Job Title: Programme Director

Location: Newbridge / Curragh, Co. Kildare, Ireland (Hybrid working Model – 2-3 days per week onsite)

Contract Duration: contract of one (1) year duration with an option to extend on an annual basis up to a maximum of four (4) years

Client Overview

The client both require a partner to supplement our existing IT software development teams in the delivery of strategic projects, and IT consultancy.

IT software support & development services are provided to both organisations by our internal team. The services include but not limited to IT consulting, Digital Transformation, custom software development, web application development, web API development, Artificial Intelligence, providing ongoing support & maintenance for bespoke applications, database development & support, and Content Management System (CMS) development & support. The IT functions of the client also provide a range of core business applications to support business activities.

The Client is progressing the enhancement and modernisation of several bespoke digital systems. These initiatives may include the development and support of custom applications across areas such as the administration of horse racing, finance operations, integrity and compliance services, Raceday and event management, data warehousing and analytics, CRM extensions, SharePoint solutions, cloud‑based services, eCommerce, web platforms, content management, and other specialised systems.

Role Overview

Responsible for shaping the strategic direction of programs, aligning them with the organisation’s mission and long-term objectives.

Mandatory Requirements (Pass / Fail): Candidates MUST meet ALL of the following:

Experience

· It is a mandatory requirement, that the resources proposed have senior level experience, with a minimum of relevant 7 years' experience.

English Language Proficiency (MANDATORY):

· Native English speaker OR

· CEFR C2 Proficiency/Mastery (or equivalent)

· If there is no certificate, fluency will be assessed at presentation stage

Key Deliverables:

· Application and Database Migration & Modernisation Services

o Client is looking for an IT development partner to provide services to assist the client IT team to modernise our applications and databases to align with cloud computing capabilities, modern architectures, and business strategies. This will include moving applications and data from the current environment to Microsoft Azure, and modernising applications to transform from rigid monolithic applications to modular, flexible and cloud-native ecosystems, enhancing applications to meet modern business needs and technical standards.

· Business outcomes

o Agility & speed: Faster release cycles, feature velocity, and experiment cadence.

o Resilience & performance: Higher availability, elasticity, and improved user experience.

o Security & compliance: Strong identity, data protection, and governance baselines.

o Cost Optimizations: Rightsized compute, managed services (reduced toil), pay‑as‑you‑go, reservations/savings plans.

o Data readiness for AI/analytics: Cleaner, governed data platforms that feed reporting/AI.

o Reduced technical debt: Fewer monolith bottlenecks, clearer service boundaries.

Candidate Requirements

Candidates should demonstrate:

Strong experience in their relevant technology discipline.
Experience delivering enterprise or complex business applications.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management capability.
Ability to work effectively with internal technology and business teams.
Experience working within structured development and governance environments.
Strong understanding of security, quality and engineering best practices.
Ability to work independently while operating effectively within a wider team.
Experience delivering measurable business or technology outcomes.
Strong documentation and knowledge transfer skills.

For senior roles, candidates should additionally demonstrate:

Strategic thinking.
Technical leadership.
Architecture and design capability.
Experience influencing senior stakeholders.
Experience leading complex transformation initiatives.
Ability to translate business objectives into practical technology solutions.

Desirable Experience

Experience in the following areas would be advantageous:

Microsoft Azure transformation.
Legacy application modernisation.
Cloud-native application development.
Azure DevOps.
Microsoft Fabric.
Data Lakehouse architectures.
Power BI.
SharePoint and Power Platform.
AI/ML implementation.
Responsible AI.
API-led integration.
Microservices and modular architectures.
Enterprise application integration.
Agile/DevOps delivery.
Security and compliance.
Digital transformation.
Large-scale application migration.

Programme Director

Job Description