10 Programme Manager Interview Questions to Help You Prepare

A programme manager oversees an organisation's programme or initiative. This career path and set of skills are relevant to many industries, including technology, finance, and other business-related fields, as well as public sector fields such as non-profit and government.

While project management focuses on short-term projects, programme management is about leading a larger goal. As a programme manager, you’ll plan, direct, document, and monitor the quality of more extensive programmes that involve smaller projects. Programme managers provide guidance and delegate projects to project managers. 

Use this guide of 10 questions to help you prepare for your programme manager interview.

10 programme manager interview questions

To ace your programme manager interview, knowing what potential interview questions your hiring manager will ask can help you prepare answers ahead of time. The following lists 10 common questions they might ask:

1. Tell me about yourself.

Expect to talk about yourself, your work history, and any skills directly related to the programme manager job description. Doing this shows the interviewer you have the required skills and that you’ve researched the company you’re interviewing with. Keep this to no longer than a few minutes. You're giving an overview highlighting relevant experience and telling a solid story of why you're an excellent fit for this role, not a repeat of your CV.

2. Why do you think you fit this role well?

For this question, you'll want to demonstrate your leadership and programme management skills related to the job you're applying for. If you're applying to be a programme manager for a technology company, speak to your experiences as a senior project manager for a health technology start-up, for example.

Programme managers lead big projects and are adept at assessing and mitigating risk, so you'll want to mention your experiences with risk management in previous programmes. You’ll also need strong communication, collaboration, and multitasking skills, so it may be essential to provide exact examples. Use metrics from past programmes, such as cost variance, resource utilisation, and customer satisfaction.

Tip: Use the STAR method

Use the STAR method for any behavioural or situational questions (common for programme management interviews): situation, task, action, and result. Applying this method helps to explain an example or story in a compelling, logical manner.

3. Tell me about a successful programme you have led.

An ideal programme manager has led successful programmes in the past and can explain why they were successful using quantitative metrics to demonstrate impact. You'll want to describe how you increased programme performance using customer satisfaction, engagement, cost variance, and more metrics. To set yourself up for success, you may include examples of when you’ve solved a problem, like a scope creep or a non-compliant team member.

4. Give an example of prioritising tasks when working on multiple projects.

Managing multiple projects simultaneously is essential to a programme manager’s success. The interviewer likely wants to hear about the software programmes, tools, or applications you use to organise your projects’ tasks and your preference. Examples of project management tools include Basecamp, Jira, Trello, Asana, and Google Suite. If you have any other tips or methods you have learned in your experience, such as balancing an organisation's budget or impact, describe that situation in detail.

5. How do you adapt if a company changes its goals halfway through a project?

Show your resilience, professionalism, and problem-solving skills by detailing how you pivoted when a company changed its goals during a project. Talk about your experience with scope creep and how you tackled that. You can also talk about communicating and guiding team members and stakeholders about any changes to a project or programme’s goals. 

6. Tell me about a time you fell behind on a project. What did you do to catch up?

This question touches on essential programme management skills, including risk management, preventing scope creep, and problem-solving skills. Provide examples of steps you’ve taken to set a delayed project back on the right course to meet milestones and deadlines for deliverables. Communication would also be critical in this situation. Mention your experiences being assertive and the steps you’ve taken to control projects, prioritise tasks, and communicate with others on your team.

7. Tell me about your management style when directing a team of project managers.

Talk about the traits that make you a successful programme manager. An ideal programme manager can show empathy, solve problems, offer support, give constructive feedback, communicate effectively, and offer strategies and guidance to their team. Highlight your ability to communicate with various stakeholders. You can also discuss your ability to build teams, improve collaboration, and inspire positive change. 

From project to programme manager

Becoming a programme manager typically starts with being a project manager. If you're advancing from project to programme manager, you'll want to make sure you have a firm foundation of experience and all the key project management skills. Be sure to check out Coursera's resource guide to becoming a project manager, where you'll find articles for every step of your journey.

8. Give me an example of when you identified and mitigated project risks.

Risk management is a critical part of being a programme manager. Talk about how you identify and evaluate potential risks. You can discuss ways to foresee potential risks and their impacts with a cause-and-effect diagram. You can also talk about creating a risk management plan and how you communicate and document them. You can also discuss times when you had to escalate a problem to critical stakeholders to make speedy decisions, reduce frustration, and offer checks and balances. Whichever example you choose, make sure to use the STAR method to explain it thoroughly.

9. What is your approach to change management?

Companies use change management to make large-scale changes in a department or throughout the company. Being a successful programme manager means preparing and supporting employees to achieve a common goal, establishing necessary steps for change, and keeping everyone motivated to complete activities implementation. 

10. How do you measure success in your projects?

Answer this question both quantitatively and qualitatively. While talking about metrics, you can also demonstrate how you stayed within scope, met deliverable dates, and kept your team motivated. You might choose two examples of how you measured success to demonstrate your depth and breadth of impact measurement to the hiring manager.

Tips for preparing for your programme manager interview

Interview preparation can help you succeed and feel more confident for your programme manager interview. The following list offers some steps to prepare for your interview. 

• Research the organisation: If you still need to become familiar with the company, researching the latest news or press releases can be a helpful place to start. Read about their products and services and the organisation's mission. Job review sites like Glassdoor and The Job Crowd can provide insight into the company’s work culture. Another suggestion is to search for the potential interviewer and company on LinkedIn and to check for any news articles.

• Prepare your answers: Write down your answers to the questions listed above. Notes and examples can help you memorise the answers and recite them more naturally. 

• Practise the interview: After preparing your answers, practise answering the interview questions with a confident and natural-sounding tone, eliminating any "umms". Use stories and examples that illustrate your expertise and highlight your transferable skills.

• Ask for feedback: Ask a fellow programme manager, instructor, mentor, or friend for feedback on your CV and interview question answers. A mock interview can help you identify gaps in your answers and find better ways to answer questions.

• Prepare your questions: Always come prepared with questions for the interviewer. This is your opportunity to clarify the role and expectations and explore whether the job and company fit your career goals.

Next steps

As a programme manager, you’ll ensure company activities align with organisational objectives. This fast-paced position requires specialised knowledge and know-how. As you continue your job search, consider improving your interviewing skills. Try this Successful Interviewing course from the University of Maryland. It covers how to answer traditional interview questions so you can make an excellent first impression.