Job Description
Two Year Fixed Term
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is seeking candidates for a new role within the Heritage directorate.
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic programme manager to lead a digital improvement project and lead a programme of strategic business improvement across our functions. The role will also focus on strengthening how the Directorate plans project management and delivery across the Directorate —ensuring our work remains high quality, efficient, future ready, and aligned with organisational priorities.
About the role
The role will be responsible for planning, delivering, and governing programmes that support our strategic plan while driving continuous improvement across processes, systems, and ways of working. As the successful candidate, you will work within the Heritage Policy and Engagement team to support the strategic delivery and continuous improvement of the Heritage Directorate’s operations by overseeing performance improvement, project governance, strategic planning, and business transformation initiatives. The role also provides leadership in aligning directorate objectives with corporate strategy and ensuring effective delivery of our services.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Strategic Planning and Programme Management
* Lead the end‑to‑end delivery by colleagues of multi‑disciplinary projects aligned to our priorities and lead the delivery of our digital improvements project with input from across our teams
* Work closely with project managers across the Directorate to ensure that we have the right skills in the right places and embed project management skills and reporting cycles
* Oversee our programmes and projects, ensuring effective programme plans, roadmaps, milestones, risk management, budget management, dependencies and governance structures are in place
* Provide regular reporting to senior leadership, steering groups, and key stakeholders and develop and maintain systems for monitoring and reporting on our services
* Work closely with project managers to monitor progress, ensure compliance with strategic objectives, and resolve delivery challenges
* Use your expertise to deliver efficiencies and ways of working to increase capacity and outputs and ensure our projects deliver measurable benefits and positive outcomes
2. Business Improvement and Transformation
* Lead the delivery of our programme of existing business improvement work by engaging and monitoring other teams to deliver their projects
* Identify opportunities to streamline processes, reduce inefficiencies and improve service delivery
* Lead lean/continuous improvement initiatives using recognised methods (Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma)
* Analyse workflows and systems to recommend changes that enhance productivity
* Support cultural change and promote a continuous improvement mindset across teams
* Embed new processes and ensure improvements are measurable and sustained
* Build and maintain trusted relationships across the Directorate to support programme delivery and change adoption by colleagues
* Communicate progress, risks, and decisions clearly in plain English
3. Strategic Planning
* Work with our Heritage Business Manager and Heritage Business Planning and Development Officer to support development of our Directorate’s strategic plans
* Contribute to the strategic use of data and insights to inform heritage service delivery and resource allocation
4. Performance Leadership, compliance and governance
* Deputise for the Head of Policy and Engagement when required.
* Line manage the Heritage Policy and Engagement Officer
* Represent the Directorate in internal governance forums and working groups, including the Project Management Office Board
* Provide direction to project managers and delivery teams
* Mentor project management staff across the directorate and develop capability in programme management and improvement methodologies
* Foster a positive, collaborative, and delivery focused team culture
* Ensure business improvement initiatives comply with HES’s legal, ethical, and environmental obligations
* Ensure programmes and projects comply with organisational policy, procurement rules, and audit requirements
* Monitor performance using benefits tracking and quality measures
About you
We are seeking an experienced and dynamic individual to lead a digital improvement project and lead a programme of strategic business improvement across our functions. You should demonstrate that you meet the following requirements and qualifications below as part of the selection process.
Essential requirements:
* Strong programme or project leadership experience with a proven track record of delivering multiple programmes and projects
* Experience leading business transformation and/or continuous improvement activity with expertise in business improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent)
* Excellent analytical, problem solving, and process mapping skills
* Ability to lead change, influence colleagues and manage resistance
* Financial acumen and ability to manage budgets
* Excellent communication and presentation skills
* Strong organisation, prioritisation, and time management capability
* SCQF level 10 in a relevant subject
Desirable requirements:
* Proven successful experience of delivering digital improvement projects on time and to budget with colleague buy-in
* Formal project/programme qualification (e.g., MSP, PRINCE2, Agile) desirable.
* Lean/Six Sigma accreditation (Yellow/Green/Black Belt) advantageous.
* Background in working in the public sector
* Knowledge of heritage management
Interested?
Visit our website to view the full job description and for information about applying online for this interesting and exciting opportunity.
Closing date: 25 March 2026 at Midday.