More about the role

IT (Digital) Programme Manager

Here, at New Look, everything that we do is for the love of fashion.

We’ve been bringing the latest fashion to the high-street since 1969.  We’re now a global, multichannel brand offering on-trend, value-fashion for women, men and teenage girls.  Even after 50 years we’ve stayed true to our original mission of delivering fabulous products at a price our customers can afford.

We invented fast fashion and it’s our colleagues today that continue our journey to create a New Look that everyone loves.

It’s our values that inspire us every day - we play to win, we are customer obsessed, we work as one…and it starts with you.

We are always on the lookout for talented, passionate people to join our New Look team.

What does our IT team do?

We keep all our business technology and systems running, drive the changes and enhancements to systems that are key to growing our business, and do everything we can to safeguard us from cyber threats. We partner all areas of the business to help plan, build, and implement new technology for now and the future, whether that be a new website or even more automation in our distribution centre. Once implemented we make sure everything is running as it should and fix anything needed to keep our business going.

About you:

• You’ll have a proven track record for Delivering Digital Programme of IT development in fast paced, B2C Organisation

• You’ll be an expert in multiple Agile methodologies like Scrum, Kanban or SAFE

• Experience of driving maturity and growth in Agile practices

• Comfortable balancing Agile evangelism with a no nonsense outcome focus business mindset

• A leader and natural influencer

• Tenacious determined and ambitious

• A degree in IT or related business topic and experience in IT and in-depth knowledge of the business unit they are supporting

• Experience of successful multi-project / multi stream delivery consisting of multiple delivery teams and overall team size of  25+ (minimum)

• Experience of managing matrix and 3rd party development teams, preferably across multiple locations including internationally

• A strong understanding of all stages in a programme/project lifecycle and delivery approaches e.g. waterfall, agile, etc.

• Strong financial management skills and experience

• You will be a proven leader, manager and motivator

The Role:

Programme Management

• Ensuring all programme activity is managed in line with New Look standards and policies

• Adhering to the programme management framework, tools, processes and reporting principles set out by the PMO

• Monitoring and managing costs, timelines and quality and taking action where these deviate from agreed tolerances

• Providing regular and accurate status reports to stakeholders

• Ensuring risks, issues and assumptions are actively identified, documented, and managed and to take appropriate resolving action where needed

• Ensuring key decisions are captured and actioned

• Managing programme dependencies as well as impacts across multiple business units, solving problems as encountered and escalating when appropriate

• Participating in in-flight reviews and health checks, making recommendations and following up on implementation improvements

Programme Delivery

• Leading planning and accurately estimating costs, timescales and resource requirements for successful delivery

• Identifying and managing to the critical path

• Interactively managing the project through use of stand ups and team boards

• Working with the business to ensure the business case is created, training is considered, acceptance criteria are defined and signed off, and that anticipated benefits are tracked

• Task managing the BA, ensuring business requirements are complete and reviewing the resulting functional and technical specifications to be certain that programmes will meet the business and technical requirements

•  Managing the relationship with suppliers and ensuring components are delivered in line with requirements

•  Ensuring any blockers are removed

• Ensuring all required testing is performed in order to validate that requirements have been met by the delivered solution

• Managing the implementation and working with the business lead to ensure all required business change activities are completed

• Engaging with the IT Service Delivery team to prepare for project handover

• Facilitating the resolution of any serious defects during the post go-live warranty period

• Ensuring 3rd party suppliers resolve issues within agreed warranty SLA

• Ensuring programmes are formally closed and that lessons learned are captured and shared

Programme Team Management

• Building and managing a number of small, focused project delivery teams whose members may span multiple sites

•  Matrix managing PMs, BAs, SAs, System Integrators and Testers  where required

•  Ensuring the teams are communicated with and informed at all times

•  Providing leadership to the programme teams ensuring that team members are supported, motivated, contributing effectively

•  Representing the programme teams, ensuring effective relationships are built and maintained with the business and managing expectations of all stakeholders

•  Ensuring new recruits are appropriately selected and inducted

•  Working with the Delivery Operations Manager to establish a set of Delivery team performance KPIs and working with team managers to track and report on progress against these

Portfolio Management

• Supporting the Head of IT Delivery with the creation and management of the programme portfolio, both in-flight and pending work

•  Ensuring early involvement in portfolio planning in order to feed in to decisions regarding resourcing, planning and solution options

• Working with the stakeholders in the business areas allocated, the Head of IT Delivery and PMO, to set and agree the programme content to meet the functional and corporate strategic requirements

• Working with the Delivery Operations Manager to identify and negotiate the provision of all required resources to support delivery of the allocated programmes

• Owning the day to day business relationship linkage between the business units and IT for solutions pending on the roadmap and solutions in the process of being delivered

•  Providing strategic support and guidance to IT and Business leadership teams

Acting as the primary IT contact for their programme(s) and business unit(s)

Task & Line Management

• Responsibility for task management and line management of Senior/Project Managers and Senior/Application Developers

• Responsibility for task management of the Senior/Business Analysts and Senior/Solution Architects

• Ensuring all are clear on their role, have up to date objectives and personal development plans and receive consistent line management, feedback and performance appraisals

• Working to understand their career aspirations, and coach and support them in their development

• Supporting skills development to ensure they are equipped to meet current and future demands, and ensuring career development is aligned with the strategic direction of the business

Why New Look?

Our internal career progression is celebrated and encouraged. Plus, we offer bonus schemes, season ticket loans, a huge staff discount of 40% and amazing deals across a number of different businesses. 

Want to be a New Looker? We guessed you would! Apply now to find out more.