Lead Delivery Manager

 Lead Delivery Manager (Contract)Location: Waterloo, London Working Pattern: Hybrid – 2–3 days per week in the office Contract Length: 6 Months Day Rate: £650–£675 per day IR35 Status: Inside IR35About the RoleWe are looking for an experienced Lead Delivery Manager to join one of the UK's leading omnichannel retailers on an initial six-month contract.This is a key leadership role within the technology and data function, responsible for driving the successful delivery of strategic initiatives across a complex, fast-paced environment. You'll work closely with engineering, product, data and business stakeholders to ensure programmes are delivered on time, within budget and to a high standard.You'll be an experienced delivery professional who thrives on removing obstacles, managing dependencies and leading cross-functional teams to deliver tangible business outcomes.Key Responsibilities
Lead the end-to-end delivery of complex technology and data programmes.Manage multiple workstreams across engineering, product, architecture and business teams.Drive delivery planning, governance, RAID management and reporting.Ensure projects are delivered to agreed scope, timelines and quality standards.Identify, manage and mitigate delivery risks, issues and dependencies.Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across Technology and the wider business.Facilitate planning sessions, sprint reviews, steering committees and programme governance forums.Track delivery progress using appropriate Agile and Waterfall methodologies where required.Support continuous improvement of delivery processes and ways of working.Ensure effective communication across all levels of the organisation.
Skills & ExperienceEssential
Proven experience as a Lead Delivery Manager, Senior Delivery Manager or Programme Delivery Manager.Strong experience delivering large-scale technology and digital transformation programmes.Experience managing cross-functional teams across Engineering, Product and Data.Excellent stakeholder management skills, including engagement with senior leadership.Strong understanding of Agile delivery methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) with experience working in hybrid delivery environments.Experience managing programme governance, RAID logs, milestones and reporting.Exceptional planning, organisation and prioritisation skills.Excellent communication and influencing abilities.
Desirable
Experience delivering data and analytics programmes.Experience working with cloud technologies and modern data platforms.Retail, eCommerce or omnichannel experience.Experience working alongside Data Engineering, Data Science or Platform Engineering teams.Familiarity with Jira, Confluence and Azure DevOps.
What's on Offer
6-month contract£650–£675 per dayInside IR35Hybrid working – 2–3 days per week from the Waterloo, London officeOpportunity to lead the delivery of high-profile technology and data initiatives within one of the UK's largest omnichannel retail environments.

Ideal CandidateYou'll be a confident and collaborative delivery leader with a proven track record of successfully delivering complex technology programmes. Comfortable navigating ambiguity, you'll be able to balance strategic oversight with hands-on delivery management, building strong relationships across technical and business teams while maintaining focus on delivering measurable outcomes.This role would suit someone with experience leading enterprise-scale transformation programmes in fast-paced organisations, particularly within retail, eCommerce or customer-focused businesses.