Pro practiceHead of Programmes practice interview
Portfolio strategy, programme quality, delivery oversight, funding decisions and leadership of multidisciplinary teams. Practise the 5 questions interviewers ask for this role with follow-ups. Paid plans add scored feedback on every answer.
A Pro practice interview, on the Pro plan from ₦5,000 a month billed yearly, or on Premium.
- Lead
- 20 minutes
- 5 questions
- Scored feedback on paid plans
About the role
A head of programmes is accountable for the direction, quality and delivery of an organisation's programme portfolio. The interview tests strategic choices as well as operational grip, including how you use evidence, manage risk, lead programme managers and represent difficult decisions to donors and senior colleagues.
How to prepare
- Prepare a portfolio decision where you expanded, redesigned or closed work based on evidence.
- Review how you connect programme quality, financial performance, safeguarding and operational risk.
- Think through the criteria you use to pursue or decline a funding opportunity.
- Prepare an example of improving performance through a manager rather than taking over their work.
- Be ready to explain how community feedback reaches portfolio and executive decisions.
Common mistakes
- Listing projects without explaining the strategic choices that connected them.
- Treating spending and activity completion as sufficient evidence of programme quality.
- Saying yes to every funding opportunity without testing mission fit and delivery capacity.
- Describing executive leadership only as direct supervision of project staff.
What to expect
A real first-round interview
5 questions the way interviewers ask for this role, with follow-ups when an answer needs more.
Spoken, like the real thing
Speak your answers in your browser or the free desktop app, with live captions. You can ask the interviewer to repeat anything.
Scored on 4 areas
The things this interview weighs most. With a paid plan, your report shows how you did on each one.
A private report
On Plus, Pro and Premium: every answer scored, your strongest lines quoted and what to say differently next time. Interview creators never see it.
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