Senior IT Program Manager (AI/Dataspace)

Location: Hybrid in Machelen, Belgium

Company

European digital solutions provider delivering end-to-end corporate technology and software services across 30 countries.

What you will do

• Lead a flagship European Commission programme covering Dataspace architecture and AI delivery.
• Own the integrated programme plan, governance model, risks, issues, quality, schedule, and operational handover.
• Manage a four-partner consortium, including performance, KPIs, SLAs, subcontractors, and contractual compliance.
• Act as the executive relationship owner for European Commission DG counterparts and stakeholders across 27 Member States.
• Manage the €100M+ programme budget, forecasting, earned value management, procurement, and financial reporting.
• Oversee technical interoperability, security, standards compliance, and delivery risk across architecture, data, development, testing, and AI workstreams.

Requirements

• At least 15 years of IT programme or project management experience, including 8 years in senior, lead, programme management, or director roles.
• Demonstrated delivery of EU Commission IT programmes at scale, preferably with budgets of €50M or more.
• Experience leading multi-partner consortia as a prime contractor in EU public procurement contexts.
• Deep knowledge of EU procurement frameworks, framework contracts, EU Financial Regulations, and PM² or an equivalent methodology.
• Experience engaging EU Member State governments and national administrations, plus technical exposure to Dataspace architectures or AI programme delivery.
• Master’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Public Administration, or a related field; PgMP, MSP, or PM² Advanced certification required.

Nice to have

• Experience with EU Dataspace programmes such as GAIA-X, IDSA-aligned initiatives, or European Health Data Space.
• Knowledge of EU AI Act implementation, the European AI Office, CEF Digital, Digital Europe Programme, Horizon Europe ICT projects, or the Interoperable Europe Act.
• PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, ITIL 4 Foundation, Scrum@Scale, or SAFe certification.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on large-scale European digital transformation programmes with significant public-sector impact.
• Engage directly with senior European Commission and Member State government stakeholders.
• Receive competitive executive compensation benchmarked to the Brussels senior IT programme management market.
• Access a consortium team with EU institutional and technical expertise.
• Continuous professional development and access to EU digital policy forums and conferences.