Principal, Programme Delivery

Closing Date:

18/03/2026

Group:

Infrastructure and Connectivity Group

Management Level:

Principal

Job Type:

Permanent

Job Description:

Please note that this role will close at 00:01 on Wednesday 18 March, and therefore we recommend getting your application in by no later than midnight on Tuesday 17 March.

About Ofcom

As the UK’s communications regulator, we’re delivering vital work that helps keep the UK connected and shapes the future of how we’ll stay connected with each other.

Our work covers everything from phones and broadband, through to TV, radio, the postal service, and wireless devices. We’re also taking on the challenge of making the online world a safer place. And we need people of all backgrounds, skill sets, and experiences to help us achieve our goal of making communications work for everyone.

About the team you’ll be part of

The Infrastructure & Connectivity Group’s (ICG) role is to advance a better connected UK and ensure there is reliable internet and post for UK people and businesses. The Group oversees a broad and increasingly complex remit across connectivity, telecoms, security and resilience, consumer and competition issues, and future digital infrastructure.

Strategy & Delivery (S&D) is ICG’s central strategy and programme delivery function. Our mission is to shape ICG’s strategic direction and support teams to deliver with impact. We do this by setting a clear strategic direction, leading planning and progress monitoring, and optimising how we use our time, talent, and resources. The Delivery arm of S&D is crucial to success in ICG - leading ICG’s annual planning cycle, governance and delivery assurance, risk management, resourcing, budget, corporate reporting, and operational improvements.

The purpose and scope of the role

This new role will provide leadership for all aspects of ICG programme delivery - strategic planning, governance, budget and resourcing, risk management, and corporate reporting. The role will also drive continuous improvement across ICG’s processes and ways of working. The successful candidate will lead and support colleagues, and partner closely with other S&D Principals. This role reports to the Strategy & Delivery Director.

As this is a newly created role, its scope and focus will evolve to meet the needs of the team and the wider Group. Responsibilities may shift as we learn more about what’s required - so flexibility, adaptability and a collaborative mindset, working closely with and supporting other Principals, will be essential for success.

Your Key Responsibilities

You will proactively build and develop broad understanding of ICG’s work programme so that you can fulfil the following primary responsibilities:

Delivery and planning

• Lead ICG’s annual planning cycle, ensuring consistency, transparency and disciplined follow-through – including leading inputs into Ofcom’s 3-year and annual plans.

• Set and lead ICG’s programme delivery function - ensuring a clear, forward-looking programme plan across ICG’s portfolios. Work to ensure this is clearly and effectively communicated to colleagues at all levels.

• Partner with other S&D Principals to ensure coherent alignment between strategy, planning and delivery

• Develop and monitor Group priorities and ensure alignment with strategy, planning and resourcing activities.

Governance and reporting

• Lead ICG’s governance processes, ensuring high-quality reporting for senior colleagues, producing clear insights and narrative on risks, progress, and resource implications.

• Provide oversight of delivery assurance, ensuring risks, dependencies, milestones, and decisions are surfaced early and addressed proactively.

• Ensure governance products (e.g., forward looks, risk registers, corporate reporting) meet high standards and support senior colleagues in confident decision-making.

Budget, resourcing, and forecasting

• Lead ICG’s strategic budget and resourcing processes, ensuring accurate forecasts and effective prioritisation against our goals. Build strong relationships with Finance and P&C.

• Oversee day-to-day resourcing allocation processes, ensuring data accuracy, useful resources, and a simple transparency process for resource changes.

Continuous improvement

• Lead ICG’s contributions to Ofcom’s Transformation programme, identifying and implementing improvements to planning and governance processes.

• Champion best practice, tools and approaches to embed a mature, streamlined Delivery function within ICG.

Team leadership & people development

• Line-manage and coach junior colleagues, providing clear expectations, ongoing support, and opportunities for development. Play an active role in CPM responsibilities, wellbeing, and healthy team dynamics.

• Model a collaborative, inclusive leadership approach, helping build a positive culture within S&D and across ICG.

• Deputise for the Director in a range of senior internal meetings.

This role is designed to operate within an agile environment: while each Principal has a primary focus, all are expected to support other areas of work and adapt to changing priorities. You may therefore be asked to lead or support the team’s work in other areas.

The skills, knowledge and experience you’ll need for success

• Proven expertise: Demonstrable experience in strategic planning, managing large and/or complex programmes, governance, and budget and resource management. Experience of leading or supporting transformation or change initiatives also desirable.

• Regulatory insight: Solid grasp of Ofcom’s regulatory role and powers, policymaking and regulation more generally, and an understanding or strong interest in ICG’s sectors (and the challenges facing the team).

• Empowering Development: Proven people management experience, with evidence of supporting the growth and development of team members' skills and strengths.

• Budgeting and forecasting: Demonstrable experience in planning, monitoring and controlling resourcing and financial information, including the ability to translate and communicate this clearly for colleagues.

• Executing Plans: Strong organisational, planning and project management skills. Ability to think clearly about business challenges, deadlines and opportunities, identifying the bigger picture and prioritising effectively.

• Forming Relationships: Confident at building and managing constructive working relationships with cross-functional teams and senior leaders and able to persuade, influence and hold to account different people.

• Channelling influence: Ability to guide opinions, decisions and achieve alignment, in a manner that reflects Ofcom's values of excellence, agility, collaboration, empowerment and respect.

• Articulating Ideas: Excellent oral, written and visual communication skills, adept at explaining complex information clearly and concisely. Able to lead effective communication for different audiences and seniority.

• Embracing change: Experience delivering results in fast-paced environments and adjusting approaches to meet changing needs and situations. Proactive in identifying and addressing issues, offering new ideas, implementing improvements to processes and how the team works and promoting a culture of inclusion, collaboration and trust.

Inclusivity Statement

Ofcom has a clear mission: to make communications work for everyone.  To be able to deliver on this, we want our organisation to reflect the diversity of background, experience, upbringing and thought that exists across the UK.  We aim to recruit from the widest pool of candidates possible – no matter your social background, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, or disability. We also warmly welcome applicants who are returning to the workforce after a break – for whatever reason. If you have taken time away and are ready to rejoin, we look forward to reviewing your application.

Where positions are listed as full-time, we remain open to reduced hours, part-time arrangements, job shares, and other flexible working options. From day one, we champion flexible work arrangements to accommodate individual needs. You can read more about our Rewards, Benefits and Well-being on our careers page.

Our recruitment processes prioritise accessibility and inclusivity. If you need adjustments, information in an alternative format, or prefer to apply in a different way, please contact us at resourcing@ofcom.org.uk or call 0330 912 1378.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we offer interviews to disabled applicants who meet essential criteria for advertised roles. Learn more about this scheme here.  https://careers.ofcom.org.uk/careers/how-we-hire/