Circa
Salary - Salary Plan, 65,000.00 GBP Annual
The Royal Society of Chemistry is undertaking a comprehensive transformation to enhance our impact and excellence in science through innovation, integration, adaptability, and inclusion. We are seeking an experienced Strategic Programme Manager to lead the completion of our organisation design (ODes) and implementation of change across our operations. This role is on a fixed-term basis of 24 months.
This programme will deliver a comprehensive Operating Model Transformation, strengthening our capabilities across technology, data, processes, people, structure, and culture to maximise impact within the chemical sciences.
As Strategic Programme Manager, you will play a pivotal role in driving this transformation. You will oversee a complex, multi-workstream programme, collaborating closely with RSC leadership, senior managers, and subject matter experts. Working alongside the ODes Initiative Lead, Programme Sponsor, ODes team, and People and Culture Business Partners, you will guide the design and delivery of our new Target Operating Model, ensuring measurable outcomes and a strong return on investment
Key Responsibilities
Programme Leadership
- Programme manage the Operating Model Transformation Programme, ensuring successful delivery and benefits realisation.
- Align the programme with RSC’s strategic goals and priorities.
- Establish and oversee governance frameworks for clarity, accountability, and effective decision-making.
- Integrate multiple interdependent workstreams, ensuring cohesion across initiatives and roadmaps.
Organisation Design & Target Operating Model (TOM) Implementation
- Apply a systems-thinking approach to TOM design implementation, ensuring alignment across people, processes, structures, data, and technology.
- Identify and manage interdependencies, leveraging expert insights to inform design decisions.
- Deliver enterprise-wide transformation, integrating people, process, data, and technology architecture.
- Collaborate with internal and external partners to embed TOM blueprints and scalable solutions.
- Ensure governance, risk management, and effective programme oversight.
- Champion change and innovation, embedding transformation into organisational culture.
Stakeholder Engagement & Change Management
- Act as a central liaison for senior stakeholders, providing insight and decision support.
- Build trusted relationships to drive engagement, transparency, and buy-in.
- Embed the change management strategy into programme delivery, minimising disruption.
Risk, Planning & Resource Management
- Develop and present business cases, securing investment at key stages for maximum ROI.
- Maintain programme schedules, interdependency maps, and adaptive roadmaps.
- Manage risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure alignment and timely resolution.
- Oversee budget control, investment tracking, efficiency and benefits realisation.
- Embed quality assurance and continuous improvement to enhance effectiveness.
At the RSC we embrace flexibility and offer hybrid working, which means our teams come together when they need to collaborate. Although this role is contractually based at our Cambridge office, you will be able to work from home within the UK, with the expectation that you will attend the office as needed for your role.
In this role it is expected that you will attend the office an ad-hoc basis, as and when required. If you need flexible working arrangements, please outline this in your application.
Essential
What we are looking for:
- Demonstrable experience managing successful large-scale transformation programmes with multiple interdependencies.
- Deep expertise in Operating Model, Organisational Design, and Enterprise Architecture transformations.
- Proven success in managing multi-disciplinary teams and external consultancy partners within a programme setting.
- Strong understanding of both traditional (Waterfall) and adaptive (Agile, Lean) delivery methodologies and their application in complex settings.
- Deep experience in risk and issue management at programme level, with the ability to manage ambiguity and navigate organisational complexity.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills and a track record of operating effectively with senior leadership and board-level stakeholders.
- Advanced communication and influencing skills; adept at synthesising complex information and tailoring delivery to diverse audiences.
- Degree or recognised programme management qualification (e.g. MSP, APM, PRINCE2, Agile).
Desirable
- Experience in developing business cases and realising strategic benefits.
- Experience in not-for-profit, scientific, academic or public sector organisations.
If you are interested in this role, please apply before the end of the closing date. When applying, you will need to provide an up-to-date CV and as a cover letter (in no more than 500 words) telling us about your relevant knowledge, skills and competencies and why you are applying for this role.
About The RSC
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is an influential learned society, professional body, and scientific publisher with a purpose to help the chemical science community to make the world a better place. We exist for our community and in doing so, strengthen and champion the profession and the discipline of chemistry, as well as serving the public interest. The chemical sciences are essential to our everyday lives and vital in helping respond to some of the world’s biggest challenges, from biotech and healthcare energy and climate challenge, and to infrastructure and agriculture.
Visit our
Work For Us website to learn more about us, our benefits, equal opportunities statement and inclusive culture pledge.
At the RSC, we recognise the benefits of a diverse workforce and welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds to apply. We particularly encourage applications from disabled and ethnic minority candidates.
As a part of the Disability Confident Scheme, we endeavour, where possible, to offer an interview to candidates meeting the essential criteria of the role, who has a substantial physical/mental impairment which impacts their ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.
We are committed to making our recruitment processes accessible to all and as part of this, we are flexible in the ways we give and receive information. If you would like to apply using a different format, please contact the Recruitment Team at
[email protected] or on +44 (0) 1223 432229 and we will do our best to put any reasonable adjustments in place.
If you have any questions, please contact us at
[email protected] 
