Innovation Programme Manager jobs

Planning & Programme Manager
Contract term: Permanent
Hours: 37 hours over 5 days 
Location: ACT, Ocean Park House, East Tyndall Street, Cardiff, CF24 5ET
Salary: Grade 10 £40,596 rising to £44,163 per annum

At ACT, our Behaviour Framework shapes everything we do. We are looking for a Planning and Programme Manager who demonstrates genuine Respect, communicates with Openness & Honesty, and brings Innovation & Creativity to strategic planning, problem-solving and organisational improvement. You will be motivated to Empower colleagues and teams to deliver ACT's strategic priorities, while maintaining Clarity in your planning, decision-making and communication. If you are resilient, adaptable and committed to using insight and effective governance to drive continuous improvement and organisational success, we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for an experienced and forward-thinking Planning & Programme Manager to lead ACT’s strategic planning, programme management, organisational risk governance and business insights functions.

This is a key role within our Strategy & Planning function, providing the opportunity to influence how ACT plans, delivers and monitors its strategic priorities. You will work closely with colleagues across the organisation, supporting departments to translate strategic priorities into effective plans and ensuring progress, performance, risk and insight are clearly understood by senior leaders and the Board.

What you’ll do:

• Lead ACT's annual strategic planning cycle and support departments to develop and deliver strategic objectives.
• Oversee ACT's strategic project and programme portfolio, ensuring effective governance, prioritisation and delivery.
• Lead the development and implementation of ACT's organisational risk governance framework and corporate risk register.
• Oversee the Business Insights function, ensuring data and reporting provide meaningful insight for decision-making.
• Produce strategic performance, risk and assurance reporting for Senior Leadership and Board.
• Lead and develop the Strategy & Planning team, building capability and promoting consistent approaches across ACT.
• Build strong relationships across the organisation and promote a culture of continuous improvement.

Please see the full Job Description and Person Specification for further information about the role.

ACT is committed to promoting the Welsh language for both staff and learners, and whilst it is not considered essential criteria, the ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this role.

What we need from you:

We are looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Proven experience leading and developing a team.
• Experience in strategic planning, programme management, organisational performance or business improvement.
• Experience managing cross-functional projects or programmes.
• Experience developing and embedding governance, planning or management frameworks.
• Strong experience using data, business insight and reporting to support decision-making.
• Experience producing reports and assurance information for senior leaders or governance bodies.
• A professional project or programme management qualification, or equivalent practical experience.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, analytical and organisational skills.
• The ability to influence, constructively challenge and build effective relationships at all levels.
• A proactive, collaborative and continuous improvement-focused approach.

Why work for ACT?

At ACT, people are at the heart of everything we do. As Wales’s largest training provider, we’re passionate about making a real difference through high-quality learning — and we’re just as committed to supporting our staff to grow, develop and succeed.

We’re proud to be an Investors in People Platinum organisation, accredited for over 25 years, and recognised in the Best Companies 2025 awards as one of the UK’s top employers — ranked 26th Best Large Company to Work For and 5th in Wales.

Our Values:

At ACT, we pride ourselves on fostering a culture of respect, fairness, and dignity for all. We believe in creating an inclusive environment where every individual feel valued and empowered to thrive.

FREDIE has been central to promoting and recognising exceptional commitment to equality and diversity. FREDIE stands for Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Engagement, and these values are at the heart of ACT’s philosophy, shaping our approach to both staff and learners.

Diversity statement

ACT is dedicated to fair and safe recruitment practices, ensuring equality for all applicants and staff. We do not discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, marital or civil partner status, gender reassignment, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, disability or age. Our questioning and collating of information are intended to help us maintain equal opportunities best practice and identify barriers to workforce equality and diversity. The information collated from you will not be used in any decision affecting you.

We are happy to consider an reasonable adjustments that candidates may need during the recruitment process, please drop us an email with your requirements.

What next?

The Advert will close 10th September 2026. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role.

Applicants will be notified via email of application process (please check junk or spam folders)

An interview process consisting of:

A face-to-face interview at our Head Office with a work-based task (for example - a micro teach, or presentation full details will be provided before interview)

We’re keen to ensure our hiring process allows you to be at your best, so if you need us to make any adjustments, please just let us know.

If you have any queries about the vacancy please feel free to contact us on recruitment@acttraining.org.uk.

Safeguarding:

Our organisation is deeply committed to safeguarding the welfare of all learners and staff. We expect all employees to uphold this commitment as part of their role. Please note that the successful candidate will be required to undergo an enhanced DBS check.

• If you would like to work for an organisation that demonstrates outstanding commitment to staff engagement, has gained a place on the Times Best 100 Companies to work for in the UK for the last eight consecutive years and that holds Investors in People Platinum accreditation we would love to hear from you!

Pay: £40,596.00-£44,163.00 per year

Benefits:

• Additional leave
• Company events
• Cycle to work scheme
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• On-site parking

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Splott ED CF24 5ET