Global Programme Director

Role: Global Programme Director

Location:  London, United Kingdom (1-3 days a week from our London HQ)

 

THE OPPORTUNITY

OLIVER is growing — and we're building our pipeline of senior programme talent ahead of new account wins across our global network.

We're looking to connect with experienced Global Programme Directors who are open to an early conversation about upcoming opportunities. As we pitch for and win major international accounts, we want to hear from programme leaders who thrive in complex, multi-region environments and have a consistent track record of delivering at scale.

This isn't a specific vacancy. It's an invitation to start a conversation.

Based in London, with a hybrid working pattern (1–3 days in our London offices), these roles sit at the intersection of strategic direction, commercial leadership, and operational excellence. We support flexible working and are open to discussing different arrangements. We offer reasonable adjustments throughout our process.

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THE ROLE

Global Programme Directors at OLIVER are the most senior programme voice on their accounts — trusted by clients at executive level and accountable for delivery health, financial performance, and team capability across everything they touch.

You'll lead medium-to-complex, multi-region programmes, bringing together creative, production, technology, and commercial disciplines to deliver transformational outcomes for some of the world's most ambitious brands. You'll drive measurable change within one of the most innovative in-house agency models in the industry — and help shape what programme excellence looks like across OLIVER's global network.

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WHAT YOU'LL DO

Programme Delivery and Governance

• Lead medium-to-complex global programmes, maintaining alignment to strategic goals, financial targets, and client expectations throughout
• Develop and drive programme vision — managing organisational change and delivering integrated outcomes across studios, functions, and geographies
• Hold full accountability for delivery health: governance, risk management, issue resolution, and stakeholder coordination across concurrent workstreams
• Establish and track KPIs; produce regular programme status reports covering risks, issues, and performance metrics; implement corrective actions as needed
• Lead enterprise-scale transformation programmes centred on technology, people, and process — mapping dependencies, managing timelines, and ensuring nothing falls between workstreams

Commercial Leadership

• Hold full accountability for account gross profit, including all approvals that affect GP: resourcing decisions, freelancers, expenses, and ad hoc cost requirements
• Build complex scenario plans across multiple brands and regions, modelling the impact of tools, technology, and commercial decisions on programme performance
• Create and manage Corrective Action Plans to protect GP targets; make strategic adjustments to people and cost base as required
• Present revenue forecasting and financial performance to COO, SVP, and executive stakeholders; secure business approvals on decisions with financial implications
• Drive cost efficiency across tightly resourced teams — identifying and implementing appropriate levers without compromising output quality

Technical and Solution Design

• Develop deep fluency across OLIVER and BTG technology and services, including delivery platforms, automation tools, and AI
• Lead senior-level client conversations on technical solutions — knowing when to resolve directly and when to bring in specialist expertise
• Design solutions that integrate commercial thinking, people resources, and technology to meet client needs at scale
• Partner with the Senior Leadership Team on solution packaging and client proposals

Resource and Team Leadership

• Oversee resource scheduling and utilisation across account portfolios, ensuring people are deployed efficiently and workloads are balanced across the wider OLIVER network
• Work with Client Services and Resource Management on pipeline planning to ensure team structure is correctly sized and skilled at each stage of delivery
• Ensure clear RACI frameworks are in place across all disciplines; confirm reporting lines and accountabilities are understood across the programme
• Build and develop programme teams — providing leadership, mentoring, and structured feedback that raises capability and performance at every level

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WHAT YOU BRING

• A strong track record of leading global programme delivery across large-scale, multi-studio account portfolios in complex organisational environments.
• Ideally Advertising/ Marketing industry experience 
• Deep expertise in programme and project management — including governance, risk management, delivery health, and stakeholder coordination across multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Advanced commercial acumen — experience managing large-scale budgets with direct accountability for gross profit, revenue forecasting, and financial performance reporting to executive stakeholders.
• Executive-level client partnership experience — building and sustaining trusted relationships with senior clients, managing escalations, and leading strategic conversations with confidence.
• Proven ability to lead and develop large, geographically distributed teams — creating accountability, clarity, and high performance across diverse disciplines.
• Experience leading enterprise-scale transformation programmes centred on technology, people, and process change.
• Fluency with delivery management platforms and operational tools, including Agile and scrum methodologies. Familiarity with automation and AI platforms is a strong advantage.
• Ability to design commercially viable solutions that integrate people, technology, and process — and to partner with senior leadership on how those solutions are packaged and communicated to clients.
• A clear track record of meeting and protecting GP targets across complex, multi-region accounts, including experience presenting financial performance and forecasting to COO and SVP-level stakeholders.

Gen AI and Agentic Thinking

• Strategic integration of AI and automation across programme delivery and studio operations — identifying where these tools create measurable efficiency and quality gains
• Experience setting AI governance and quality standards at programme or studio level, ensuring responsible and effective adoption across teams
• Track record of developing AI capability across multiple teams and disciplines, embedding new ways of working into programme operations and client delivery
• Agentic leadership for complex, multi-stakeholder business challenges — systematic and goal-oriented in approach to problem-solving at scale
• Thought leadership on AI's evolving role in agency operations, contributing to best practice internally and with clients

Commercial and Budget Skills

• Experience managing programme-level budgets at significant scale, with accountability for gross profit, scenario planning, corrective action planning, and strategic cost management
• Confidence presenting budget performance and financial forecasting to senior and executive stakeholders

Qualifications: Formal qualifications are welcome but not required. Equivalent experience counts — gained through work, study, or professional development.

If you're excited about where OLIVER is heading and don't meet every point above, we still encourage you to get in touch.

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