Delivery Manager at Blackstone, London Area, £Competitive Rate (Outside IR35)

Blackstone& are a technical consultancy who specialise in digital transformation and complex technical deliveries. 15 years ago that meant Cloud adoption. 10 years ago it was DevOps. 5 years ago, SRE and platform engineering. We still cover all of that, but right now a significant part of our work is AI adoption. And we mean actual AI adoption: in production, in Enterprises. Not just a vibe coded app on a local machine.

The pace and impact of each wave keeps accelerating, but we think successful adoption still comes down to two things: people and constraints. What does transformation actually look like inside the limits of an organisation, and how do we bring the people along for it?

This Delivery Manager role sits right at the heart of that question. You will be joining a small, high-performing Blackstone& team embedded in a large-scale AI adoption programme, responsible for making sure the right things get delivered, in the right way, at the right time. That means strong agile delivery practice, sharp stakeholder management, and the ability to operate confidently in a fast-moving, complex environment.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

Essential

• Proven experience leading delivery or managed service teams in complex, regulated, or high-stakes environments.
• Experience mobilising and onboarding new delivery or operational teams from a standing start.
• Strong working knowledge of Agile delivery: Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe across real engagements, not just in theory.
• Solid understanding of DevSecOps principles and ITIL service management practices.
• Experience managing the transition from project delivery into live operational service.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and governance reporting skills, confident operating at all levels of an organisation.
• Demonstrable ability to manage risks, dependencies, escalations, and competing priorities in live delivery.
• Experience managing T&M delivery models, including forecasting, capacity planning, and governance.
• Awareness of Agentic AI or AI-enabled delivery tooling and how it can drive operational improvement.
• Mid-level consultancy experience: you understand what it means to represent a delivery partner in a client environment and carry yourself accordingly.

Certifications (desirable)

• PSM, AgilePM, PRINCE2 Agile, ITIL Foundation, or equivalent.

DAY TO DAY

Delivery Leadership

• Own end-to-end delivery across one or more workstreams within an AI adoption programme.
• Run sprint planning, retrospectives, stand-ups, and governance cadences with clarity and purpose.
• Keep RAID logs current and meaningful in Jira, and translate risk and issue data into clear, actionable client reporting.
• Manage the transition of delivered capability into live operational service, working closely with technical and operational teams.

Stakeholder and Client Management

• Build trusted relationships with client stakeholders at all levels, from delivery teams through to senior leadership.
• Produce governance reports and status updates that give stakeholders genuine confidence in delivery progress.
• Navigate competing priorities and escalations with composure, keeping the programme moving without losing the trust of those around you.

Working as Part of the Blackstone& Team

• Operate as a visible and credible representative of Blackstone& within the client environment.
• Contribute to internal knowledge sharing, delivery standards, and ways of working across the wider team.
• Support the commercial health of the engagement: tracking T&M burn, flagging risks early, and communicating clearly with the Blackstone& leadership team.

ENGAGEMENT DETAILS

This engagement is offered outside IR35, reflecting the genuine independence and expertise the role requires. Key terms:

• Rate: Competitive
• Outside IR35 - engaged as an independent contractor via your own limited company or umbrella
• Initial contract length: 6 months, with extensions expected subject to performance and project progression
• Hybrid working - a mix of remote and on-site with the client as the engagement requires
• Start date: to be agreed - we are looking to move quickly for the right person