Programme Director

Ventro Group is a PE-backed national fire safety and building compliance business operating across the Ventro, Firntec, and HJS brands. We deliver passive and active fire protection, building remediation, and compliance services to social housing providers, local authorities, main contractors, and private sector clients across England.

Backed by KLAR Partners, we are in a period of significant growth - scaling our delivery capability, strengthening our commercial discipline, and investing in the people and leadership needed to build a business that sets the standard in life safety.

The Role

We are recruiting a Programme Director to lead our passive fire protection division from our Nottingham office. This is a senior leadership position with primary accountability for two things: financial delivery and programme time performance.

Put simply, we need someone who owns the numbers and owns output. You will be responsible for the divisional P&L, financial forecasting, earned value tracking, and cost-to-complete reporting across a multi-million-pound national portfolio. Alongside this, you will own the master programme schedule, ensuring projects are delivered on time through disciplined critical path management, resource planning, and weekly programme governance.

This is not a back-office role. You will be the principal link between the board, commercial function, and site delivery teams. You will chair project reviews, present to the board monthly, lead client relationships at senior level, and be visible across our sites nationally.

What You Will Be Doing

• Owning the divisional P&L – delivering accurate monthly financial forecasts, revenue projections, and margin analysis
• Managing the master programme schedule across all passive fire projects nationally
• Driving earned value management and programme variance tracking to catch problems early
• Holding Project Managers and Site Managers to account for time and cost delivery
• Leading weekly programme reviews and providing board-level reporting with RAG-rated dashboards
• Ensuring all installations meet FIRAS, BM TRADA, and Building Safety Act standards
• Optimising labour deployment, materials logistics, and subcontractor management
• Building and maintaining senior client relationships and identifying variation opportunities
• Embedding a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement across the division

What We Are Looking For

• Minimum 10 years in construction or fire safety delivery, with at least 5 years at senior programme or director level
• Proven track record of managing multi-million-pound portfolios with full P&L accountability
• Strong financial acumen – you understand cost-to-complete, earned value, revenue recognition, and margin control
• Demonstrable experience of delivering complex programmes on time across multiple sites
• Experience leading teams of Project Managers, Site Managers, and Contracts Managers
• Knowledge of passive fire protection systems, FIRAS, BM TRADA, and the Building Safety Act 2022
• Commercial awareness including JCT/NEC contract terms and variation procedures
• SMSTS, CSCS Black Card, and NEBOSH (desirable)
• APM, PRINCE2, PMP, or MSP qualification (desirable)
• Experience in a PE-backed or high-growth environment is a distinct advantage

What We Offer

• A senior leadership role with real authority and board-level visibility
• Competitive salary plus car allowance
• The backing of KLAR Partners and the resources that come with PE investment
• A growing national business with clear ambition and a strong market position in life safety
• A leadership team that values straight talking, accountability, and getting things done

How to Apply

If this sounds like the right move for you, apply directly through LinkedIn or get in touch for a confidential conversation.

We are building something serious at Ventro Group. If you want to lead from the front and make a measurable difference to how fire safety is delivered in this country, we want to hear from you.

We value diversity and promote equality. No terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate against any of the protected characteristics that fall under the Equality Act 2010. We encourage and welcome applications from all sections of society and are more than happy to discuss reasonable adjustments and/or additional arrangements as required to support your application.

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