Data Platform Project Manager (Contract)

Location: London (Hybrid)
Contract: 6-12 Months Initial Term
Rate: Competitive Day Rate

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Data Platform Project Manager to lead the delivery of a large-scale data platform programme. This is a senior contractor position focused on programme governance, delivery management, stakeholder alignment, and commercial oversight.

The successful candidate will operate as an independent and objective delivery lead across multiple workstreams, suppliers, and stakeholder groups. This is not a technical architecture role, nor a position responsible for setting platform strategy or defining data capabilities. Instead, the focus is on ensuring successful execution, governance, planning, financial control, and decision management across a complex delivery landscape.

This opportunity is ideally suited to an experienced Project Manager with a track record of managing enterprise-scale data initiatives involving multiple vendors, parallel workstreams, and significant stakeholder engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and manage programme scope, backlogs, prioritisation processes, and change control.
• Establish and maintain a comprehensive RAID framework, ensuring risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies are actively managed.
• Track resource allocation, utilisation, capacity, and delivery performance across multiple teams.
• Facilitate and drive decision-making processes, ensuring stakeholders are equipped with the necessary information to make informed choices.
• Manage programme plans and delivery schedules, adapting to changing priorities and evolving business requirements.
• Review commercial and contractual commitments, ensuring delivery plans align with agreed obligations and milestones.
• Maintain detailed financial oversight, including forecasts, budgets, actual spend, variances, and executive reporting.
• Develop and govern RASCI frameworks to ensure clear accountability across all participating teams.
• Deliver accurate, objective status reporting, including clear RAG assessments and mitigation plans.
• Oversee programme administration, including timesheets, invoices, licences, environments, and supplier coordination.
• Lead communication and change management activities, ensuring stakeholders are informed and prepared for changes to scope, timelines, and delivery objectives.
• Support programme governance through steering committees, leadership updates, reporting packs, and decision forums.
• Facilitate negotiation and prioritisation discussions by balancing costs, benefits, risks, and strategic considerations.

Required Experience

• Proven experience delivering complex enterprise programmes involving multiple suppliers, delivery partners, and concurrent workstreams.
• Strong project management background with expertise in governance, planning, budgeting, stakeholder management, RAID management, and reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to influence and drive outcomes without direct line management authority.
• Experience managing large-scale data platform, data transformation, or data product delivery programmes.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience overseeing budgets, contracts, supplier performance, and financial controls.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and executive stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Experience

• Strong understanding of modern data platform concepts, including:
  • Data architecture
  • Data lineage
  • Data quality and integrity
  • Data products
  • Data governance frameworks
• Ability to understand the implications of technical and business decisions within a data ecosystem.
• Previous experience working within enterprise data transformation environments.

What Success Looks Like

• Delivery of multiple interconnected workstreams across complex stakeholder and supplier landscapes.
• Effective governance and control of programme scope, budget, schedule, risks, and dependencies.
• Clear and objective reporting that provides accurate visibility of delivery progress and issues.
• Strong stakeholder alignment and consensus-driven decision making.
• Successful coordination of data platform and data product initiatives while maintaining delivery momentum and governance standards.