We’re looking for an experienced Senior Project Manager to work in our Head Office in Swindon This is a pivotal role sitting between execution and strategic leadership, responsible for driving the successful planning and implementation of complex, cross-functional, and technical initiatives. Operating with a high degree of autonomy, this role bridges the gap between day-to-day project delivery and strategic change governance, acting as a direct support and deputy to the Head of
Business Change.
The successful candidate will go beyond standard execution to help embed a structured,
repeatable project management framework across the business. They will bring deep
experience in planning technical, software, or web-focused projects, ensuring tight
alignment between technical delivery and broader business goals. Additionally, they will
champion the adoption of emerging technologies and AI-driven tools within the change
function to automate processes, elevate reporting, and optimise team efficiency.
This role requires a strategic, commercially minded professional who can confidently
manage senior stakeholders, challenge the status quo, and ensure high-impact projects
are delivered to time, cost, and purpose.
We can offer hybrid working, with two days in the office (Tuesdays and Thursdays) and three days from home.
Key Responsibilities:
● Strategic Delivery & Execution: Lead the end-to-end planning and implementation of
large-scale, complex, and technical projects across multiple functions, ensuring scope,
goals, and deliverables directly align with strategic business cases.
● Strategic Support & Deputy Leadership: Partner closely with the Head of Business
Change to establish, embed, and champion a consistent PMO framework, change
governance routines, and reporting cadences across the change function.
● Advanced Technical Project Planning: Develop robust, full-scale project plans for
technical initiatives, mapping out detailed tasks, timelines, resource allocation, and
complex cross-functional dependencies across development lifecycles.
● AI & Tooling Optimisation: Drive team efficiency by actively utilising and embedding
emerging technologies and AI-driven tools (e.g., smart reporting solutions, automated
status updates) to increase project visibility and streamline delivery.
● Stakeholder & Sponsor Management: Form strong relationships with Executive
sponsors and business leaders, ensuring they are clear on their project responsibilities
and kept transparently informed of project status, risks, and schedule changes.
● Risk & Change Governance: Monitor and track portfolio-level risks and issues.
Implement structured change management processes for project scope, schedules,
and costs while offering constructive challenge to delivery blockers.
● Financial & Benefit Oversight: Maintain a comprehensive understanding of project
budgeting and cost control, ensuring initiatives are delivered within budget and
successfully realise their intended commercial value and purpose.
● Continuous Improvement & Mentorship: Lead project post-mortems and knowledge
transfers to raise delivery standards across the business, while coaching, mentoring, and
functionally guiding standard Project Managers to improve throughput and efficiency.
Skills and experience:
● Strategic & Proactive: Highly self-directed; takes early ownership of complex
challenges, anticipates blockers, and successfully prioritises conflicting and competing
demands in a diverse, fast-paced environment.
● Confident Communicator & Influencer: Credible, authentic, and engaging; possesses
the excellent communication and client-facing skills required to manage relationships,
influence people, and present executive-level reporting.
● Change Catalyst: Has a strong appetite for contributing to a continual cycle of change;
possesses the courage to challenge the status quo, question existing practices, and
present innovative solutions to improve efficiency and quality.
● Collaborative Partner: An advocate for cross-functional collaboration who deeply
understands broader functional priorities and can seamlessly align technical delivery
with business outcomes.
● Commercially Minded: Deeply focused on delivering tangible business value, strategic
outcomes, and benefit realisation, rather than just ticking off executional tasks.
● Proven working experience as a Senior Project Manager leading both business change
and technical/software/web-focused projects in a fast-paced environment.
● Demonstrated experience planning and executing complex technical projects, showing
a strong understanding of technical dependencies, IT environments, and development
lifecycles.
● Practical experience using and embedding emerging technologies, such as AI tools, to
drive automation, smart reporting, and project delivery efficiency.
● Proven track record of successfully managing senior stakeholder relationships,
including working effectively with Executive sponsors, IT, and cross-functional delivery
partners.
● Deep knowledge of principles, methods, techniques, and tools associated with the
project lifecycle, governance frameworks, and comprehensive project budgeting/cost
control.
● Solid organisational and leadership skills, with demonstrated experience coaching,
mentoring, or developing other project professionals or specialised change roles.
● A relevant professional project management qualification is highly desirable.
Benefits:
- Employee discount: amazing discounts available on all Oak Furnitureland products after successful completion of probation
- Life assurance: free cover of a minimum of two times your annual salary up to the age of 65
- 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays
- Birthday: an additional day off for you to celebrate your birthday
- Hybrid working
- Pension: 4% employee contribution matched by the company
- Employee Assistance Programme: gives all employees access to both telephone and face-to-face counselling services
- My Rewards Programme: offers discounts on everything from restaurants and supermarkets, to entertainment and holidays
- Free on-site parking