Head of Programme Management Office

Job Description

Are you a strategic leader who knows how to navigate complexity without the clutter of unnecessary bureaucracy? We are looking for a collaborative, high-impact leader to establish and manage our Group-wide PMO.

Your Purpose

At Travelodge, our Head of Programme Management Office position extends beyond reporting to serve as a strategic authority. You will align portfolio priorities, resolve operational bottlenecks, and mediate conflicts to ensure every project delivers measurable value in direct support of our corporate goals.

Reporting directly to the Director of Business Change within the CFO function, you will lead a dedicated team of four (Portfolio Planning, Hotel Planning, Admin, and Analysis). You'll be tasked with moving us away from silos and toward a transparent, high-velocity delivery culture.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Blueprinting: Partner with the senior leadership team to translate corporate strategy into an agile, value-driven business plan.
• Portfolio Control: Introduce a "disciplined trade-off" mechanism. You'll empower leadership to easily sequence or stop projects, eliminating low-value work and optimising resource capacity.
• Transparency & Performance: Provide the OpsCo and ExCo with a clear view of performance. You'll track the journey from initial idea to financial impact, ensuring benefits realisation is baked into every plan.
• Support-First Governance: Establish standardised project intake and "Project Stand-up" documents. Your goal is consistency without rigidity-using tools like and Google Suite to keep things moving at pace.
• Agile Maturity: Start proportionately to avoid red tape, building a roadmap that allows the business to mature its change capabilities over time.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead Post-Implementation Reviews (PIRs) to ensure we aren't just finishing projects, but constantly learning and refining our processes.

Your Strengths

You are a strategic heavy hitter who balances the authority of an "Umpire" with the empathy of a coach. With senior-level experience in portfolio management, you have a proven track record of building PMOs that prioritise value over bureaucracy. You are a pragmatist at heart, maintaining a "keep it simple" philosophy by leveraging technology to automate the mundane, ensuring the business stays focused on what truly drives results.

Beyond your technical expertise, you are a master influencer who thrives in breaking down silos through active, persistent communication. You don't just impose rules; you build genuine buy-in by turning gatekeeping into enablement and earning credibility across all functions. As a collaborative leader, you lead by example-treating others with respect, remaining easy to work with, and staying laser-focused on delivering high-impact outcomes for the team and the brand.

Your Perks

• Up to £120,000.00 Salary & Annualised Bonus
• Contributory pension scheme - auto enroll at 5% after 3 months and we contribute 8%
• Car Allowance payable at £570.00 per month
• Hybrid working - a minimum of 60% of your time should be spent in the office and or visiting suppliers
• 50% personal discount for hotel bookings and great friends and family discounts too!
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays, increasing with length of service