Senior programme manager jobs in Westminster, greater london
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Senior Programmes Manager (Fixed-term contract)
Reports to: Director of Finance and Operations
Hours: Full time with flexible hours. Core hours are 10am to 4pm
Location: Hybrid. London (Embankment) on Wednesdays and Thursdays and remote working
Salary: £44,748 p.a.
Contract length: 13 months (starting mid November 2026)
Applications close: 23:59 on August 28th.
First round interviews: September 8th (online)
Second round interviews: September 16th at The Economist Group’s offices in London.
We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process. If there are any adjustments or support we can provide to help you perform at your best during the interview, please let us know.
BENEFITS
- 25 days annual leave, UK bank holidays and one volunteering day a year, one day for moving home
- A highly competitive pension (up to 11% employer contribution for 5% employee contribution)
- Private health insurance, eye tests and medical checks
- Flexible working: core hours from 10am to 4pm with a minimum of two days spent in the office in London each week (currently Wednesdays and Thursdays)
- 24/7 access to counselling and wellbeing resources through our Employee Assistance Programme
- Income protection insurance and life assurance
- Cycle to work scheme, season ticket loan and gym membership loan
- Free access to The Economist content, including an online subscription, our range of apps, podcasts and more
ABOUT US
The Economist Educational Foundation is a fast-growing charity on a mission to ensure that every child is empowered to think critically and communicate effectively about the world’s most complex current issues.
In 2025-6 our core programme, Topical Talk, more than doubled its reach to over 1 million young people across 99 countries. We are at a time of great opportunity, in England and internationally, and have ambitious plans to keep growing and deepen our impact further.
Topical Talk helps children join inspiring discussions about the news by providing:
- Topical Talk Headlines – award-winning weekly lessons for classroom discussions about global news stories
- Leadership for Change Prize – child-led solutions to complex global issues
- Community partnerships – support and training for teachers via partnerships with Multi-Academy Trusts in the UK and School Districts in America
Our programme has received international recognition, including from HundrED as one of the top 100 education initiatives, from UNESCO as a winner of the Global Media and Information Literacy Awards 2022 and from the Money And Inclusion Awards (MAIA) for best content in 2025.
THE ROLE
We are seeking a highly organised, agile and structured Senior Programmes Manager to lead the operational planning, project management and execution of our flagship educational programmes. In this role, you will be the operational engine behind multiple cross-departmental projects, with a focus on meeting the needs of our global teachers and students, as well as funders.
In this fixed-term role you will work closely with our educational content leads, designers and external stakeholders to ensure our high-impact classroom resources and live events are delivered seamlessly, on time and to the highest standard. Rather than drafting the pedagogy yourself, you will manage the project lifecycles, coordinate workflow across internal and external teams and optimise the systems that allow our world-class educational programmes to reach over 1 million young people globally.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Project and operational management
- Manage the Topical Talk Leadership for Change Prize, Live Lessons, curriculum modules and student workshops end-to-end: from roadmaps and capacity mapping through to impact and evaluation
- Project manage the filming required for our content delivery, including the booking and management of experts, production teams and Economist colleagues
- Track and coordinate progress across content creators, graphic designers, proofreaders and editors to ensure all deliverables meet tight production deadlines
- Balance team workloads across concurrent educational projects and plan capacity for incoming projects
- Continuously refine workflow processes to streamline resource creation and evaluation
Programme governance and evaluation
- Partner with the Director of Programmes to track key performance indicators (KPIs), evaluate audience reach and maintain rigorous data collection for monitoring and evaluating our programmes
- Proactively identify bottlenecks, content risks or scheduling delays, implementing swift mitigation strategies to keep delivery on track
Live Lesson and workshop operations
- Manage the end-to-end operational execution of student workshops and our Live Lessons – handling scheduling, platform setups and logistics
- Coordinate school visits for content testing and observation, ensuring all safeguarding and operational requirements are fully met
Stakeholder and relationship coordination
- Serve as the primary operational point of contact for external topic experts, guest contributors, and editorial contributors from The Economist Group
- Maintain clear lines of communication between the programmes team, marketing, operations and external partners to ensure projects are aligned with strategic aims
- Manage external freelance contractors and vendors, with support from the administrative officer
