Senior Position of the week: Programme Director | London

Our work environment appeals to self-motivated, flexible team players that have great interpersonal skills and lots of curiosity.  We believe in peer relationships rather than hierarchies; in teams rather than lone thinkers. Fjord is all about an open collaborative approach and we think it is the key enabler for us to deliver innovative, ground-breaking work.

The Programme Director will oversee and grow the project management team tasked with program and project-level executional excellence, client satisfaction, resourcing and profitability of engagements. He/she will also have hands-on responsibility for high-priority, large-scale client engagements.

Additionally, to ensure best practice is followed for both Accenture and Fjord processes, the Programme Director, will be expected to help refine standard processes and tools to be adopted by the team at large.

The role serves as the senior project lead for key client development efforts, either in a supervisory or hands-on capacity, and he/she will be directly involved in delivering various service design programs on time and on budget. Somewhat unique to Fjord is the role of the Service Design Lead, typically the lead of a client engagement or project, yet part of the Design Group. Project Management partners with the SDL, enabling the SDL to ensure the best solution and service to the client. The Programme Director will be responsible for the seamless integration and collaboration of project managers with the SDLs and design teams. He/she will have a peer relationship with the Service Design Director (the design leader).

Key Responsibilities:

• Play a management / supervisor role and directly manage a growing team of project managers (PMs)
• Work closely with the Commercial team on resourcing, status reporting, utilisation and capacity.
• Lead the team of PMs to ensure that projects are managed successfully (i.e., on time, on budget, high quality, smooth process, satisfied clients)
• Contribute to the creation of delivery management processes and procedures to standardise delivery efforts as the company grows; Ensure identification and adoption of best practices
• Drive integration of project management with the design function
• Support the company’s new business development and sales efforts by providing strategic delivery guidelines, scope and timeline guidance and budget estimates
• Play a hands-on senior project management role on a some large/complex and/or strategic client programs. Work closely with cross-functional teams of UX and Visual designers, developers, and Business Designers.  (Expected billability of this role is 65%)
• Help PMs develop detailed project plans and timelines using a set of project management tools across both Fjord and Accenture systems.
• Coordinate with Accenture Client Finance Managers to ensure consistency is maintained across the organisations on joint projects.
• Participate in regular communications with clients to ensure clear understanding of customer needs and requirements over the course of projects
• Continually communicate project status to internal stakeholders through various formal and informal mechanisms

1               Qualifications

Required Attributes:

• Extensive experience of digital project management / delivery management experience with roles of increasing responsibility (including direct line management)
• Demonstrated experience managing creative and interactive (particularly web/mobile/iTV development) initiatives
• Proven project management skills with the ability to multi-task
• A high-level of attention to detail with excellent organisational skills
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with and manage a wide variety of professional staff; experience in growing and mentoring a very dynamic team
• Experience in presenting to and interacting with senior management of client organisations
• Ability to cost estimate large range of project types, and to track and meet budgets
• Demonstrable skills and experience in mediation, negotiation, presentation and conflict resolution
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Comfortable with ambiguity and fluent organisation

Other Requirements:

• Be a storyteller: A critical element of all our roles is to deliver insights about people and behaviour verbally and visually – in a way that generates empathy, emotion and engagement  from the client and design team.
• A strategic perspective on the variety of work that we do.  Many of our projects involve strategic thinking based upon the insights gathered from the field.  Thus, business, brand, and/or strategic experience are desirable.
• A natural skill to engage with people at a deep level.   Whether observing or interviewing customers, or working with fellow  team  members  and clients, be passionate about representing the human perspective in design and have skills in bringing this passion to life for the team.
• Works collaboratively and curiously.
• Takes ownership and responsibility for their work.
• Responds professionally to feedback and is able to admit mistakes quickly.
• A self-starter who identifies opportunities and potential problems – addressing them effectively and efficiently.
• Professional, flexible, and able to succeed in a rapidly changing environment.
• Strong organisational, time management skills.
• Able to communicate in a clear, consistent, and transparent manner.
• Passionate and enthusiastic about excellence and attention to detail.
• Seeks out opportunities for self-development and continuing education.
• Develops and maintains open honest and trusting relationships.
• Goes above and beyond prescribed duties as and when required.

Closing date for applications 23rd December 2013

Accenture reserves the right to close the role prior to this date should a suitable applicant be found

Please also note that Accenture is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of society and does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, disability, age, citizenship, marital, domestic or civil partnership status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.