem, and deliver the change management activities required to drive adoption worldwide. It spans many inter-connected projects, multiple regions and a wide range of stakeholders and – when delivered successfully – will move Clarion towards a connected operating model. Depending on capacity, the role may also lead other projects alongside this. The ideal candidate has a strong sense of ownership, enjoys driving both the technical and the business sides of change, and has a deep interest in maturing the PMO alongside the Programme Director. Experience delivering a programme of similar scale is critical to success: this will be highly complex and fast-paced, and their PMO toolkit must be strong from the start. Key Responsibilities: Programme Governance & Delivery Management · Establish and maintain robust programme and project plans, governance, RAID logs, dependencies, milestones and success measures across multiple technology initiatives. · Provide accurate, timely reporting on project progress, stage gate tracking, risks, decisions and delivery confidence, ensuring stakeholders have clear visibility of status and next steps. · Coordinate activities across engineering, data, architecture, infrastructure, product, security and third-party delivery partners to ensure successful execution of project milestones. · Drive accountability across project teams, proactively identifying issues, removing blockers and escalating risks where required. · Ensure projects remain aligned to agreed scope, timelines, budgets and success criteria throughout the delivery lifecycle. · Maintain high standards of project hygiene and operational excellence using tools such as Jira, Confluence and portfolio reporting frameworks. Stakeholder Management, Business Readiness & Benefits Realisation · Act as the bridge between business and technology teams, translating business requirements into actionable delivery plans and technical concepts into clear business language. · Build strong relationships with stakeholders across functions including Sales, Marketing, Finance, HR and Operations, ensuring priorities, dependencies and impacts are understood and managed. · Facilitate effective decision making by bringing together the right stakeholders, surfacing trade-offs and ensuring actions are driven through to completion. · Coordinate business readiness activities ahead of key releases and go-lives, ensuring teams are prepared to successfully adopt new capabilities. · Connect with the business sponsor on adoption post roll-out, run project retrospectives, and track and report on success criteria completion following implementation, ensuring intended value is realised and evidenced. PMO Maturity · Co-develop, alongside the Programme Director, the PMO ways of working that enhance the maturity of the team and the wider portfolio operations, and drive Jira maturity across the full delivery lifecycle to enable as many automations as possible. · Role model these behaviours and processes for junior team members, coaching where possible to drive us forward as a team. Knowledge, Skills & Behaviours: Technical Programme Management: Proven experience delivering complex technology programmes within digital transformation, technology transformation and/or technology-enabled business transformation environments. · Strong technical foundation with experience working across business applications, digital products, data platforms, integrations, infrastructure and enterprise technology environments. · Solid understanding of software development lifecycles, modern technology architecture, and Agile delivery methodologies. · Solid understanding of modern cloud data platforms (e.g. Databricks, Lakehouse architecture) and legacy-to-cloud migration principles, sufficient to govern delivery, · Ability to identify and manage data-specific risks (quality, reconciliation, compliance) and understand the complexities of integrating multiple source systems, ensuring these are reflected in governance, planning, and RAID logs. · Comfortable managing teams with varying levels of technical experience, and commercially aware of cloud data platform cost considerations as a factor in delivery decision-making. PMO Excellence: · Experience working across cross-functional teams including technical (e.g. engineering, product, architecture, data, infrastructure, security and third-party technology partners) as well as business stakeholders (e.g. Sales, Marketing, Finance and HR). · Highly organised with strong operational and PMO discipline, including planning, governance, dependency management, stage gate discipline, risk management and delivery tracking using tools such as Jira and Confluence. Business Outcomes: · Commercially minded with a strong understanding of how technology supports business processes, operational efficiency and measurable business value. · Strong understanding of business readiness, adoption and change management, ensuring technology solutions are successfully embedded and deliver intended outcomes. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear, actionable language for non-technical audiences. About Clarion Events Clarion Events is one of the world’s leading event organisers, producing and delivering innovative and market-leading events since 1947. ( https://clarionevents.com/welcome ) Clarion Events embrace diversity and equal opportunities in all that we do. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. The more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. Clarion is private equity backed and owned by Blackstone. Blackstone is one of the world’s leading global investment funds, investing capital for the long term in order to build successful, resilient businesses. ( https://www.blackstone.com/ ) Our purpose is to deliver exceptional customer outcomes and experiences, by making every connection count. Our vision is we want every one of our products to be a market leader in customer satisfaction and delight. Benefits 25 days’ holiday plus bank holidays End of year wellbeing shutdown (closed for the last week of the year) Employees on a permanent or fixed-term contract are gifted an extra day of leave that can be used for a celebration of your choosing, e.g. birthday, Eid, Diwali, etc. Summer Hours in August (3pm finish on Fridays) Helping Our World (HOW) Days – one paid day per quarter to carry out charity work Pension Scheme Private Medical Insurance Health Cash Plan Wellbeing Library (MYNDUP) Mentoring Programme Season Ticket Loan Cycle to Work Schemes Free on-site gym and shower facilities Free eyesight tests Free flu vaccination – offered on site once a year for all employees Our Values PASSION We deliver all our events with passion for people, the environment and businesses. We form connections with those who are just as passionate about what they do as we are. We always strive to exceed expectations and celebrate success. We love what we do, and it shows. CARE We care about our people and our products and work tirelessly to achieve lasting connections and satisfaction for ourselves, our customers and the businesses they support. We really get people - everyone is welcome. IMAGINATION Everything is possible. We constantly challenge the status quo and create amazing experiences and opportunities. We take huge satisfaction in solving problems. As open-minded and fun-loving people, the sky is our limit. TRUST We trust our skills, people and partners to deliver extraordinary events our customers have come to rely on. We support everyone around us and always learn through our experiences. We are honest and straight forward. You can always rely on us. Equal Opportunities We encourage employees to be open and confident and recognise that every member of the team makes a vital contribution. Clarion embraces equality, diversity and inclusion and seeks to promote these principles in all of our business activities. When recruiting new employees or providing opportunities for promotion, we will: • Recruit, develop and retain the most talented people, regardless of background, and make the best use of their talents; • Ensure that no person is unlawfully discriminated against; • Select the best person for the role based on their skills, qualifications and abilities. This statement sets out our commitment to equal opportunities and to preventing discrimination in the workplace. Department Technology - IT Locations Putney HQ Remote status Hybrid About Clarion Events Clarion Events is the world's largest privately owned event and exhibition organiser, known for our innovative approach, market-leading super brands and digital products. Founded in 1947, we have expanded to become a truly international organisation with offices in 12 countries. With a portfolio of 125 events and media brands across various vertical markets, we employ around 2,000 people worldwide. At Clarion we aim to foster growth for both our clients and partners by delivering exceptional events and platforms while retaining talented employees and nurturing loyal partnerships. We focus on creating long-term value and sustaining leadership in all our sectors. It’s our true passion for customer satisfaction that sets us aside. Applicant tracking system by Teamtailor