Director Portfolio Management Office (PMO)

Director Portfolio Management Office

• Salary - £145k up to £155k
• Bonus - up to equivalent of three months salary
• Car allowance - £720 per month
• Based in Stevenage - some home working too

1. Your role as Director Portfolio Management Office The part you'll play in transforming infrastructure services. Strong governance coordinated execution and clear ownership are essential to turning strategy into measurable outcomes. As Director of Portfolio Management Office, you'll lead the governance, coordination and delivery discipline that enables Group IT to execute its strategy. You'll provide an enterprise-wide view of technology change, direct priority strategic projects and coordinate the function's integrated delivery and execution plans. By connecting strategy, investment, capacity, dependencies, risks and benefits, you'll help leaders make timely decisions and ensure commitments translate into practical, controlled delivery.

2. What we'll need you to deliver The tasks and responsibilities you'll take on.

You'll lead the Portfolio Management Office, establishing proportionate governance and a consistent operating rhythm across Group IT. You'll coordinate the function's delivery and execution plans, provide transparent reporting on progress and performance, and intervene where priorities, dependencies or risks threaten outcomes. Alongside portfolio leadership, you'll personally sponsor or direct critical cross-functional projects that require senior coordination and focused execution.

As a Leader, you'll set clear direction, build a high-performing and inclusive team, and create an environment where people can thrive. You'll role model people manager expectations, develop future leadership capability and promote accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement across the PMO and the wider technology function.

From time to time, we may ask you to take on other duties appropriate to the role and level. We expect all work to follow company policies, procedures and relevant standards.

3. How you'll support the IT Function Further specific tasks and responsibilities you'll take on as part of the IT Function

Strategy Execution & Functional Coordination

• Translate Group IT strategy and leadership priorities into an integrated functional delivery and execution plan
• Coordinate plans across technology towers and enabling teams, creating clear ownership, milestones, outcomes and decision points
• Establish the planning and review cadence for the function, connecting strategic objectives, operational commitments and change activity
• Support the CTO and wider Technology leadership team with structured planning, executive briefings, performance insight and follow-through of agreed actions
• Maintain a consolidated view of progress against functional commitments and drive corrective action where required
• Enable effective coordination across Group functions, divisions, suppliers and delivery partners

Portfolio Governance, Investment, Capacity & Financial Control You will:

• Define, maintain and evolve governance frameworks, policies, standards and decision rights that support strategic technology objectives
• Lead portfolio prioritisation, investment planning and capacity planning, balancing value, affordability, resources, risk and delivery confidence - to create a single enterprise-wide view of technology demand, projects, programmes and product change
• Embed robust business case governance, cost tracking, change control, reforecasting and benefits realisation disciplines
• Align portfolio commitments with financial controls, workforce plans, architecture, cyber, commercial and operational requirements
• Maintain oversight of portfolio spend, forecasts, variances, financial risks and benefits
• Provide decision-quality insight on portfolio health, delivery performance, constraints and trade-offs
• Own and manage the PMO functional budget, ensuring expenditure remains within approved funding and supports agreed priorities.
• Control functional expenditure, including purchase commitments, supplier spend, contract costs, accruals and efficiency opportunities.
• Ensure governance is proportionate, practical and focused on enabling delivery rather than adding unnecessary bureaucracy

Strategic Projects & Enterprise Delivery You will:

• Sponsor or direct priority strategic projects and cross-functional initiatives on behalf of the CTO and Technology leadership team
• Establish clear delivery structures, accountabilities, plans and controls for high-value, complex or business-critical assignments
• Drive successful mobilisation, execution and transition into business-as-usual, ensuring intended outcomes are sustained
• Remove organisational blockers, accelerate decisions and bring together senior stakeholders to enable delivery
• Balance long-term strategic intent with pragmatic actions that deliver near-term value
• Provide hands on leadership when critical initiatives require recovery, additional control or renewed alignment

Dependencies, Risk, Assurance & Benefits You will:

• Lead the identification, active management and resolution of cross-programme dependencies, constraints and systemic risks portfolio-wide
• Establish and maintain a consistent assurance, framework that provides visibility and enables escalation and timely interventions across the technology portfolio
• Strengthen traceability from strategic objectives and investment decisions through to delivered outcomes and tangible, realised benefits
• Ensure material delivery, financial, resource, supplier and operational risks are transparent and supported by credible actions
• Oversee post-implementation reviews and use lessons learned to improve future planning and execution
• Provide clear, concise reporting to executive and governance forums, highlighting decisions required and business impact

PMO Leadership & Continuous Improvement You will:

• Build and lead a capable Portfolio Management Office with clear services, standards and accountabilities
• Define and evolve the PMO operating model and delivery framework, ensuring governance, portfolio management and delivery practices remain aligned to organisational needs
• Develop portfolio, programme and project management capability across Group IT and its delivery partners
• Simplify tools, data and processes to improve visibility, consistency and decision-making
• Define meaningful measures for delivery confidence, throughput, value, benefits realisation and governance effectiveness
• Promote a high-performance culture based on inclusion, innovation, constructive challenge and accountability

4. What it'll take to succeed The skills, mindset and experience you'll bring and grow using:

Essential Core skills, experience, qualifications and professional memberships you'll need from day one:

Strategic Portfolio & Governance Leadership

• Proven experience as a director or senior leader in portfolio, programme, governance or strategic delivery within a complex organisation
• Experience establishing or transforming portfolio governance, planning and management office capabilities
• Strong understanding of investment prioritisation, portfolio controls, capacity planning, assurance and benefits management

Strategy Execution & Delivery Leadership

• Experience translating strategy into integrated execution plans, measurable outcomes and coordinated delivery activity
• Track record of leading complex, cross-functional programmes or recovering high-risk strategic initiatives
• Ability to combine strategic perspective with hands on intervention and delivery discipline
• Executive Stakeholder Leadership
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to make complex delivery and governance issues clear to senior leaders
• Experience working across business, technology, finance, commercial, risk and operational functions
• Collaborative and pragmatic leadership style, able to create alignment while providing constructive challenge

People, Partners & Performance

• Experience building and leading high-performing multidisciplinary teams
• Experience managing internal teams, professional services, and delivery partners against clear outcomes
• Ability to establish meaningful performance measures and use insight to drive action and improvement

Methods, Tools & Qualifications

• Practical experience of portfolio and project management tooling and executive reporting
• Working knowledge of Agile, product-aligned and traditional delivery methods, and when each is appropriate
• Degree-level education or equivalent relevant experience
• Professional qualification such as APM, MSP, PRINCE2, MoP or equivalent

Desirable

• Experience in infrastructure, utilities, engineering, construction or another federated and operationally complex sector
• Experience supporting technology operating model transformation or enterprise-wide change
• Knowledge of financial planning, commercial governance and supplier management in a technology environment
• Experience developing portfolio maturity models, communities of practice and professional career pathways

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