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Investment Programme Manager

Investment Programme Manager

Advert closes on 06 Oct 2025

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Job ID:

6564

Grade 10 £52,413 - £54,495 (Bar at £53,460) per annum pro rota

Permanent

Town Hall Extension, Albert Square, Manchester, M60 2LA

About The Role

Working Hours: 35 Hours Per Week (The standard working pattern is Monday to Friday, with occasional evening and weekend work required in line with the operational needs of the service.)

Contract Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Closing Date: 06 October 2025

Closing time: 11.59pm

Interview Method: Face to Face

This role is subject to -

2 References - where possible we require 3 years' history.

Casual Car Documentation- The successful candidate will be a designated Casual Car User which means that car journeys may be necessary on an occasional basis, but are not essential to the role. If you do drive, you must always hold a full valid driving licence and provide your own car for use at work, as well as provide all the appropriate documentation. You will receive an allowance per mile of business use.

Manchester is a city that’s proud of its parks—and we’re investing in their future. As our Investment Programme Manager, you’ll be right at the centre of that transformation. This is a chance to lead major capital projects that will shape how our parks look, feel, and function for years to come.

You’ll be helping to create cleaner, greener, safer spaces that bring people together, support wellbeing, and reflect the energy and diversity of our communities. It’s a role where your work will be visible, valued, and genuinely make a difference—not just to the city’s landscape, but to the lives of the people who use it every day.

Explain how this role is key to making impact in your service:

This role is key to delivering our ambitious Parks Development Programme. You’ll take the lead on planning and managing investment projects, making sure they’re delivered on time, on budget, and in line with our goals. That includes identifying new funding opportunities, overseeing capital spend, and working closely with teams across the Council and with external partners.

Your leadership will ensure that Manchester's parks are future-ready, turning ideas into action—whether that’s improving a local park, unlocking commercial potential, or supporting community-led initiatives. Your work will help us meet the targets set out in our ten-year Parks Strategy and contribute to wider Council priorities like climate action, neighbourhood regeneration, and creating a child-friendly city.

For an informal discussion, please contact the hiring manager, Kylie Ward, at 07798 698 668 and [email protected] to arrange a convenient time to discuss the role. 

About the Candidate

We’re looking for someone who’s passionate about making a difference—someone who sees the potential in Manchester’s parks and wants to help unlock it. You’ll be a confident project leader with a sharp eye for detail and a knack for turning big ideas into real results. You’ll bring energy, creativity, and a collaborative approach to everything you do, working with teams across the Council and with our communities to deliver projects that matter.

If you’re great at managing complex programmes, spotting funding opportunities, and keeping things on track, we want to hear from you. This is a role for someone who’s ready to lead, ready to innovate, and ready to help shape the future of Manchester’s green spaces.

Essential requirements for the role:  

Communication Skills: Ability to build and maintain strong networks of support both internally and externally and to forge effective partnerships with external agencies, voluntary and statutory, and key stakeholders for the continuous improvement of services. Ability to harness the full commitment and responsibility of key stakeholders in delivering the vision of excellence for the city.
Analytical Skills: Provides creative solutions to problems and whilst considering policy and procedure is also confident in adopting (and justifying) novel or non standard approaches.
Planning and Organising: Ability to maintain focus and objectivity under various conditions and skill in managing and maintaining a multi-priority workload, progressing various ideas and plans concurrently.
Project Management: Ability to influence, monitor and control the risk environment, both strategic and operational, through effective allocation of roles and responsibilities. Has ability to manage risk effectively on high value, complex and multiple projects.
Problem Solving and Decision Making: Uses creative ability to find solutions and whilst considering policy and procedure is also confident in adopting (and justifying) novel or non standard approaches.
Strategic Thinking: Demonstrates a high level of political awareness and links strategies for continuous improvement with the drive to achieve national, corporate and departmental standards and goals.
Financial Management: Excellent financial planning skills to develop short, medium and long term financial plans with an ability to budget proactively with large, high-risk or volatile elements being identified and cross-referenced to operational activity.
Commercial Skills: Excellent commercial skills to manage successful tender, evaluation and acquisition process. Highly developed communication and relationship management skills to identify and manage the relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
People Management: Effective development, management and motivation of staff within service area, providing leadership and planning for the work of a service based function or Council wide team. Establishes clear targets and monitors progress to ensure continuous improvement in service delivery.

Desirable requirements that would be useful in this role:  

Experience in capital investment delivery within a public sector or urban regeneration context, particularly involving parks, green spaces, or community infrastructure.
Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with a track record of working collaboratively with external partners such as funding bodies, voluntary organisations, and community groups.
Knowledge of funding streams and grant application processes, including experience securing and managing external funding (e.g. Heritage Lottery Fund, government regeneration funds).
Project and programme management qualifications (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, APM) or equivalent experience managing complex, multi-phase projects.
Understanding of local government governance and decision-making processes, including financial compliance and capital spend protocols.
Commercial awareness, with the ability to identify and develop income-generating opportunities within public assets.

