Head of Delivery

An exciting opportunity for a Head of Delivery has become available within the WRC Business Unit. This role is offered on a one-year Fixed Term Contract and is ideal for a highly motivated and experienced professional who is passionate about driving delivery excellence and leading high-performing teams. The Head of Delivery will be accountable for end-to-end delivery of products, services, and projects, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope and budget, and to agreed quality standards. This role provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and people management, bridging strategy and execution while supporting delivery that includes both commercial and funded programme environments aligned to regulatory frameworks where applicable.

1. Delivery Leadership & Governance

• Own the delivery strategy across all portfolios, programmes, and initiatives

• Ensure alignment between business objectives, client expectations, and delivery execution

• Establish and maintain delivery governance frameworks, standards, and reporting

• Provide regular delivery updates to senior leadership

2. Operational Excellence

• Oversee day-to-day delivery operations, ensuring consistency, quality, and efficiency

• Drive continuous improvement through process optimisation, automation, and best practices

• Manage delivery risks, dependencies, and escalations proactively

• Ensure compliance with internal policies, regulatory requirements, and SLAs

3. Portfolio, Programme & Project Oversight

• Provide oversight of all programmes and projects, from initiation to closure

• Prioritise delivery initiatives based on business value, capacity, and risk

• Ensure effective resource planning and utilisation across teams

• Remove delivery blockers and resolve cross-functional challenges

4. People & Capability Management

• Lead, coach, and develop Delivery Managers, Project Managers, and delivery teams

• Build a high-performance, accountable delivery culture

• Identify capability gaps and drive skills development and succession planning

• Foster collaboration across business, technology, and support functions

5. Stakeholder & Client Management

• Act as a senior point of contact for key stakeholders and clients

• Manage expectations, communicate progress, and handle escalations

• Build trusted relationships that enhance credibility and long-term partnerships

6. Financial & Commercial Accountability

• Own delivery budgets and cost management

• Ensure projects and services deliver commercial value and ROI

• Support forecasting, billing accuracy, and cost control

7. Funded Programme & Ecosystem Delivery Alignment

• Support the implementation and delivery of funded programmes (SETA, discretionary grants, and other funding streams) as part of the broader WRC delivery portfolio

• Ensure understanding and alignment of delivery practices to SETA and QCTO programme requirements, including learnerships, skills programmes, and occupational qualifications

• Contribute to the effective execution of funded initiatives in line with funding approvals, timelines, and compliance expectations

• Build and maintain working relationships with SETAs, QCTO, and relevant funding partners to support delivery outcomes

• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure funded programmes are operationalised effectively within standard delivery frameworks

• 5-8+ years’ experience in SETA/QCTO/Funded Programme delivery, operations, or programme leadership

• Proven track record managing large, complex delivery portfolios

• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams

• Relevant qualification in Project Management, Operations, Business, or Technology (e.g. PMP, PRINCE2, Agile, or equivalent)

• Proficiency in Smartsheet or similar project management tools (advantageous)

• Ability to develop dashboards, trackers, and management reports to support governance and decision-making

Key Competencies

• Strategic thinking with strong execution focus

• Decisive, resilient, and outcome-driven leadership

• Strong stakeholder influence and communication skills

• High level of accountability and ownership

• Understanding of SETA and QCTO delivery frameworks and funded programme environments

• Exposure to implementation of funded programmes (e.g., learnerships, skills programmes)

Should you wish to apply for this position, please email your CV to ***email_hidden***