The Technical Programme Manager is accountable for delivering a portfolio of complex, large‑scale store hardware and infrastructure programmes that underpin critical Tesco business priorities. These programmes span multiple technologies, suppliers, and geographies, and carry significant technical, operational, and commercial risk.
You will lead programmes end‑to‑end, shaping ambiguous initiatives through to execution and rollout. A core expectation of the role is the active use of data, automation, and AI‑driven insights to improve operational efficiency, delivery predictability, risk management, and decision‑making at scale.
Responsibilities
* Deliver a portfolio of complex, large‑scale technology and infrastructure programmes aligned to key business outcomes
* Define, own, and continuously optimise integrated delivery plans, including technical implementation, rollout sequencing, and operational readiness
* Initiate and shape programmes with ambiguous scope, evolving requirements, and uncertain delivery models
* Manage dependencies across engineering, platform, product, operations, and supplier teams, using AI‑enabled tracking and insights to provide transparency and early risk visibility
* Build a deep technical understanding of infrastructure architecture and the store operations it supports, enabling informed, high‑quality decisions
* Apply strong judgement and influence to manage trade‑offs across cost, risk, quality, and speed, supported by data‑driven and AI‑assisted analysis
* Leverage AI and analytics to improve operational efficiency, including:
o Predictive risk identification and mitigation
o Delivery performance tracking and forecasting
o Incident trend analysis and root‑cause identification
o Automation of reporting, governance packs, and operational insights
* Establish new or enhance existing delivery methodologies, embedding automation and AI to improve pace, consistency, and execution quality
* Lead the management of major incidents, ensuring timely, accurate, insight‑led communication to enable effective decision‑making
* Ensure post‑incident reviews are data‑driven, actions are tracked, and learning is systematically embedded into future delivery
* Provide strong leadership that enables delivery through others, fostering ownership, accountability, and continuous improvement
* Support long‑term planning and annual budget definition, using data and AI‑supported forecasting to improve investment decisions
* Build trusted relationships with supplier partners and internal/external stakeholders to deliver hardware, software, rollouts, and professional services
* Add value to vendor selection and commercial processes, including tendering, SLAs, warranties, and outsourcing models
* Lead commercial negotiations and drive hardware, software, and professional service contracts to conclusion
* Coach peers across technology roles, promoting modern programme management practices, automation, and AI‑driven decision‑making
* Contribute to the growth of the wider technology and programme management communities
Qualifications
* Delivering complex technology and/or infrastructure programmes across multiple teams and geographies
* 3+ years’ experience leading multiple large‑scale technology programmes, ideally in distributed, retail, or operational environments
* Strong technical knowledge of infrastructure, deployment architectures, and the software development lifecycle
* Deploying both data‑centre and distributed hardware solutions supporting 24/7, business‑critical applications
* Anticipating risk and proactively mitigating issues using structured, data‑driven approaches
* Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate complex topics clearly to senior stakeholders
* Building credibility and influencing senior leadership teams
* Excellent programme, stakeholder, and vendor management capability
* Demonstrated resilience during incidents, change, and ambiguity while maintaining delivery momentum
* Strong understanding of agile and modern delivery techniques
* Experience applying data, automation, or AI to improve delivery efficiency, insight, and outcomes
The successful candidate will demonstrate a tenacious “can‑do, will‑do” mindset. You will be comfortable challenging the status quo and driving change, while bringing people with you through strong leadership, collaboration, and a clear focus on value delivery.
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