Programme Manager - Centre for Early Childhood

Salary: £60,000 per annum

Location: Our team have the option to work 60% of the time on-site, 40% at home. Our office is based in Central London (WC1B).

Contract type: Permanent.

Hours: Full-time (37.5 hours per week) Monday to Friday OR Part-time available.

Deadline for applications: 30th March 2026.

Role Purpose :

We are seeking a Programme Manager to join our team. In this role, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring we deliver high-quality work at pace and scale. This role will be responsible for driving delivery across our expanding programme and ensuring our ambitions translate into real outcomes for children, families and communities. This position is ideal for someone with who has strong stakeholder engagement skills, including the ability to work effectively with senior leaders across The Royal Foundation, Kensington Palace, and the broader early years ecosystem.

Core Responsibilities:

Programme Strategy

• Support the development, coordination and ongoing refinement of the Centre’s strategies, annual plans and termly delivery cycles to ensure clear priorities and measurable progress.

• Oversee programme delivery standards, ensuring timely, accurate and high quality reporting to the senior leadership team, Kensington Palace and internal stakeholders.

• Manage programme-wide KPIs, budgets, approvals and planning processes, ensuring the Centre’s work is delivered efficiently and transparently.

• Act as the Programme Lead for all project partners, aligning strategies, communications, engagements and events to maximise collective impact.

Programme Delivery & Impact

• Drive high-quality delivery across the Centre’s flagship workstreams.

• Oversee complex and high-profile projects from design to evaluation, ensuring objectives, outputs and timelines are met and risks are actively identified and managed.

• Ensure robust impact measurement is embedded across all initiatives and that insights are translated into clear, compelling reporting for internal and external audiences.

• Uphold and champion programme excellence, contributing to the development of strong operating culture and ways of working across the Centre.

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong, effective working relationships with internal teams across The Royal Foundation, including Kensington Palace, Partnerships, Research & Impact, Finance & Operations and People & Culture.

• Monitor and support relationships with external partners spanning early years organisations, businesses and government, ensuring alignment and valuable collaboration for all parties.

Internal Leadership

• Responsible for line managing a team of Delivery Managers with values-led, high support/high-challenge leadership - driving high performance, nurturing growth, and creating a culture where people thrive.

Relevant Knowledge, Experience and Personal Qualities:

Essential

• Proven excellence in programme and project management across complex, multistakeholder environments.

• Strong ability to plan, prioritise and manage multiple workstreams independently.

• Confident in leading team decision making processes.

• A track-record of making things happen.

• Experience overseeing budgets, KPIs and governance processes.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including experience engaging senior leaders.

• Outstanding communication, interpersonal and relationship building abilities.

• Agility and the ability to quickly change direction if new material comes to light.

• An infectious drive to deliver high-quality work.

• Strong track record of line management/team leadership.

• High levels of discretion, judgment and professionalism.

Desirable

• Knowledge of, or strong interest in, early childhood development and the early years sector.

• Experience working with cross sector partners such as businesses, nonprofits, or government.

• Familiarity with project management tools and impact measurement approaches.

• Experience developing programme materials, reports, or leadership briefings.

Personal Qualities

• Proactive with the ability to anticipate well.

• Curious and always learning.

• Strives for excellence with high standards and continuous improvement.

• Maintains composure and clarity, even when navigating complexity or ambiguity.

• Resilient and pragmatic, able to adapt quickly in a dynamic environment and maintain momentum with a positive, solutions-focused approach.

The Royal Foundation is a high-profile organisation, and the successful candidate will appreciate the importance of discretion and confidentiality and have a mature and professional approach. 

Our Vision, Mission and Values:

The Prince and Princess of Wales and The Royal Foundation lead with the belief that change is always possible and are committed to building innovative, collaborative and optimistic solutions that deliver positive impact where it matters most. 

Together, Their Royal Highnesses and The Royal Foundation have an unparalleled ability to take a long-term view and unite people, ideas and resources; inspiring action to deliver meaningful change for a better future for individuals, communities, society and our planet.

We unite people and purpose to create a better future – for individuals, communities, society and the planet.

We spark progress by connecting people, ideas and ambition.

The Royal Foundation brings together experts, communities and organisations to pilot and scale solutions – including building coalitions to tackle homelessness, laying societal foundations through our early childhood work, advancing mental health support and championing conservation. By turning insight into action, we help create stronger communities and a healthier future for people and the planet.

Their Royal Highnesses and The Royal Foundation bring together voices from every corner of society – forging powerful partnerships and taking a long-term view to create space for fresh thinking and shared ambition.

Employee benefits :

As an employee of The Royal Foundation, you will be entitled to:

• 25 days of holiday per year, plus UK bank holidays.

• Your birthday off to celebrate.

• Two volunteering days per year.

• An 8% employer pension contribution, with the option to contribute to this yourself too.

• Private medical insurance (available after probation).

If you have the relevant skills and enthusiasm for this role, then we’d love to hear from you. Please submit your application using the form provided.