Best Start Programme Manager

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Best Start in Life Programme Manager to lead one of our most important and high‑profile transformation programmes.

This role sits at the heart of Children’s Services and brings together partners across early years, health, education, SEND, public health and the voluntary and community sector. It’s an opportunity to play a pivotal role in improving outcomes for babies, children and families, while tackling inequality at a system level.

This is a fixed term/secondment position until March 2028.

Take a look at our Children's Social Care Candidate Pack to learn more about working in Children's Services at Buckinghamshire Council.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

About the role

As Best Start in Life Programme Manager, you will lead the day‑to‑day programme management of a complex, system‑wide change agenda. Your focus will be on turning bold strategic ambition into a clear, deliverable programme, with strong governance, clear accountability and confident momentum.

You will provide the coordination, grip and assurance needed to keep multiple workstreams aligned and progressing at pace, ensuring that dependencies are managed and decisions are taken in a timely way. Working closely with senior leaders, elected Members and partners, you will ensure there is a shared understanding of what is progressing, what needs resolving and what comes next.

Key elements of the role include:

• Leading programme planning, tracking and reporting to maintain clear oversight and delivery focus.
• Ensuring high‑quality governance, briefing and assurance to support effective decision‑making.
• Oversight of programme‑related resources and budgets (circa £1m), ensuring value, compliance and alignment to outcomes.

You will work in close partnership with the Head of Best Start and Early Help, ensuring strong connectivity between programme priorities and operational delivery. While the role has no direct line management responsibility, your leadership will be central to maintaining confidence, coherence and momentum across the system.

About you

You are a confident and credible programme leader with substantial experience of delivering complex change in a local government or partnership environment. You are comfortable operating in politically sensitive contexts and have a strong ability to balance strategic thinking with hands‑on delivery.

You will bring:

• Significant experience of programme or project management across complex, multi‑agency systems.
• A strong understanding of the children’s system, particularly early years, early help, health and education, and the ability to translate national policy into local delivery.
• Excellent governance, stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• The ability to produce high‑quality reports, briefings and analysis that support effective decision‑making.
• Experience of overseeing budgets and resources, with a sharp focus on outcomes and value.
• Resilience, energy and tenacity to maintain momentum through change and ambiguity.
• A collaborative mindset, with the credibility to work effectively with senior leaders, partners and elected Members.

Other information

If you would like to know more about this role, please contact Mark Green at [email protected]

Closing date: Midnight on Friday 1^st May

Interview date: 7^th and 8^th May

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Buckinghamshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk.

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/