Business Readiness Lead (Contract)
Role Title: Business Readiness Lead (Delivery Support)
The experience expected from applicants, as well as additional skills and qualifications needed for this job are listed below.
Location:Mostly Remote (Telford 2 days per month onsite)
Duration: 3 months
Rate: £445 per day/inside IR35
IR35 Status: Inside IR35 (PAYE/Umbrella only)
Clearance:Active SC Clearance required
Overview
We are seeking an experienced Business Readiness Lead to drive planning, coordination, and execution of readiness activities across a complex transformation programme.
You will ensure new capabilities are usable, stable, and fully adopted by end users, leading on readiness planning, UAT/BAT coordination, change impact, training, communications, and go-live activities.
Key Responsibilities
Business Readiness Planning & Governance
* Define and maintain the Business Readiness Plan, roadmap, and acceptance criteria
* Establish readiness governance including checkpoints, go/no-go criteria, and cutover planning
* Produce dashboards and reporting packs for senior stakeholders
Change Impact & Adoption
* Lead change impact assessments across people, process, technology, and data
* Develop adoption strategies, including operating model updates and SOPs
* Track adoption and benefits realisation post go-live
UAT/BAT Leadership
* Define and manage UAT/BAT strategy, including scope, scenarios, and environments
* Coordinate test preparation, execution, and defect management
* Ensure readiness sign-off and audit compliance
Training, Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
* Own training strategy (TNA, materials, delivery methods)
* Deliver targeted communications plans and measure readiness
* Engage and influence senior stakeholders with evidence-based recommendations
Go-Live & Early Life Support
* Lead cutover planning, rehearsals, and contingency planning
* Coordinate Early Life Support (ELS), including hypercare and stabilisation
* Capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement
Risk, Assurance & Controls
* Maintain RAID logs and manage readiness risks and mitigations
* Support assurance reviews, audits, and compliance activities
* Ensure security, data protection, and accessibility requirements are met
Data, MI & Tooling
* Manage readiness MI and reporting (RAG status, training completion, test results)
* Utilise tools such as Jira, Confluence, SharePoint, MS Project, Power BI
* Align readiness data with programme delivery xsngvjr and benefits tracking
Key Skills & Experience
Essential:
* Strong experience in business readiness / change delivery within complex programmes
* Background working in government or highly regulated environments
* Proven experience leading UAT/BAT and go-live readiness activities
* Strong stakeholder management and ability to influence at senior level
* Experience delivering at pace across multiple workstreams
* Excellent communication skills, including producing board-level materials
* Hands-on experience with Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery models
* Previous experience working in the Public and/or Government Sector
Additional Information
* Additional vetting required onboarding timelines may be extended
If this matches your background and experience, please apply today!