Programme Planner/Cutover Manager

We are looking for an experienced Programme Planner / Cutover Manager to join our CRM transformation programme in its early stages. This is a large-scale, business-critical programme with a mixed team of internal staff and a third-party delivery partner. Currently, the programme plan exists only in high-level form and within the knowledge of the delivery leads. The successful candidate will be responsible for shaping, building, maintaining, and governing the integrated programme plan in Microsoft Project, as well as leading the design and execution of the cutover strategy from the legacy system to the new CRM platform.

This is a large programme and forms the central part of a wider transformation agenda in an organisation that is going through significant growth. It's a business that most have not heard of, but is well on its way to becoming a big UK success story. Great culture, buzzy environment and good people.

This role requires a contract professional who has delivered complex planning and cutover management for major system implementations, with proven experience of CRM or ERP transformation programmes.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Planning

• Develop, own, and maintain the integrated programme plan in Microsoft Project, covering all workstreams (technical, business, data, change, and supplier-led activities).
• Translate disparate workstream plans and verbal commitments into a single, coherent baseline plan.
• Work with Programme Director, Workstream Leads, and the third-party supplier to capture dependencies, milestones, and deliverables.
• Provide regular planning updates, reports, and forecasts to the Programme Director and Steering Committee.
• Challenge delivery teams constructively to ensure realistic planning and highlight risks or conflicts.
• Establish and embed planning governance

Cutover Management

• Lead the design, planning, and execution of the cutover strategy for transition from the legacy CRM/system to the new platform.
• Define cutover scope, activities, roles, and responsibilities across IT, business, and supplier teams.
• Identify and plan for dependencies, data loads, parallel runs, and business continuity requirements.
• Ensure clear readiness checkpoints, entry/exit criteria, and fallback/rollback strategies.
• Run cutover rehearsals and readiness assessments, ensuring that lessons learned are fed back into the plan.
• Oversee the cutover weekend/go-live execution and manage the command-and-control process.
• Work closely with data migration, testing, infrastructure, business change, and operations teams to ensure cutover success.

Essential Experience

• Extensive experience as a Programme Planner on large-scale IT-enabled transformation programmes.
• Expert in Microsoft Project (including dependency management, resource levelling, critical path, baselining, and reporting).
• Demonstrated ability to consolidate unstructured or fragmented plans (often in people's heads) into a clear, actionable programme plan.
• Significant hands-on experience of cutover planning and management for major system implementations (preferably CRM, ERP, or other enterprise platforms).
• Strong understanding of the challenges in migrating from a legacy platform, including data, business continuity, and stakeholder readiness.
• Experience working with third-party suppliers and large multi-disciplinary teams.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across diverse teams.

Desirable Experience

• CRM programme delivery.
• Familiarity with Agile/Hybrid programme delivery models.
• Knowledge of business change management and training readiness.

This role is Hybrid and requires Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday on site. Please only apply for this role if you are prepared to do this. The client is keen to promote team collaboration and you'll only be considered for the role if this is a commitment you're prepared to make.

This is an Outside IR35 role and we require someone for an initial period of 6 months, but who would be prepared to work for the length of the programme. Anticipated to last circa 18 months.

The role is based in the Thames Valley.