Value Stream Lead, Athene Programme

Create alignment, momentum and transparency across one of STARK Group's largest transformation programmes

If you thrive in complex environments where success depends on bringing many moving parts together, this could be the role for you.

As Value Stream Lead, you will become a key part of the Athene Programme Management Office (PMO), helping ensure that projects within a value stream move in the same direction, at the right pace, and with clear priorities.

Rather than managing a single project, you will own the overall value stream scope, roadmap, and expected outcomes, creating the structure and transparency needed to successfully deliver a portfolio of interconnected projects. You will connect project managers, programme leadership, business stakeholders, and governance forums, ensuring decisions are made based on clear insights, dependencies are managed proactively, and risks are addressed before they become obstacles.

You will join a PMO function that continues to evolve alongside one of the largest digital transformations across Northern Europe. This means you will not only help drive delivery but also influence how governance, planning, and value stream management are developed across the programme.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will create the structure, alignment, and transparency needed to successfully deliver a portfolio of interconnected projects within a value stream. You will maintain the integrated value stream plan, coordinate priorities across projects and value streams, and ensure dependencies, risks, and delivery challenges are identified and addressed before they impact delivery.

You will facilitate governance forums and decision-making processes across the stream, ensuring stakeholders have the insights needed to make timely and informed decisions. By consolidating inputs from project teams, you will create a clear overview of progress, priorities, delivery confidence, and expected outcomes.

As a central part of the PMO, you will help strengthen governance, planning, and reporting practices across the value stream. You will challenge assumptions, support Project Managers, monitor adherence to agreed ways of working, and drive corrective actions when required.

How You Will Be Successful in the Role

When you create clarity, momentum, and alignment across the value stream, you make a real impact when you:

• Maintain a clear and integrated view of priorities, dependencies, risks, and delivery progress.
• Ensure projects remain aligned to programme objectives, agreed delivery plans, and expected value stream outcomes.
• Facilitate governance forums that result in clear decisions, actions, and accountability, while maintaining relevant logs and driving follow-up on agreed actions.
• Identify delivery risks and dependencies early, including cross-project dependencies within the value stream and dependencies with adjacent value streams, and proactively coordinate mitigation and resolution.
• Deliver transparent and decision-ready reporting to programme leadership and stream boards.
• Support Project Managers in adopting effective governance, planning, and reporting practices, monitoring adherence and driving corrective actions where needed.

What We Offer

We offer the opportunity to create alignment and delivery in a major digital transformation. In this role, you will help turn strategic ambitions into coordinated execution across a value stream spanning multiple projects, stakeholders, and delivery teams. Your contribution will be reflected in the quality of decisions made, the pace of delivery, and the programme's ability to remain focused on the outcomes that matter most.

You will report to Esther Phipps, Head of PMO, and work closely with the wider Athene PMO team, Project Managers, business stakeholders, and programme leadership across the organisation.

You will join an international environment where collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement are valued, and where your ability to create structure and transparency will have a direct impact on programme success.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a proactive and highly organised professional who thrives in fast-paced transformation environments. You enjoy creating structure, driving alignment, and helping teams navigate complexity without losing momentum.

You are comfortable influencing stakeholders at different levels of the organisation without direct authority and can translate complex information into clear recommendations and actions. Most importantly, you are someone who takes ownership, challenges constructively, and helps others succeed.

Key skills and qualifications include:

• Experience within programme management, project management, PMO, or large-scale transformation initiatives.

• Strong understanding of planning, governance, dependency management, and risk management.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, facilitation, and influencing skills, including the ability to drive alignment without formal authority.
• Ability to consolidate complex information into clear insights and recommendations.
• Experience working across multiple projects and stakeholder groups simultaneously.
• Familiarity with PMO frameworks, reporting practices, and governance processes.
• Professional certifications such as PRINCE2, PMI, or PMO-related qualifications are a plus.

Welcome to the Athene PMO – working closely with Group IT

By joining our Athene PMO team, you will help shape and support the delivery of one of STARK Group's most important transformation programmes.

You will work closely with colleagues across Group IT, Business Transformation, and the wider business organisation to create transparency, alignment, and confidence in programme delivery. Together, we are modernising our technology landscape and building the capabilities needed to support STARK Group's future growth.

As part of this journey, you will have the opportunity to make a tangible impact on how large-scale transformation programmes are governed, coordinated, and delivered across the organisation.

Want to Know More and Apply?

We will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the position and your opportunities within STARK Group IT and the Athene PMO. Please contact Head of Athene PMO, Esther Phipps on [email protected] for any specific questions about the role.

STARK Group    

STARK Group is a growing private equity-owned company with a strong legacy. STARK Group was first established in Denmark in 1896 and has today evolved into a leading European retailer and distributor of heavy building materials with net sales of approx. EUR 9 billion. With a dedicated team of more than 20,000 employees and +1,150 branches and distribution centres across the Nordics, Greenland, Germany, Austria and the UK, we live and breathe to serve professional craftsmen with heavy building materials all the way from the Austrian Alps to Tromsø, close to the Arctic circle and everywhere in between.   

STARK Group is committed to reach net zero emissions by 2050 across the entire business, is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, and works within fully 2030 validated science-based targets to keep global warming below 1.5°C At STARK Group IT, we believe in the richness diversity brings. We invite individuals of all backgrounds to join us in creating and inclusive and welcoming environment. We believe in a workplace where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work.    

Agency Policy    

STARK Group IT appreciates the interest of all candidates. However, we prefer to directly engage with individuals seeking employment opportunities. Therefore, we kindly request recruitment agencies, headhunters, and third-party staffing services to refrain from contacting us regarding this job posting. All applications should be submitted directly by the candidates through our official application process. We value direct communication and look forward to reviewing your application.