SKILLS AND BEHAVIOURS
Whether you come from a project or educational management background or are a leader in charity operations, you possess the following:
- Outstanding ability to build, manage and maintain complex multi-phase project plans with precision and accountability
- A relentless eye for detail, operational rigor, and a knack for creating clean, efficient workflows out of complex tasks
- A proactive, self-starting mindset capable of foreseeing risks, resolving bottlenecks quickly and keeping cross-functional teams moving forward
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills to effectively coordinate across diverse stakeholders – from freelance producers and internal creative teams to senior editors and external experts
- A collaborative nature. You motivate project contributors, keep teams aligned and foster a supportive working environment
- Discipline with deadlines, whereby you act as a dependable anchor for the team, managing requests consistently
EXPERIENCE
You have…
- Proven project management experience where you have demonstrated success in managing content creation, publishing workflows or educational delivery pipelines from conception to completion
- Experience using project management and collaboration platforms to drive team accountability and workflow tracking
- A track record of coordinating multi-disciplinary teams (e.g. writers, designers, subject-matter experts) under tight production schedules
- Experience implementing monitoring, reporting and evaluation frameworks to track project success metrics and user engagement
- Practical experience running hybrid, in-person, or large-scale virtual workshops and webinars
You might have…
- Formal project management certifications or training
- Background working within ed-tech, publishing or non-profit environments
We're particularly keen for you to apply if you are from a community under-represented in the charity sector or have lived experience of facing extra barriers because of your background.
Registered Charity
11 - 20
We enable disadvantaged children to build essential critical-thinking and communication skills through inspiring discussions about the news.
Thank you!
About the Roundhouse:
The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. We've spent the past 20 years shaping the UK’s cultural landscape as a home for world-class music, boundary-breaking theatre, circus, poetry and immersive installations. We're the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through our creative youth programme.
The Role
As our Senior Programme Manager: Freelance and Entrepreneurship, you will lead Roundhouse's work supporting young people aged 18–30 to access, establish and sustain careers within the creative industries. You'll shape and deliver an ambitious programme that removes barriers to entry, creates equitable opportunities and equips young people with the skills, networks and experiences needed to thrive as freelancers, entrepreneurs and creative professionals.
Reporting to the Head of Young People (Interim), you'll manage the Workspace Membership Manager and Programme Manager, providing strategic leadership for the Roundhouse Creative Business Accelerator, the Self Made programme and the Inflexion Workspace. Working collaboratively across the organisation and with industry partners, you'll develop innovative programmes, build meaningful partnerships and ensure our work responds to the changing needs of the creative industries.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced programme leader with a passion for improving access to creative careers. You'll play a key role in shaping inclusive pathways into the creative industries, using insight, partnership and innovation to help diversify the future creative workforce and ensure more young people can build sustainable and successful careers.
Weekend and evening work will be required according to business needs.
About you:
You'll be an experienced programme leader with a strong understanding of the creative industries, freelance careers and entrepreneurship, alongside a passion for improving access to opportunities for young people. You'll have experience designing and delivering high-quality programmes, building strategic partnerships and using data and evaluation to drive continuous improvement. Confident managing projects, budgets and people, you'll bring a collaborative approach, a commitment to inclusive practice and the ability to translate emerging industry trends into meaningful opportunities that help young people build sustainable careers in the creative sector.
We welcome applications from people who feel they can bring their own skills, experiences and ideas to the table and empower those around them to do the same. We encourage those currently underrepresented across the cultural sector and all intersections of our diverse society to apply.
The successful candidate must have a current and acceptable DBS check, or be willing to undertake one due to the nature of the role.
For more information please download the full job description from our website and if you would like to apply, and feel you have the skills and experience we are looking for, please click “Apply Now” to complete your application by midnight on Sunday 6th September 2026.
Contract: Permanent
Working Hours: 35 hours per week (excluding breaks); Weekend and evening work will be required according to business needs.
