Job Title: Project Manager - Digital Transformation
Location: Crewe 3 days a week
Industry: Automotive Manufacturing
Contract Length: 6 months initially
Day Rate: Up to £550
IR 35 Status: Outside
Role Context
The organisation is currently undertaking a competitive tender process to appoint alternative IT service providers. The successful candidate will lead a critical six-month service transition programme, exiting the incumbent vendor and onboarding multiple new providers, with the objective of having all services fully operational by Q1 next year.
This role requires a specialist transition expert to take ownership of this complex, multi-vendor change and significantly de-risk delivery.
Role Purpose
To lead and coordinate the end-to-end IT service transition from the incumbent provider to newly appointed vendors, ensuring continuity of service across the enterprise while meeting all contractual, commercial, and operational commitments.
Key Responsibilities
• Own and deliver the full service transition programme within the agreed six-month timeline.
• Design and execute the transition plan from scratch, following a structured, traditional project management lifecycle.
• Coordinate multiple vendors delivering services across network and infrastructure, 1st and 2nd line support, business systems, and enterprise IT services.
• Ensure all transition activities align with contractual obligations, service levels, and agreed milestones.
• Act as the central point of coordination for transition-related activities across IT, Finance, Legal, and wider business functions.
• Proactively manage risks, issues, and dependencies to maintain service continuity throughout the transition.
• Provide clear, concise progress reporting and governance updates to senior stakeholders and the executive sponsor.
Stakeholder Environment
• Executive Sponsor: CIO / Head of IT
• Key Stakeholders: Senior IT Leadership Team, Finance, Legal, Infrastructure, and Desktop teams
• Vendors: Primarily UK-based suppliers, with some offshore delivery teams (India)
• Change Driver: Performance and service quality challenges with the incumbent vendor
Candidate Profile
• Proven experience delivering complex IT service transitions, ideally client-side, with direct responsibility for migrating from legacy to new vendors.
• Demonstrated ability to guide organisations through high-risk transition periods, applying structured planning to de-risk delivery.
• Strong senior stakeholder management and communication skills, with the political awareness to operate effectively at executive level.
• Deep understanding of traditional project management methodologies (PRINCE2 / Waterfall), including stage gates and governance.
• Hands-on, delivery-focused approach with a strong grasp of end-to-end project lifecycles.
• Experience working in fast-paced, private-sector environments is highly desirable.