Senior Programme Manager, WEBRECRUIT

Overview

Senior Programme Manager – London (with hybrid working – a minimum of one full day per week in the office)

Our client is focused on supporting education to break down barriers between student success and finance. They support the education sector through research and working within schools to drive initiatives that directly support learners. They are now looking for a Senior Programme Manager to join them on a full-time, permanent basis, working 40 hours per week.

• Salary of £51,750 per annum
• Flexible working opportunities
• 27 days’ holiday a year (plus 8 bank holidays, including 3 which can be taken flexibly)
• 2 festive season closure days
• 6% employer pension contributions, minimum 3% employee contribution
• Life insurance cover
• Interest-free season ticket loan and cycle scheme
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave pay (conditions apply)
• Confidential Employee Assistance Programme to help you deal with any personal and professional problems

As a Senior Programme Manager, you will provide leadership across key research programmes, shaping high-quality grant-making and evidence generation. Working within the Research Directorate, you will lead priority programme areas, building deep subject expertise and acting as an authority on the design, delivery and evaluation of complex research projects. You’ll collaborate closely with colleagues across the organisation, co-funders and delivery partners to develop a strong pipeline of grants, support funded organisations, and embed best practice across programme delivery.

Additionally, you will:

• Line manage and develop Programme Managers
• Translate evidence into clear, usable guidance for the education sector
• Lead written and spoken guidance outputs
• Maintain and develop relationships with funders and external stakeholders
• Lead one or more research themes and support thematic coherence across projects

To be considered as a Senior Programme Manager, you will need:

• A strong track record of delivery and achievement
• A detailed, practical understanding of grant-making relating to research generation
• Strong knowledge of the education system in England in at least one of the early years, school and 16-19 stages
• The ability to analyse and interpret education research, including knowledge of diverse research methods
• The ability to analyse a project’s prospects of success and anticipate problems it might face when delivering at scale in England
• The ability to contribute to the design of robust evaluations, including randomised controlled trials
• Excellent relationship management skills
• A willingness to travel occasionally to project sites

All EEF staff are subject to a check by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). The level of this check will be “Basic”.

All applicants must already have the right to work in the UK, as our client is unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Applications close: 22/02/2026 (23:59 GMT or BST)

First stage interviews: w/c 09/03/2026

Second stage interviews: w/c 16/03/2026

Other organisations may call this role Senior Research Programme Manager, Senior Education Programme Manager, Head of Research Programmes, Senior Research Manager, Senior Grants and Programmes Manager, Evidence and Research Programme Lead, or Research Programme Lead.

Webrecruit and our clients are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.

So, if you’re looking for an impactful role as a Senior Programme Manager, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.