DTA Programme Lead

Location: Leeds (Hybrid - 2-3 days in the office)

Salary: £50 - 60K (DOE)

Security and Compliance don’t have to slow innovation, and at Cognisys, they don’t. Our Digital Trust Accelerator (DTA) programme helps startups and scale-ups achieve ISO 27001 and SOC 2 certification with speed, structure, and confidence.

We’re looking for a DTA Programme Manager who can keep that promise: driving flawless delivery, aligning teams, and embedding operational excellence across every client engagement. You’ll turn strategy into momentum, and momentum into measurable results.

The DTA Programme Manager owns the successful delivery of Cognisys’s flagship Digital Trust Accelerator programme, ensuring every client progresses from kick‑off to certification on time, on scope, and with measurable quality.

They act as the operational heartbeat of the DTA function, coordinating internal delivery teams, managing client timelines, and driving accountability across projects.

This is a hybrid role combining programme management, client delivery leadership, and operational oversight, responsible for ensuring the DTA engine runs smoothly across multiple concurrent engagements.

• Own end‑to‑end delivery of all DTA engagements (ISO 27001, SOC 2, etc.), ensuring clear scoping, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
• Oversee project scheduling, risk management, and progress tracking across multiple concurrent clients.
• Lead delivery reviews, track dependencies, and manage escalations.
• Ensure adherence to delivery playbooks, templates, and QA standards across all engagements.
• Align project timelines and deliverables with client expectations and internal capacity.

• Own overall delivery accountability for all assigned DTA client engagements, ensuring that each project is progressing to scope, time, and quality expectations.
• Support Project Managers and Consultants in maintaining effective client communication and cadence.
• Act as the primary escalation point for delivery issues, risks, or client concerns, ensuring prompt resolution and proactive communication with stakeholders.
• Review and oversee client status reporting, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and quality across all projects.
• Maintain visibility of client satisfaction metrics, intervening early where necessary to protect relationships and outcomes.

• Maintain and continuously improve the DTA Delivery Framework, including SOW templates, QA checklists, and reporting dashboards.
• Track delivery KPIs (time‑to‑certification, CSAT, utilisation, delivery margin, etc.) and report to leadership weekly.
• Collaborate with Sales, Rev Ops and Operations to ensure smooth handoff from sale to delivery, accurate forecasting, and resource allocation.
• Work closely with the CTO to build and deploy cutting‑edge AI processes and automations that enhance efficiency, scalability, and delivery quality across the DTA programme.
• Identify process inefficiencies and drive operational improvements across delivery.

• Line manage and develop a team of Project Managers and Delivery Coordinators.
• Coach and mentor delivery staff, promoting a culture of accountability, ownership, and pace.
• Partner with Practice Leads and Consulting Managers to align project resourcing and maintain high delivery standards.

• 5+ years’ experience in programme or project management within cybersecurity, compliance, or SaaS implementation.
• Strong familiarity with ISO 27001, SOC 2, and automated compliance platforms (Vanta experience is a plus).
• Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent client projects in a fast‑paced, service‑driven environment.
• Excellent communicator, comfortable with C‑suite clients and internal technical teams alike.
• Hands‑on operator who thrives on pace, structure, and accountability.
• Ownership mindset:
  Takes responsibility for results, not just tasks.
• Operational rigour:
  Balances pace with precision.
• Client‑centric:
  Always focused on impact, clarity, and delivery quality.
• Team player:
  Elevates others and builds trust through transparency.
• Resilient:
  Thrives under pressure and adapts quickly…