Job Description
About the Role
As Planning Team Lead, you will lead and develop a team of planning and delivery professionals while providing oversight and support across a portfolio of strategic initiatives.
This role requires an individual who can balance support with challenge. You will act as a trusted advisor, coach, and escalation point for Project Managers and Delivery Leads, helping them navigate complex delivery environments while maintaining a strong focus on achieving business outcomes.
Working closely with the Planning & Product Delivery Manager and stakeholders across the organisation, you will drive improvements in delivery performance, governance, planning maturity, and team capability.
The successful candidate will have first-hand experience operating in environments where plans change, risks materialise, stakeholder expectations need active management, and difficult delivery decisions must be made.
Key Responsibilities
Delivery Leadership & Governance
Lead and oversee planning and delivery activities across a portfolio of strategic projects and initiatives.
Act as a trusted leader, coach, and escalation point for Project Managers and Delivery Leads.
Support teams in navigating delivery risks, project challenges, stakeholder escalations, dependencies, and conflicting priorities.
Provide constructive challenge to delivery plans, assumptions, timelines, and delivery approaches where required.
Ensure effective governance, planning, prioritisation, and delivery practices are consistently applied.
Monitor delivery performance, risks, issues, dependencies, resource capacity, and delivery confidence across the portfolio.
Facilitate governance reviews and support informed decision-making through clear delivery insight and reporting.
Support project recovery efforts and help teams develop realistic and achievable delivery plans.
People Leadership & Team Development
Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of Project Managers, Delivery Leads, and planning professionals.
Build a culture of accountability, trust, engagement, and continuous improvement.
Conduct regular coaching and development conversations focused on both individual growth and delivery effectiveness.
Support career development, succession planning, and capability growth across the function.
Create an environment where individuals and teams can thrive while maintaining high standards of performance and delivery.
Stakeholder Leadership
Build strong and trusted relationships with business and technology stakeholders at all levels.
Influence and guide stakeholders on planning, prioritisation, governance, delivery trade-offs, and decision-making.
Communicate delivery risks, issues, dependencies, and recommendations clearly and confidently.
Help stakeholders balance ambition with delivery reality through evidence-based planning and decision-making.
Continuous Improvement & Capability Development
Drive continuous improvement initiatives that improve delivery predictability, governance, and operational effectiveness.
Promote best practices in project delivery, governance, planning, and risk management.
Establish effective knowledge-sharing and lessons-learned practices across the team.
Support the ongoing maturity of the Planning and Delivery function through standards, tools, metrics, and capability development.
Use meaningful metrics and insights to drive informed decision-making and performance improvement.
Compliance & Risk Management
Ensure compliance with Health & Safety, Information Security, Risk Management, and Regulatory requirements.
Promote disciplined risk, issue, dependency, and governance management practices across all delivery activities.
What We're Looking For
Essential Skills & Competencies
Proven experience leading and developing Project Managers, Delivery Leads, or similar delivery professionals.
Strong project and programme delivery leadership experience gained within complex enterprise environments.
Demonstrated experience supporting teams through delivery challenges, project recovery situations, stakeholder escalations, and changing priorities.
Strong governance, planning, risk management, and stakeholder management capability.
Ability to balance coaching and support with accountability and constructive challenge.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Excellent communication, influencing, and facilitation skills.
Proven ability to build trusted relationships while maintaining focus on delivery outcomes.
Experience creating a positive, engaged, and high-performing team culture.
Resilience and leadership presence during periods of uncertainty, ambiguity, or delivery pressure.
Experience & Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business, or a related discipline.
Professional Project Management certification (PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent).
Agile delivery accreditation (PSM, CSM, PMI-ACP, SAFe, or equivalent).
Minimum 7 years' experience leading complex enterprise-scale projects, programmes, portfolios, or delivery functions.
Proven experience supporting delivery teams through risk, uncertainty, stakeholder pressure, and competing organisational priorities.
Experience with project recovery, governance intervention, or delivery performance improvement initiatives is highly desirable.
Strong understanding of Agile, Product Delivery, DevOps, and SDLC methodologies.
Experience influencing and engaging stakeholders at all organisational levels.
Strong financial management skills including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.
Proficiency in Jira, Confluence, Excel, PowerPoint, and delivery reporting tools. Experience with Power BI is advantageous.
What Success Looks Like
Within the first 12-18 months, the successful candidate will:
Build a highly engaged and high-performing Planning Team.
Increase consistency in delivery governance, planning, and reporting practices.
Strengthen the capability of Project Managers and Delivery Leads to proactively manage risks, issues, and dependencies.
Improve stakeholder confidence in planning, delivery commitments, and portfolio transparency.
Drive measurable improvements in delivery predictability and performance.
Create a culture that balances accountability, collaboration, learning, and delivery excellence.
Contribute to the ongoing maturity of laya healthcare's Planning and Delivery practice.