Senior Continuous Improvement & Change Lead (12m FTC) – Penguin Random House UKWe’re looking for a Senior Continuous Improvement & Change Lead to join our team on a 12‑month fixed‑term contract in London. This role has been created to provide senior leadership capacity while the Head of Business Change, Training and Communications is on sabbatical. After that, you will report directly to the Head and continue contributing to strategic delivery and capability building across the team.Pay & LocationReported base pay range is up to £75,000, depending on your skills and experience, plus a generous bonus scheme and benefits. The role is based at our Embassy Gardens office in London, with a requirement to work on site two days per week (typically Tuesday & Thursday). Google may provide AI‑powered advice on this job and additional features.ResponsibilitiesProvide interim leadership for the Business Change, Communications and Training team during the sabbatical cover.Maintain clear priorities, strong governance, and consistent standards across change, communications and training activity.Align change and improvement initiatives with organisational and divisional strategic priorities.Support planning and prioritisation across multiple projects within the Strategic Projects roadmap.Oversee delivery of business change across complex programmes, from impact assessment to benefits realisation.Lead elements of the HRIS & Payroll Programme during its final phase.Develop and guide effective change, communication and training strategies for new systems and processes.Influence and engage senior stakeholders to secure sponsorship and drive successful outcomes.Coach project teams on best‑practice change and continuous improvement methods.Oversee clear, engaging change communications aligned to audience needs and organisational values.Ensure effective planning, resourcing and delivery of training across live programmes.Develop and maintain playbooks, toolkits and guidance to build organisational capability.Lead or support cross‑functional Continuous Improvement initiatives identifying better ways of working.Share CI tools and methods to build capability and embed CI thinking across teams.Support creation of simple processes for capturing, prioritising and reviewing CI activity.What You’ll BringSignificant experience in business change strategy and delivery across a range of programmes (e.g., Supply Chain, Technology, Process Improvement, or Data).Previous line‑management experience to coach and mentor the existing team throughout the entire Change Management lifecycle.Strong planning skills, able to manage multiple change project streams, oversee communications and training specialists, and respond to changing business priorities.Comfortable working in a hybrid environment, adapting methodologies to suit business culture and opportunities.Strategic thinking – able to anticipate problems and proactively offer creative solutions.Deep skills in process mapping and improvement, communications and training plans, cultural change programmes and delivery of all Change artefacts.Strategic planning ability to define roadmaps, resources, deliverables and KPIs.Strong analytical skills with the ability to analyse and make judgement calls on competing requirements, recommending courses of action.Strong influencing and interpersonal skills, able to establish relationships, engage stakeholders and influence at all levels of the organisation.Proven experience in process improvement, transformation, or operational excellence roles.Application InstructionsPlease apply with your CV by 23:59 on Sunday 11th January 2026. We will begin reviewing applications in January 2026 due to the festive period.About the TeamThe Strategic Projects team is a key part of Penguin Random House Operations, working alongside Technology, Facilities and Distribution. We help PRH achieve transformational change, deliver initiatives based on our strategic priorities, and support essential replacements to core processes and systems as they become end‑of‑life. The team continuously looks for ways to improve how we work across Penguin Random House UK. #J-18808-Ljbffr