Overview:
We are seeking a hands-on Senior Manager, Portfolio & PMO to lead project governance, portfolio management, vendor oversight, and strategic execution. This role requires a proactive leader with a strong balance of strategic thinking, execution discipline, and hands-on Project and Programme delivery experience. The ideal candidate will ensure that programmes and projects align with business goals, are executed efficiently, and deliver measurable value while effectively managing vendor contracts, stakeholder communication, and any direct reports.
Key Responsibilities
Portfolio & Programme Management:
- Develop and maintain portfolio roadmaps, prioritisation frameworks, demand and investment planning.
- Monitor and report on portfolio health, risks, dependencies, and benefits realisation to executive leadership.
- Establish and track OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) and KPIs for project success and value delivery.
- Drive hands-on execution, actively engaging in project oversight, issue resolution, and decision-making.
Line Management & Team Leadership:
- Directly manage a team, ensuring their professional growth and performance.
- Provide coaching, mentoring, and skill development for team members, fostering a high-performance culture.
Project Governance & Execution:
- Design and implement PMO governance frameworks, ensuring standardised methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid) and best practices.
- Establish governance forums, steering committees, and reporting structures to support decision-making.
- Ensure adherence to project lifecycle management, budgeting, and risk mitigation across all initiatives.
- Drive continuous improvement, automation, and process optimisation in project management practices.
- Serve as an escalation point for project risks, dependencies, and critical issues, resolving challenges hands-on.
Compliance, Security, & Risk Management:
- Ensure IT projects comply with regulatory requirements, security policies, and data privacy laws.
- Partner with Cybersecurity, Risk, and Compliance teams to embed security best practices in IT projects.
- Establish IT risk frameworks to proactively identify and address vulnerabilities in project execution.
Stakeholder Communication & Change Management:
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, ensuring projects align with strategic business needs.
- Provide clear, concise, and data-driven reporting on project status, risks, and performance metrics.
- Work closely with business, IT, finance, and operations teams to ensure stakeholder alignment.
- Lead change management initiatives, ensuring smooth adoption of new processes, tools, and ways of working.
- Develop and deliver executive-level presentations and reports to communicate project impact and value realisation.
- Develop and maintain key management information and provide communication material required by the Chief Information Officer, including an overview of the Technology department, enabling services and overall delivery status.
Vendor & Contract Management:
- Oversee approval of invoices and contract approvals.
- Provide an overview of vendors, contracts and associated commitments and identify opportunities reduce operational costs.
- Partner with procurement and legal teams to ensure contract compliance, renewals, and negotiations align with business objectives.
Financial & Resource Management:
- Oversee portfolio budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning to ensure cost efficiency.
- Ensure optimal resource allocation across projects to maximise efficiency and value.
- Partner with finance teams to ensure financial governance, spend control, and cost optimisation.
PMO Tools & Technology Enablement:
- Implement and optimize PMO tools (JIRA, ServiceNow, Clarity PPM, Smartsheet, MS Project, etc.) to enhance visibility and reporting.
- Drive automation and digitisation of portfolio reporting, dashboards, and data analytics for real-time insights.
- Ensure data-driven decision-making.
Key Skills & Experience
Education & Certifications:
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Business, Technology, Project Management, or a related field.
- Certifications preferred:
- PMP (Project Management Professional) or PgMP (Programme Management Professional)
- SAFe, Agile (Scrum Master, PMI-ACP, or SAFe Agilist)
- Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt or Green Belt)
- ITIL or COBIT for IT governance experience
Work Experience:
- 10+ years of experience in Portfolio Management, PMO, or Programme/Project Delivery
- 3+ years of experience managing direct reports
- Hands-on experience managing complex, cross-functional projects and portfolios.
- Strong background in vendor management, contract negotiations, and third-party governance.
- Experience working with C-level executives and senior stakeholders to drive project success.
- Proven ability to manage large budgets, optimise costs, and drive financial efficiency.
- Hands-on expertise in Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid project delivery models.
Technical & Business Expertise:
- Strong knowledge of PMO tools (e.g., JIRA, Power BI, etc.).
- Ability to analyse portfolio data, risks, and dependencies and provide actionable insights.
- Experience in digital transformation, IT programmes, cloud migrations, and data-driven decision-making.
- Understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements.
Soft Skills & Leadership:
- Hands-on execution mindset – Ability to roll up sleeves and directly drive project success.
- Exceptional communication skills, with experience in executive presentations, reporting, and stakeholder alignment.
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving, with a track record of delivering business value through projects.
- Strong relationship-building and negotiation skills.
- Ability to lead cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment between technology, product, operations, and business leaders.
- Strong team leadership and people management skills, with experience developing and retaining high-performing teams.
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