Recovery Manager

Job description

Company Description Technology is our how. And people are our why. For over two decades, we have been harnessing technology to drive meaningful change. By combining world-class engineering, industry expertise and a people-centric mindset, we consult and partner with leading brands from various industries to create dynamic platforms and intelligent digital experiences that drive innovation and transform businesses. From prototype to real-world impact - be part of a global shift by doing work that matters. Job Description Role Purpose The Recovery Manager, working with the Strategic Assurance Senior Recovery Manager, the owning Project/Programme Manager, Delivery Leads, and company Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), is responsible for supporting the stabilisation, recovery, and successful delivery of challenged or underperforming IT-led programmes and projects. The role focuses on identifying delivery risks, issues, and root causes using Endava Early Warning Indicator (EWI) data built into reporting mechanisms, supporting corrective actions, improving governance and controls, and helping projects return to agreed scope, schedule, budget, quality, and business outcome expectations. The role is also responsible for leveraging AI-enabled delivery assurance and intelligent recovery tooling to accelerate diagnosis, improve recovery decision quality, and identify emerging delivery risks to enhance recovery execution effectiveness. The role supports the Strategic Assurance Senior Recovery Manager and the VMO in strengthening delivery confidence by applying consistent governance, controls, recovery playbooks, and Early Warning Indicator insights. This role requires strong project delivery experience, stakeholder management capability, delivery governance understanding, and the ability to operate effectively within high-pressure and fast-changing IT transformation environments. Key Responsibilities Working with the Strategic Assurance Senior Recovery Manager and the owning project/programme manager to ensure rigorous recovery practices are implemented and adhered to, in addition to the following: Project Recovery & Stabilisation Support recovery activities for critical IT programmes and projects experiencing delivery, budget, governance, or operational challenges. Conduct project health checks using the Value Management Office (VMO) EWI framework to identify root causes of failure or underperformance. Assist with the development of, and utilise, AI-assisted analysis techniques to identify delivery patterns, emerging risks, dependency failures, stakeholder sentiment indicators, and probable root causes across project data, governance artefacts, financial reporting, and operational metrics. Develop and implement recovery plans utilising defined recovery playbooks, with clear actions, timelines, dependencies, ownership, milestones, risk mitigation strategies, and governance controls. Monitor recovery activities and track progress against agreed recovery objectives, recovery milestones, and measurable outcomes. Help re-establish delivery discipline, accountability, and reporting mechanisms across recovery workstreams. Support the establishment and use of a company-wide pool of SMEs to be brought into project/programme recovery activities as necessary. Delivery Management Coordinate project recovery workstreams across business, technology, supplier, and operational teams. Support prioritisation and decision-making across business and technology stakeholders, escalating decisions where senior intervention is required. Ensure delivery plans are realistic, achievable, and aligned with project objectives, business outcomes, and technical delivery capabilities. Manage risks, issues, dependencies, actions, and escalations throughout the recovery lifecycle. Support the management of complex dependencies across multiple workstreams and suppliers Governance & Reporting Apply the VMO Early Warning Indicator framework to assess delivery health, identify control weaknesses, and support timely intervention or recovery action. Establish and maintain fit-for-purpose recovery governance, including recovery boards, cadence, decision forums, escalation paths, and reporting routines. Ensure recovery plans are governed through clear entry and exit criteria, measurable recovery milestones, ownership, and evidence-based progress tracking. Maintain RAID logs, recovery dashboards, action trackers, decision logs, and programme documentation. Support steering committees and governance forums with clear reporting, analysis, and evidence-based recommendations. Support compliance with Strategic Deal delivery standards, VMO assurance expectations, regulatory requirements, audit commitments, and client governance obligations. Capture governance and control lessons from recovery engagements and feed them back into VMO delivery assurance and recovery frameworks Stakeholder Management Build effective working relationships with project sponsors, delivery teams, suppliers, SMEs, and business stakeholders. Communicate recovery progress, delivery risks, key decisions, and forecast outcomes clearly, accurately, and professionally. Support stakeholder alignment and facilitate resolution of delivery challenges across competing priorities. Escalate material risks, decisions, conflicts, or constraints to the Strategic Assurance Senior Recovery Manager and relevant governance forums. Commercial & Financial Support Support the VMO, Strategic Assurance Senior Recovery Manager, Project/Programme Manager, and Finance teams in identifying financial risks, recovery trade-offs, and areas requiring decision. Support budget tracking, cost control, financial recovery activity, supplier performance management, and remediation activities. Contribute to resource planning, delivery forecasting, and assessment of budget or commercial impacts on recovery plans. Escalate commercial or financial constraints that may affect recovery outcomes, delivery confidence, or stakeholder commitments. Team Collaboration Work collaboratively across delivery, architecture, engineering, operations, finance, commercial, and business functions. Support knowledge sharing and continuous improvement initiatives across recovery and assurance communities. Mentor junior project managers, coordinators, or delivery team members where appropriate. Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, transparency, and delivery excellence. Continuous Improvement Capture lessons learned from recovery engagements. Contribute to improvements in project recovery methodologies, recovery playbooks, governance models, organisational project management maturity, and operating models. Support development of organisational delivery, recovery, and assurance capabilities. Key Success Metrics Progress against agreed project recovery milestones and recovery action plans. Reduction in critical risks, issues, escalations, and unresolved dependencies. Improved delivery confidence and governance compliance, evidenced through clearer controls, reporting, and decision-making. Achievement of agreed revised scope, milestones, budget, quality, risk position, and business objectives. Recovery actions completed within agreed timeframes, with clear ownership and measurable outcomes. Improved accuracy, transparency, and evidence base of project status reporting, aligned to VMO reporting standards. Stakeholder satisfaction, engagement, and confidence in recovery progress Experience 5+ years’ experience in IT project or programme delivery environments. Experience supporting recovery or turnaround activities for challenged technology projects. Experience working on IT transformation initiatives such as: Infrastructure upgrades Cloud migrations Application implementations Cybersecurity initiatives Digital transformation programmes Experience operating within structured project delivery environments. Familiarity with supplier and stakeholder management. Essential Skills and Core Competencies Project delivery Good understanding of project and programme management methodologies. Experience working within Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid delivery models. Strong risk, issue, dependency, and action management capability. Ability to support delivery recovery planning, tracking, coordination, and execution Organisation & Planning Strong planning, tracking, and coordination capability. Attention to detail and ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously. Ability to maintain high-quality recovery documentation, dashboards, RAID logs, and action tracker Commercial Awareness Understanding of project financial management, supplier governance, and cost-control disciplines. Ability to identify financial or commercial risks and escalate constraints that may affect recovery outcomes. Delivery & Recovery Expertise Good project management capability. Understanding of delivery methodologies: Agile Waterfall Hybrid delivery models Strong risk and issue management expertise. Communication Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to engage effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Strong facilitation and coordination skills. Problem Solving Analytical and structured approach to identifying and resolving delivery issues. Ability to prioritise and work effectively under pressure. Desirable AI-Enabled Delivery Assurance Identify opportunities to apply AI-enabled assurance and recovery techniques Exposure to, or experience applying, AI-enabled tooling to programme assurance, recovery analysis, governance reporting, or delivery forecasting. Ability to critically interpret AI-generated insights and translate into actionable recovery decisions. Understanding of responsible AI governance, considerations within programme delivery environments. Qualifications Essential Degree in Information Technology, Business, or related discipline, or equivalent experience. PRINCE2 Foundation/Practitioner, PMP, or equivalent project management certification. Desirable Agile certification (Scrum, AgilePM, SAFe). ITIL Foundation certification. Change management exposure or certification. Knowledge and adoption of AI driven recovery process and procedures Personal Attributes Calm and resilient under pressure. Proactive and solutions-oriented. Strong sense of accountability and ownership. Collaborative and adaptable. Results-focused with strong attention to detail. Typical Project Environments Enterprise IT transformation Cloud migration programmes Infrastructure modernisation ERP and CRM implementations Cybersecurity remediation Public sector digital initiatives Financial services technology programmes Additional Information Discover some of the global benefits that empower our people to become the best version of themselves: Finance: Competitive salary package, share plan, company performance bonuses, value-based recognition awards, referral bonus; Career Development : Career coaching, global career opportunities, non-linear career paths, internal development programmes for management and technical leadership; Learning Opportunities: Complex projects, rotations, internal tech communities, training, certifications, coaching, online learning platforms subscriptions, pass-it-on sessions, workshops, conferences; Work-Life Balance: Hybrid work and flexible working hours, employee assistance programme; Health: Global internal wellbeing programme, access to wellbeing apps; Community: Global internal tech communities, hobby clubs and interest groups, inclusion and diversity programmes, events and celebrations. At Endava, we’re committed to creating an open, inclusive, and respectful environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and empowered to be their best. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives—because we know that inclusive teams help us deliver smarter, more innovative solutions for our customers. Hiring decisions are based on merit, skills, qualifications, and potential. If you need adjustments or support during the recruitment process, please let us know.