Salary: £60,400 - £80,800 plus benefits
Location: Cambridge, UK – Hybrid (40-60% on site)
Contract: Fixed Term until 31st August 2027
Hours: Full time (35 hours a week)
Are you an experienced programme manager who thrives on making complex change happen in a matrix organisation?
We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.
We are looking for a Programme Manager to play a key role in delivering high profile and complex programmes. This is an opportunity to work at the heart of change, shaping how we deliver value across Academic publishing while pursuing your potential in a purpose‑driven organisation.
About the role
The Programme Manager is responsible for scoping, defining, planning, controlling and delivering assigned programmes to agreed quality, cost and time parameters. You will manage complex and/or high profile programmes, ensuring strong stakeholder engagement, effective governance, and alignment with portfolio standards while applying sound judgement and a strategic mindset to achieve optimal outcomes.
Additional responsibilities and accountabilities include:
* Building and maintaining strong relationships with senior stakeholders to ensure delivery of strategic outcomes and realisation of programme benefits.
* Planning, executing, monitoring, controlling and closing programmes in line with agreed methodologies and Portfolio Office standards.
* Identifying and actively managing risks, assumptions, dependencies and critical paths, developing contingency plans and resolving issues proactively.
* Owning the development and approval of key programme artefacts, including business cases, benefits realisation plans, communication plans, and programme closure documentation.
* Reporting programme progress through agreed governance channels, including highlight reports and end‑stage assessments.
* Resolving issues, managing conflict, and driving progress across multiple workstreams.
* Representing programmes in governance and assurance forums and working closely with Technology, Procurement, Legal, Finance and other shared service teams.
This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.
About You
You will bring:
* Demonstrable experience delivering complex programmes to schedule in a matrix environment.
* Experience of successful technology programme delivery in Agile and Waterfall contexts.
* Strong capability (evidenced by a project management qualification) in programme planning, governance, risk, financial and dependency management.
* Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and build sustained engagement at all levels.
* Problem solving abilities. You love anticipating and solving problems, coaching teams to find solutions and stay on track.
If you meet the above minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply. Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria:
* Experience of delivering programmes in a publishing context
For a detailed job description, please refer to the link at the bottom of the advert on our careers site.
We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long-term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long-term health condition.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.
Rewards and benefits
We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:
* 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
* Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
* Discretionary annual bonus
* Group personal pension scheme
* Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
* Green travel schemes
Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.
We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 12th April 2026. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place end of April / early May.
If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:
* First stage virtual interview via MS Teams.
* Final stage interview: in-person at our offices in Cambridge.
If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.
We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter.
Why join us
Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.
We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities
Salary description
£60400.00 - £80800.00 per year