Programme Director

On behalf of FCDO, we are looking for a Programme Director (Inside IR35) for a 12 month contract based hybrid in London.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) pursues our national interests and projects the UK as a force for good in the world. We promote the interests of British citizens, safeguard the UK's security, defend our values, reduce poverty, and tackle global challenges with our international partners.

SC/DV Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance.

As a Programme Director, your main responsibilities will be:
. Delivery Leadership: Own programme milestones, dependencies, and risk posture; maintain realistic plans and continuous reforecasting.
. RUN Protection: Safeguard current service stability during migration; define acceptance criteria for operability and resilience.
. Supplier Integration: Orchestrate a multi-supplier ecosystem within a hybrid SIAM model
. Commercial & Procurement: Shape tower definitions, contract structures, and sequencing; onboard suppliers and ensure adherence to programme standards.
. Architecture & Security Alignment: Work with technical leads (including CTO and CISO) to ensure coherent, accredited designs; enforce non-functional requirements within design process
. Governance & Stakeholder Engagement: Maintain authoritative communication with senior stakeholders; run governance rhythms and stage gates aligned to funding releases.
. Future Operating Model: Contribute expertise to smoothly transition from programme TOM to enduring service TOM, ensuring deliverability within real-world constraints.

Must-Have Experience
. Leading large-scale IT transformation programmes (£100m+).
. Cloud migration expertise (Azure, AWS, GCP, sovereign cloud).
. Delivery in secure or regulated environments (government, defence, CNI).
. Multi-supplier management and SIAM-style integration.
. Dual-run complexity and Legacy-to-cloud transitions.
. Strong architecture and technical understanding; able to challenge design decisions.
. Exceptional programme controls discipline (RAID, cost, forecasting, critical path).

Leadership Competencies
. Calm, structured, and authoritative communicator.
. Skilled stakeholder management; able to challenge respectfully.
. Creates momentum and protects scope boundaries.

Technical Skills
. Cloud-native architecture, identity, zero-trust security, FinOps.
. Migration planning, data movement, cutover strategies.
. Agile, DevOps familiarity.

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

Disability Confident

As a member of the Disability Confident Scheme, FCDO guarantees to interview all candidates who have a disability and who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of candidates who have a disability who meet all the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. This scheme encourages candidates with a disability and/or neurodivergence to apply. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Commitment

FCDO guarantees to interview veterans or spouses/partners of military personnel who meet all the essential criteria for the vacancy. In cases where we have a high volume of ex-military candidates/military spouses or partners, who meet all of the essential criteria, we will interview the best candidates from within that group. In exceptional circumstances, we may also need to apply the desirable criteria in our shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".