Pearson

Lead Specialist, Program Management

Pearson  •  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Onsite)  •  4 days ago
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Job Description

This role aligns to the following industry titles -Programme Manager, Transformation Programme Manager Business Transformation Manager, Strategic Programme Manager

Role Purpose

The Programme Manager role is accountable for the successful delivery of complex programmes and multiple interdependent projects aligned to global business priorities. The role operates with defined objectives and governance, exercising professional judgement, structured problem solving, and proactive risk management to deliver outcomes in a fast‑paced, global environment.

The Programme Manager works as part of a global, multi‑location team, engaging a wide range of stakeholders to coordinate delivery, manage dependencies, and maintain transparency on progress, risks, and outcomes.

Key Accountabilities

  • Deliver one or more medium‑to‑large scale programmes, consisting of multiple projects or workstreams
  • Manage programme plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, and issues using Smartsheet
  • Balance and prioritise multiple concurrent initiatives, meeting deadlines in a pressured and changing environment
  • Apply structured problem‑solving to resolve delivery issues, proposing practical options and recommendations
  • Operate within established governance frameworks while exercising judgement on delivery decisions
  • Coordinate stakeholders across functions and geographies, contributing to a global delivery model
  • Provide clear, accurate, and decision‑focused status reporting and insights to senior stakeholders
  • Identify delivery risks early and actively manage mitigation actions and escalation paths
  • Support programme governance forums with high‑quality materials and analysis
  • Adhere to global programme management standards and contribute to continuous improvement

Skills & Capabilities

  • Proven programme and project management expertise
  • Strong problem‑solving, analytical, and critical‑thinking skills
  • Ability to manage complexity, ambiguity, and competing priorities
  • Demonstrated capability to deliver under pressure and tight timelines
  • Confident stakeholder engagement across cultures and time zones
  • High attention to detail with strong focus on outcomes and value
  • Hands‑on experience using Smartsheet or other project planning tools for planning, tracking, and reporting

Knowledge, Experience & Qualifications

Essential

  • Proven experience in programme or senior project management
  • Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously
  • Practical experience working in global or distributed teams
  • Experience in large, matrixed, or transformation‑led organisations

Desirable

  • Programme or project management certification (e.g. MSP, PRINCE2, PMP, PgMP, Agile)
  • Hands‑on experience using Smartsheet in a delivery
  • Experience using Jira (and/or similar agile delivery tools) for tracking work

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Pearson

About Pearson

Our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. That’s why our c. 20,000 Pearson employees are committed to creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. We are the world’s leading learning company, serving customers in nearly 200 countries with digital content, assessments, qualifications, and data. For us, learning isn’t just what we do. It's who we are.

Industry
Education & Training
Company Size
5,001-10,000 employees
Headquarters
London, GB
Year Founded
Unknown
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