Salary: £47,443.45 per annum
Application Deadline: Sunday 6th September 2026
First Stage Interviews: 15th and 16th September 2026 in-person
Second Stage Interviews: w/c 21st September 2026 in-person
Benefits:
-
25 days’ holiday per year plus bank holidays pro rata, increasing after 2 years service up to 30 days
-
Ability to buy up to 3 days annual leave
-
Pension scheme
-
Cycle to Work, Tech and Home Scheme
-
Season Ticket Loan
-
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
-
Health Cash Plan
-
Group Life Assurance
-
Staff discount at our bar and café
-
Complimentary staff tickets
-
Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave
-
Staff networks, forms and social groups
All personal data submitted to the Roundhouse in the form of personal details forms is used for recruitment purposes and equal opportunities reporting only. By submitting a personal details form, you consent to the Roundhouse retaining your personal data for these purposes. Personal details forms contain your name, address and details relating to your gender, religion and nationality. All forms are anonymised before use. In accordance with GDPR all information submitted by unsuccessful applicants will be deleted within six months.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
Since the 1960s we've opened up space for creativity to empower people and communities - day in, night out
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Thank you!
About the Roundhouse:
The Roundhouse is a youth charity and independent multi-arts venue based in Camden, London. We've spent the past 20 years shaping the UK’s cultural landscape as a home for world-class music, boundary-breaking theatre, circus, poetry and immersive installations. We're the UK’s leading creative centre for young people, engaging more than 10,000 young people annually through our creative youth programme.
The Role
As our Senior Programmes Business and Evaluation Manager, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the successful delivery of Roundhouse's creative programmes for young people. Leading the Programme Business Team, you'll oversee the operational infrastructure that underpins our youth offer – from programme planning, timetabling and business systems, to monitoring, evaluation, compliance and financial management – enabling high-quality experiences for thousands of young people each year.
Reporting to the Head of Young People (Interim), you'll manage the Programme Business Manager, Alumni Manager and Youth Programme Data and Operations Coordinator, working collaboratively with colleagues across the organisation to deliver efficient, compliant and insight-led services. You'll use data and evaluation to inform strategic decision-making, drive continuous improvement and ensure robust reporting against organisational and funding objectives.
This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced operational leader who enjoys translating strategy into action, improving systems and processes, and leading high-performing teams. You'll play a key role in supporting Roundhouse's mission to put young people at the heart of everything we do while helping shape the future of our youth programmes.
About you:
You'll be an experienced operational leader with a strong track record of managing business support functions, leading high-performing teams and delivering continuous improvement. You'll be confident using data and evaluation to inform decision-making, with experience of monitoring impact, producing insightful reports and implementing effective systems and processes. You'll also bring strong financial management skills, a collaborative approach to working across teams and stakeholders, and a thorough understanding of compliance, including safeguarding, health and safety and GDPR. Above all, you'll be passionate about creating the conditions that enable exceptional opportunities and outcomes for young people.
Due to the nature of this role, you must be available to commence work by the end of November 2026.
We welcome applications from people who feel they can bring their own skills, experiences and ideas to the table and empower those around them to do the same. We encourage those currently underrepresented across the cultural sector and all intersections of our diverse society to apply.
The successful candidate must have a current and acceptable DBS check, or be willing to undertake one due to the nature of the role.
For more information please download the full job description from our website and if you would like to apply, and feel you have the skills and experience we are looking for, please click “Apply Now” to complete your application by midnight on Sunday 6th September 2026.
Contract: Fixed-Term until 30th July 2027
Working Hours: 35 hours per week (excluding breaks); Weekend and evening work will be required according to business needs.
Salary: £47,443.45 per annum
Application Deadline: Sunday 6th September 2026.
First Stage Interviews: w/c 21st September 2026 in-person
Second Stage Interviews: w/c 5th October in-person
Benefits:
-
25 days’ holiday per year plus bank holidays pro rata, increasing after 2 years service up to 30 days
-
Ability to buy up to 3 days annual leave
-
Pension scheme
-
Cycle to Work, Tech and Home Scheme
-
Season Ticket Loan
-
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
-
Health Cash Plan
-
Group Life Assurance
-
Staff discount at our bar and café
-
Complimentary staff tickets
-
Enhanced Maternity, Paternity and Adoption leave
-
Staff networks, forms and social groups
All personal data submitted to the Roundhouse in the form of personal details forms is used for recruitment purposes and equal opportunities reporting only. By submitting a personal details form, you consent to the Roundhouse retaining your personal data for these purposes. Personal details forms contain your name, address and details relating to your gender, religion and nationality. All forms are anonymised before use. In accordance with GDPR all information submitted by unsuccessful applicants will be deleted within six months.
Registered Charity
101 - 500
Since the 1960s we've opened up space for creativity to empower people and communities - day in, night out
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.