Programme Director, Bedford Visitor Attraction Programme
| Posting date: | 27 August 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £81,000 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 21 September 2025 |
| Location: | Manchester |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 423057/3 |
Summary
- Wednesday 10th September, 11:00
The session will be an opportunity to hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department.
It will also be an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about the application, and the interview and assessment process.
Please register your interest by filling out this form and you will be sent an invitation.
This will take place virtually, via Google Meets.
Please note that the session will not be recorded.
The post holder will be responsible for senior leadership and delivery of the Bedford Visitor Attraction Programme. This role will report directly into the Senior Responsible Owners (SCS2) and will manage a team of c.11 members of staff, task managing a further 7 functional specialists.
Job Responsibilities include:
- Strategic Leadership: Provide a clear vision and strategic direction for the programme, aligning it with departmental and ministerial priorities. Inspire, motivate, and develop a high-performing programme team.
- Programme Delivery & Governance: Assume ultimate accountability for the successful delivery of the programme's scope, outcomes, and benefits. Establish and maintain robust governance and assurance frameworks in line with the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).
- Stakeholder Engagement: Build and maintain effective relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders, including Ministers, other government departments, very senior industry partners, and the public. Expertly navigate the landscape to unblock issues and maintain programme momentum.
- Risk & Opportunity Management: Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate programme risks and issues. Champion a forward-looking approach to identify opportunities for innovation, efficiency, and enhanced benefit delivery.
- Team & Capability Building: Lead and manage a significant team of civil servants and contractors. Champion professional development and build programme and project management (PPM) capability within the team and the wider department.
About the Team
Universal Destinations and Experiences (UDX) have announced a multi-billion-pound investment in a major new theme park and resort in Bedfordshire in a move that represents a significant vote of confidence in the UK visitor economy and creative industries.
This transformative investment, which is set to deliver one of Europe’s largest visitor attractions drawing 8.5m visitors a year, will bring nearly 20,000 jobs during the construction period, with a further 8,000 new jobs across the tourism and creative industries when it opens in 2031. Situated within the OxCam Arc development area, the investment is intended to kickstart wider investment and economic development in the region.
DCMS is leading the Government’s delivery programme to maximise the benefits from the investment in terms of jobs, skills, infrastructure and supply chains working alongside colleagues in Departments for Business and Trade, Transport and the Office for Investment.
This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to join a team, which now looks to deliver this major investment programme and meet a key government growth mission of Kickstarting Economic Growth.
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