About Us

We’re the local council for one of the UK’s most vibrant and diverse cities.

Working for Manchester isn’t just a job – it’s an opportunity to contribute to a city that leads change and transforms lives. Whether it’s strengthening communities or driving innovation in public services, you’ll play a vital role in creating opportunities and shaping a brighter future for everyone.

Our Manchester is our vision for a fairer, greener, and healthier city – a vision shaped by the people of Manchester. It guides everything we do at the Council and is brought to life through the Our Manchester behaviours:

We take time to listen and understand
We work together and trust each other
We show that we value our differences and treat each other fairly
We ‘own it’ and we’re not afraid to try new things
We’re proud and passionate about Manchester

Benefits we offer

Generous holiday allowance - Enjoy up to 26 days annual leave per year plus bank holidays. Increasing to 31 days after five years of local government service. Want more leave? You can purchase up to two additional weeks.
A buzzing pension - You’ll be enrolled in the UK’s largest local government pension scheme, with plenty of options to top up your benefits. Includes life cover of three-times your salary as a lump sum.
Enhanced parental and carers leave - Take advantage of our enhanced family leave options, designed to provide ample time for you to bond with your new born or support your family during critical life events.
Brilliant perks - Access a range of discounts, from saving on the weekly shop to holidays and days out with MCR+. Plus discounts on phone contracts, cycle to work scheme, free flu jabs and eye tests, and more.
Learn and grow - We are dedicated to nurturing talent and providing you with the tools to thrive. Take part in a diverse set of learning opportunities, from workshops and training sessions through to apprenticeships and qualifications. All this begins with our comprehensive onboarding process.
A Good Employment Charter member - We are committed to offering secure, flexible work and embedding fairness into everything we do. We review pay annually, recognize three trade unions, and are constantly working to offer the best possible health and wellbeing support throughout all stages of your working life.
Up to 3 days volunteering leave - Give back to the community with three days pro-rate of paid volunteering leave, in addition to existing benefits.

Creating an Inclusive Team at Manchester City Council

At Manchester City Council, we’re dedicated to creating a workplace that truly reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all ages and backgrounds, particularly from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities, Disabled people and young people.

Support During the Process

Interview Adjustments: Let us know if you need any adjustments to demonstrate your suitability during the interview.
Accessible Formats: Our ReciteMe tool can be accessed through the "Accessibility tools" button at the top of our careers page. This tool offers features like text-to-speech, translation into multiple languages, and adjustable text size and colour to make our site more accessible for everyone.

Guaranteed Assessment Scheme

We guarantee assessments for applicants who meet the recruiting panels minimum shortlisting requirements for the role and identify with at least one of the criteria below:

Members of the Armed Forces members or veterans
Current or former care leavers
Have a disability or long-term condition

When You Join Us

We’re a Disability Confident Employer, offering:

A workplace adjustment hub which provides specialist support, advice and guidance to ensure you have the adjustments needed to thrive at work.
Disabled Staff Network, Neurodiversity Staff Network and Mental Health Staff Network that provides a safe inclusive space to share experiences and opportunities to influence council practice.
A strong commitment to ensuring all information adheres to accessibility standards and that our workplaces are accessible and disability-friendly.

For more information about the role or any adjustments, email [email protected].

What we will need from you if you're successful

In accordance with Home Office guidance, successful candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK before commencement of employment. This is not a role we consider to be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route based on Manchester City Council policy. Candidates are therefore encouraged to consider their own right to work options without the requirement for Manchester City Council sponsorship. 

Pre-Employment Checks

If you are successful in securing a position with us, the pre-employment checks required will depend on the role you’ve applied for. As a guide, these checks may include:

Proof of Right to Work: You’ll need to provide documentary evidence of your right to work in the UK. Please note, visa sponsorship is not guaranteed for this role.
References: We’ll require references from your current and previous employer(s).
Proof of Qualifications: Evidence of qualifications relevant to the role will be required.
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Check: A criminal record check may be necessary, depending on the role.
Proof of Manchester Residency: For some roles, you may need to demonstrate that you reside within the boundaries of Manchester City Council.
Police Vetting: Some roles may require police vetting to ensure suitability for accessing sensitive law enforcement systems or information.
Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Clearance: BPSS clearance is primarily used for roles that involve access to government data, systems, or assets. It ensures that individuals meet basic security requirements and can be trusted with sensitive information
Driving Licence: If the role requires driving, we’ll need evidence of your valid driving licence.

These checks are an important part of our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of our workforce and the community we serve.

Other relevant information

We want everyone to be able to be themselves at work and give their best. If you need additional support to undertake the duties of the role, we’ll make every effort to source any necessary aids, adaptations or equipment. If, however, any task proves to be unachievable, we will look at redesigning parts of the role.

For more information about the role, please ensure that you read the role profile attached.

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