Senior IT Programme Manager – Dataspace & AI

About the role

Sopra Steria is recruiting a Senior IT Programme Manager to act as the single accountable executive for a flagship European Commission programme covering Dataspace and Artificial Intelligence. The role sits at the intersection of technology policy and large-scale public-sector delivery, with ultimate responsibility for scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk and stakeholder satisfaction across a multi-partner consortium delivering digital infrastructure for Europe.

Key responsibilities

• Establish and chair the Programme Governance Board, define the integrated programme master plan and drive end-to-end execution within a €100M+ budget, applying EU programme frameworks (e.g. PM²) and Agile-at-scale methods
• Lead the consortium of four partners, chair management and steering committees, manage partner performance against KPIs and SLAs, and resolve conflicts
• Act as the main contact for European Commission DG counterparts and engage with stakeholders across the 27 Member States
• Oversee Dataspace architecture and AI workstreams in line with the EU AI Act and Commission AI strategies, with interoperable, standards-compliant solutions
• Manage the full programme budget, procurement under EU Financial Regulations, and prepare MPRs, quarterly reviews and financial reports for the Commission
• Maintain the Quality Management Plan (ISO 9001), ensure GDPR, NIS2 and EU AI Act compliance, and produce executive dashboards and reports

Required profile

• At least 15 years of IT programme/project management experience, including 8 years in senior/lead programme management or director roles
• Track record delivering EU Commission IT programmes at scale (€50M+ budget), preferably with DGs such as DIGIT, TAXUD or CONNECT
• Experience leading multi-partner consortia as prime contractor in EU public procurement, and hands-on knowledge of EU procurement frameworks and Financial Regulations
• Experience with EU Member State government stakeholders and substantial exposure to Dataspace and/or AI delivery in a public sector setting
• Master's degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Public Administration or a related field

Required skills

• PgMP (PMI), MSP (AXELOS) or PM² Advanced certification required
• Desirable: PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, ITIL 4 Foundation, Scrum@Scale or SAFe
• Desirable: direct experience on EU Dataspace programmes, EU AI Act implementation, EC digital infrastructure programmes (CEF Digital, Digital Europe Programme, Horizon Europe ICT), EC interoperability frameworks (EIF) and cloud sovereign requirements (EUCS)

What we offer

• A pivotal leadership role shaping Europe's digital infrastructure, with direct engagement at the highest levels of the European Commission and Member State governments
• Competitive executive compensation benchmarked to the Brussels senior IT programme management market
• Access to a high-calibre consortium team, professional development and EU digital policy forums and conferences