Palladium is recruiting for a DeliveryManager to join the Programme Management Unit (PMU) for the UK PACT (Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions) programme. This is a senior programme delivery role responsible for leading the effective delivery, governance and oversight of UK PACT's portfolio of climate-focused technical assistance grants and expert deployments.
We are seeking candidates with a proven track record in programme delivery, grant management, portfolio oversight, risk management and stakeholder engagement, ideally within complex donor-funded or publicly funded programmes. Candidates with significant relevant experience, including those with 7+ years experience in similar roles and environments, are particularly encouraged to apply. The Delivery Manager will line manage Regional Activity Managers and a Contracts Manager, while working closely with the FCDO HQ Lead, Regional UK PACT teams, Fund Managers and implementing partners to ensure high-quality, compliant and timely programme delivery.
This role is based in Palladium's London or Bristol office on a hybrid working basis and reports to the Deputy Team Lead, UK PACT.
About Palladium Palladium is a global company working to design, develop and deliver positive impact on the lives and livelihoods of people around the globe; broaden access to health, water, power, and infrastructure; build enduring, sustainable, and transformative institutions and market systems to address global challenges; and conserve the natural world. We operate in over 90 countries and have a workforce of 4,000 talented, motivated, and diverse staff of all religions, races, languages, and gender identities.
About UK PACT UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (UK PACT) is a programme funded by the UK Government. UK PACT supports countries that strive to overcome barriers to clean growth and have high emissions reduction potential to accelerate their climate change mitigation efforts. UK PACT delivers capacity building activities to accelerate partner countries' transition to low carbon development. Our delivery model creates opportunities for synergies, knowledge sharing and learning between projects.
UK PACT provides countries with the expertise they need to cut emissions quickly and grow their economy sustainably. Running since 2018, it works in partnership with over 20 countries with large and growing emissions or important ecosystems to tackle the most pressing climate issues they face, from power to planning and finance to forests. UK PACT deploys the best local, in-country expertise, as well as leveraging the UK's world class public and private sector experts to deliver impactful and long lasting change through both short- and long-term projects.
ROLE PURPOSE The Delivery Manager is the programme management lead responsible for the effective delivery, governance and oversight of UK PACT's portfolio of climate-focused technical assistance grants and expert deployments. The role ensures that activities are delivered on time, within compliance requirements, and in line with FCDO expectations, while maintaining high standards of risk management, safeguarding, value for money and programme performance.
The postholder acts as a key liaison between the UK PACT Programme Management Unit, FCDO, regional teams, fund managers and implementing partners. They oversee the full grant lifecycle-from project selection and contracting through implementation and closure-ensuring robust processes, strong controls and consistent delivery standards across the programme.
A significant element of the role involves programme and portfolio oversight, including monitoring fund/project performance, managing risks, resolving delivery challenges, and ensuring accurate reporting through programme information systems and PowerBI dashboards. The Delivery Manager also serves as the product owner for programme management systems, driving continuous improvement and data quality.
The role includes leadership of a team of three Regional Activity Managers, providing strategic direction, performance management, coaching and capacity building to ensure effective portfolio management across multiple countries and regions.
Success in this position requires strong programme and grant management expertise, experience working on complex donor-funded programmes, excellent stakeholder management skills, the ability to operate effectively in multicultural environments, and a proactive approach to risk management, process improvement and organisational learning.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities 1. Stakeholder Relationships
- Maintain an excellent working relationship with the FCDO HQ team, notably maintaining a close relationship with the FCDO Programme Manager for UK PACT on all relevant activities;
- Work collaboratively with other workstream leads, regional teams and fund teams, ensuring clear communications between programmatic layers.
2. Portfolio Development - Leading Grant Selection Processes
- Oversee grant funding windows per fund implementation plans, ensuring compliance with centralised processes and providing surge support as required;
- Facilitate and contribute to the project selection process guidance, ensuring evaluation criteria are appropriate and tracking any potential conflicts of interest;
- Accountable for compliant project set-up, including ensuring local due diligence is reviewed and providing guidance for kick-offs.
3. Portfolio Oversight and Grant Management
- Accountable for the timeline delivery of all active projects including the escalation and mitigation of risks, underspend, and deliverable delays by ensuring teams comply with appropriate processes;
- Support defence against fraud, corruption and safeguarding risks; conduct spot checks and other processes to ensure FCDO grant funding is spent as intended and that implementing partners meet FCDO compliance requirements;
- Support grant agreement contract finalisation, negotiations and approvals. Oversee risk committee processes to approve projects (both grants and EDs) and ensure grant agreements are accurately prepared, reviewed, and signed in a timely manner;
- Lead all grant processes from competition through to closure, notably providing teams with relevant guidance and support on contracting and compliance requirements;
- In case of the programme's closure, lead the preparation of exit strategy and closure processes, including upskilling and dissemination to teams, overseeing sustainable closure of the programme.
4. Information Management
- Accountable for the data quality of our client facing reporting PowerBI dashboards (Insights) and internal Information Management System (IMS);
- Product owner of the IMS, overseeing the prioritisation and budget of development. Act as the key point of contact for the senior Palladium development team and oversee the RAMs and Programme Officer in their timely escalation and management of IMS bugs and improvements;
- Lead the continuous improvement of the Insights dashboard suites, ensuring they are fit for purpose and completing any enhancements;
- Accountable for the successful delivery of the programme's KPI 1b (timeliness of delivery) and the quality of its relevant data and reporting.
5. Capacity Building and Continuous Improvement
- Facilitate cross regional learning and knowledge exchange through leadership in the global activity community of practice;
- Lead team capacity building visits to fund or regional teams as required;
- Lead the development, preparation and implementation of trainings and capacity building sessions;
- Lead continuous improvement of UK PACT delivery and programme processes, identifying and implementing process improvements, developing new tools, and delivering training sessions;
- Lead on Value for Money initiatives, improvements and reporting.
6. Risk, Compliance and Safeguarding
- Maintain oversight of risks, ensuring risks are documented within the IMS and escalated to FCDO and the programme leadership promptly;
- Oversee country and project specific risk management, working with all parties to ensure issues identified result in prompt mitigation strategies and/or escalation as required;
- Chair the monthly programme risk committee and update the programme risks log for submission to FCDO, leading risk discussions at monthly FCDO Delivery Meetings;
- Ensure teams and implementing partners are aware of FCDO safeguarding requirements; any concerns escalated immediately regardless of working day.
Line Management
- This role will line manage direct reports: three Regional Activity Managers and a Contracts Manager;
- Provide clear day to day direction, prioritisation, coaching, workload oversight and performance support to direct reports;
- Set clear objectives, hold regular one to ones and support formal performance review processes in line with organisational requirements;
- Ensure direct reports are supported to deliver high quality, compliant and timely programme delivery across UK PACT's portfolio.
Additional Information
- This is a fast paced role requiring strong prioritisation, resilience and the ability to manage competing delivery demands across multiple workstreams;
- The postholder will need to work flexibly, respond quickly to emerging programme priorities and maintain strong attention to detail in a complex delivery environment.
Location and Duration This role will be a full time hybrid role . click apply for full job details