Programme Manager

Deadline for applications: Sunday 27th September 2026 at 10pm

Job Role: Programme Manager, East Midlands Regional Care Cooperative (RCC)

Salary & Benefits: £50,000–£60,000 a year, 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, generous pension scheme, hybrid working arrangements. Secondment arrangements may differ.

Start date: November 2026

Contract type: Fixed-term contract or secondment opportunity until 31st March 2028, with continuation subject to funding and approval. Any secondment arrangement will be subject to agreement with the successful candidate's current employer.

Basis: Full time (37.5 hours)

Employment location: The role will be based in Leicester, with hybrid working and regular travel across the East Midlands.

Job category: Programme management, project management, children's social care and commissioning, sufficiency, market shaping and improvement.

Host organisation: RCC roles will be hosted by SDSA Leicester on behalf of the East Midlands local authorities.

Help shape the future of children’s care, regional sufficiency and collaborative commissioning across the East Midlands. The East Midlands is creating one of the country’s new Regional Care Co-operatives (RCCs) – a major public sector reform programme covering all ten upper-tier local authorities, bringing together regional commissioning, sufficiency planning, fostering development, market engagement, data and improvement activity through a powerful new collaborative model.

Role Overview

The RCC Programme Manager will help provide the organisational discipline, coordination and delivery confidence needed to turn the East Midlands RCC’s strategic ambition into organised, measurable and sustainable delivery.

The role will maintain programme plans, governance, reporting and assurance across multiple organisations and workstreams, helping partners manage complexity, maintain momentum, clarity and accountability. We are looking for a calm, organised and collaborative programme professional who can create structure, maintain momentum and support confident delivery across a complex regional partnership.

Key Responsibilities

  • Programme Planning and Coordination: Maintain the integrated programme plan, milestones, deliverables and critical path across RCC workstreams, and turn strategic priorities into practical delivery plans.
  • Governance and Reporting: Coordinate programme governance, meeting cycles, papers, decisions and action tracking, and produce clear, timely reports for the RCC Director, boards, partners and national stakeholders.
  • Risk, Assurance and Performance: Maintain programme risk, issue, dependency and decision logs, track delivery against milestones, outcomes and benefits, and provide programme assurance through accurate information and evidence-based reporting.
  • Partnerships and Continuous Improvement: Build effective relationships across local authorities, RCC workstreams, SDSA and regional and national partners, facilitate workshops and meetings, and support continuous improvement and the development of a sustainable RCC operating model.

How to Apply

For more details about the role download the application pack. Please apply by submitting the following three documents to jobs@sdsa.net:

  • CV – including an explanation of any gaps in employment.
  • Supporting statement – a maximum of two sides of A4 demonstrating how your knowledge, skills and experience meet the requirements set out in the application pack.
  • Application form – a short form which captures your contact details, references and equal opportunities information. The form is available to download above.

Closing date: Sunday 27th September 2026 at 10pm

Successful applicants contacted: By Friday 2nd October 2026

Interviews held: Week commencing 5th October 2026, at the SDSA Office in Leicester City Centre

All applications will be acknowledged via email within 48 hours of receipt. If you have not received confirmation within this time, please call 0116 299 5942.