Programme Director

A Hybrid working model

The role

HEX brings together creative talent, emerging technology and industry-leading partners to turn innovation into scalable solutions for our clients.

We’re looking for a Programme Director to lead the end-to-end delivery of a complex, high-profile programme at the intersection of creative production, AI and emerging technology.

You will translate strategic objectives into an integrated delivery plan, bring multiple workstreams together and ensure the programme delivers against its commitments. You’ll take ownership of programme governance, dependencies, risks and decisions, providing the clarity and control needed to navigate complexity and maintain momentum.

Working across senior leadership, technology partners, clients and multidisciplinary delivery teams, you’ll connect the bigger picture with the detail of execution, ensuring everyone is aligned on what needs to happen, when and why.

What you’ll do

Lead the programme

• Own the integrated programme plan, translating objectives into clear workstreams, milestones, deliverables and success measures.
• Establish effective governance, clear accountability and a consistent approach to programme reporting and decision-making.
• Maintain oversight of the critical path, dependencies and delivery commitments, ensuring activity across workstreams comes together to achieve the overall programme objectives.
• Provide a clear view of programme health, progress and emerging issues, giving leadership the information needed to make timely, informed decisions.

Drive delivery

• Lead delivery across multiple workstreams, aligning teams on priorities, milestones and interdependencies.
• Anticipate risks, resolve blockers and drive action on issues before they impact delivery.
• Manage changes to scope, timelines and deliverables, assessing their implications and ensuring trade-offs are agreed and understood.
• Challenge assumptions, address competing priorities and keep teams focused on the outcomes that matter most.
• Hold workstream leads accountable for commitments, following through on actions and intervening where delivery is at risk.

Align clients and stakeholders

• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across WPP, technology partners and client organisations.
• Create alignment across teams with different priorities, ensuring clear ownership, timely decisions and a shared understanding of programme objectives.
• Lead programme reviews and executive reporting, communicating progress, risks, decisions and required actions with clarity.
• Act as the central point of coordination for programme delivery, connecting stakeholders and ensuring commitments translate into action.

Deliver measurable outcomes

• Maintain oversight of performance against programme objectives, milestones, budgets and agreed commercial commitments, working with the relevant commercial and finance leads.
• Define and track success measures that demonstrate client adoption, business impact and value delivered.
• Identify emerging delivery or commercial risks, making their implications visible and driving appropriate action.
• Use performance data and programme insight to inform decisions, address underperformance and improve outcomes throughout the programme lifecycle.

What you’ll bring

• Significant experience leading complex programmes involving multiple workstreams, interdependent deliverables and senior stakeholders.
• A proven track record of translating strategic objectives into executable plans and delivering against challenging commitments.
• Strong programme management expertise across integrated planning, governance, critical path management, risk, dependencies and change control.
• The judgement to anticipate problems, navigate ambiguity and make effective decisions when priorities or delivery conditions change.
• The confidence to challenge constructively, influence senior stakeholders and hold teams accountable across matrixed organisations.
• Strong commercial awareness, including an understanding of budgets, forecasts and performance against agreed commitments.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to turn complex information into clear decisions, recommendations and executive-level reporting.
• A proactive, collaborative approach, combining attention to detail with a clear focus on overall programme objectives.

Experience in creative production, digital transformation, AI-enabled programmes or technology partnerships would be advantageous.

What success looks like

• A clear, integrated programme plan that connects workstreams, milestones, dependencies and outcomes.
• Predictable, well-controlled delivery, with risks anticipated, blockers resolved and commitments actively managed.
• Clear accountability across workstreams and strong alignment between clients, partners and delivery teams.
• Timely, informed decision-making supported by transparent reporting and a reliable view of programme performance.
• Measurable client outcomes, with clear evidence of adoption, business impact and value delivered.
• A programme that meets its objectives while adapting effectively as priorities and requirements evolve.

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