Programme Lead

Programme Lead x3 
Contract type: Permanent  
Full time: 34.5 hours, we are open to a conversation about how you work these hours 
Location: Hybrid between home and our London, Shipley or Glasgow office (typically 2-4 days per year in office). We are open to applicants based anywhere in the UK. 
Salary range: £55,000 - £61,000. Please note that we typically offer at the start of the range. 

Lead real change. Shift power. Shape the future of cancer care. 

At Macmillan, we know that improving outcomes for people affected by cancer starts with the people closest to the challenges—and the people who can bring organisations and systems together to create meaningful, lasting change. 

We’re looking for 3 exceptional Programme Leads to help us design, deliver and scale programmes that are shaped by communities, grounded in equity, and powered by collaboration. 

What you’ll do

As a Programme Lead, you will: 

Lead programmes end-to-end 

• Plan, deliver, adapt and continually improve complex programmes across community and system settings. 
• Navigate governance, policy and accountability environments—using governance as support, not control. 
• Encourage innovation and informed risk-taking among partners. 

Work with communities and partners 

• Build trusted relationships across diverse communities, listening first and designing from the margins. 
• Support delivery in community settings with different demographics, cultures and experiences. 
• Convene partners across the NHS, local authorities, Cancer Alliances, VCSEs and community organisations—brokering collaboration, naming tensions and sharing power. 

Drive equity, inclusion and systemic change 

• Embed equity, diversity and inclusion into every stage of programme delivery. 
• Identify and address power imbalances, design equitable decision-making processes, and champion culturally responsive practice. 

Steward resources wisely 

• Oversee budgets and funding arrangements with transparency and fairness, recognising the varied capacities of partner organisations. 

Create learning that drives national impact 

• Capture insight and learning while delivering. 
• Share practice openly and help translate it into tools and blueprints that others can use across the system. 
• Contribute to Macmillan’s role as a learning organisation and represent Macmillan with credibility and humility at senior levels. 

About you 

We’re looking for someone who: 

• Has significant experience in Programme Management, leading and delivering a portfolio of programmes across complex systems 
• Has experience managing a wide range of relationships/partnerships across community settings 
• Has strong negotiating skills  
• Works relationally and can build trust 
• Holds strategic intent, and can adapt in uncertain, evolving environments 
• Can join the dots across complex systems to inform and implement change 
• Has knowledge of embedding equity, diversity and inclusion in programme delivery, working in partnership with organisations to share power 
• Thrives in complexity 

If you’re ready to lead programmes that transform real lives—and reshape how cancer care is delivered across the UK—this role could be for you. 

We offer a range of benefits including: 

• 25 days holiday plus flexible bank holiday options, increasing by 1 day every year of service up to 30 days  
• Pension matched up to 7.5% 
• 120+ learning and development offers, with access to external professional qualifications 
• Flexible working patterns, such as compressed hours, flexibility to work earlier or later around our core working hours of 10am-4pm 
• Holiday buying and selling scheme, life insurance, free wills, retail discounts and much more 

Recruitment process 
 
Application deadline: 23:59 on Sunday 29th March 2026
Interview process: There will be a two-stage interview process using Microsoft Teams. There will be a short presentation task to prepare as part of the first stage interview.  
First stage interview dates: 15th April & 16th April 2026   
Second stage interview date:  23rd April 2026 

To ensure fairness and consistency to select the best candidate for this role, all our applications are anonymised up until an interview has been confirmed. 

So we can support you to be at your best during the application or interview process, please contact Macmillan TA Team TATeam@macmillan.org.uk for advice and reasonable adjustments. 

We welcome applications from everyone who meet the criteria and strongly encourage individuals to apply who have a disability, impairment or health condition or individuals who identify as Black, Asian or from another minority ethnic background, as these groups are currently under-represented at Macmillan. Our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy here along with our internal employee representation body, ‘Our Voice’ and 8 Employee Network groups help us promote fairness and belonging, becoming an engaged and inclusive organisation for all our people.