Portfolio Lead

Company DescriptionThere's nothing like a career at Entain. We're a leading, global sports betting and gaming company and we're upping the excitement and increasing player safety. We're a FTSE company with iconic brands including Ladbrokes, Coral, BetMGM, Eurobet and bwin, and we have an energy that drives us to perform at the height of our potential. Whether you're an engineer, marketer or retail specialist, a career here is a complete game changer.Job DescriptionThe Portfolio Lead is accountable for delivery performance across a sub-domain of 4-6 pods (Engineering, Quality, Product). They lead the flow of value from idea to production, ensuring pods deliver with pace, predictability and understanding to outcomes.They combine hands-on delivery leadership with AI-augmented ways of working and data-driven decision-making. They do not prescribe a single framework - instead they adapt approaches that best serve each pod's context.They partner with Engineering and Product leadership to reduce waste, improve throughput and help pods achieve Autonomy, Accountability and Agreement to value outcomes.What you will doPod Performance & AccountabilityYou are responsible for pod delivery performance across the sub-domain.You will lead and communicate delivery health, risks and performance to leadershipEnsure pods operate as, self-organising units delivering value outcomesSupport pod leads with coaching, facilitation and conflict resolutionEnsure cross-pod agreement on priorities, dependencies and shared goalsFacilitate communication and collaboration between pods to promote knowledge sharingProblem SolvingYou will be an expert; deploy root cause analysis, systems thinking and structured techniques to analyse and guide out resolutions.Be an escalation point for cross-pod blockers and systemic impedimentsIdentify patterns across pods that indicate deeper organisational or process issuesAI-Augmented DeliveryChampion AI agent adoption across pods - including coding agents, test generation, story creation, board health and deployment automationIdentify opportunities where AI can reduce toil, accelerate delivery or improve decision-makingApply AI to improve delivery effectiveness, including workflow insights, risk prediction, and automation of reportingTrack and demonstrate the impact of AI on delivery performanceFlow & EfficiencyMonitor and improve delivery flow (lead time, cycle time, WIP, throughput) using Kanban and lean principlesEnsure WIP limits are respected and surface ageing items through Board WalksIdentify bottlenecks, ageing work and sources of delay across pods.Improve through regular assessment and experimentation.Support teams in breaking down work into deliverable, value-driven incrementsAgile Ways of WorkingSupport and evolve the agile operating model for a pod-based environment focused on pace, not ceremony.Adapt delivery approaches (Kanban, flow-based, lean) appropriate to each pod's needsEnsure consistency of practice across pods without being prescriptivePromote outcome-driven delivery vs output-driven activityGuide teams to operate with autonomy and accountabilityMetrics & ReportingDefine and maintain delivery metrics: cycle time, flow efficiency, lead time of initiative, PDLC compression, dependency reduction, rework rate, team satisfaction, and AI effectivenessBuild dashboards (cumulative flow diagrams, throughput charts, WIP ageing) that provide leadership visibility and lead informed decision-makingAnalyse performance data to identify trends, patterns and areas for improvementUse data to facilitate conversations and coach pods — not just track outputStakeholder ManagementPartner with Engineering and Product leadership at sub-domain levelRepresent delivery health and risks in leadership forumsBuild trusted relationships that allow fast decision-makingCommunicate delivery performance to both technical and non-technical audiencesCommercial AwarenessUnderstand the commercial context of the sub-domainConnect delivery decisions to revenue, cost, and customer impactSupport prioritisation trade-offs with a business lensCapacity PlanningForecast capacity across pods based on team composition, skills mix and upcoming demandIdentify resourcing gaps and support hiring/allocation decisionsBalance workload across pods to prevent burnout and underutilisationSupport realistic planning by ensuring pods have clear understanding of available capacityRisk & Dependency ManagementManage risks through regular assessment and execution of controlsEnsure cross-pod dependencies are visible, tracked and managedTrack dependency cost (time blocked, items affected) and lead mitigations such as contract-first development and feature flagsSupport issue escalations, ensuring intervention by the dependency escalation protocolCoach & Capability DevelopmentProvide hands-on coaching at pod levelBuild capability in workflow management, flow thinking, estimation, planning, and data-led decision-makingSupport teams in understanding and improving their own performanceStrengthen a culture of continuous improvement and learningOutcome & Value FocusAlign delivery to always ensure outcomes and value.Help teams understand the why behind their work and how their outputs contribute to valueChallenge work that does not link to outcomesSupport measurement of delivery against OKRs and value indicatorsCentre of Excellence (CoE) ContributionBe an active contributor to the CoEShare best practices, delivery insights and improvement opportunities from podsSupport adoption of standards, playbooks and toolsHelp evolve delivery practices based on experienceQualificationsSpecialist ExperienceYou will have 7+ years in delivery/agile roles, with at least 3 years operating across multiple teams simultaneously in a technology environmentExpert in flow-based delivery approaches (Kanban, lean, continuous delivery) — not limited to ScrumExperience enabling multiple teams/pods simultaneously at scaleStrong understanding of AI tooling and its application to software delivery (coding assistants, automation, intelligent analytics)Experienced in capacity planning, demand forecasting and resource optimisation across multiple teamsUse data to solve complex problems; can interpret and communicate complex data sets clearlyPrevious experience of organisational transformation and change managementGood knowledge of Objectives and Key Results (OKR) strategyExperience in a regulated industry (gaming, fintech, or similar) desirableCompetencies & BehavioursYou will embody the Maker Dimensions - selecting for capability, not just competence. We are looking for people who are versatile, curious, and able to operate with autonomy in a high-trust environment.AI Fluency uses AI tooling; experiments; iterate with AI as a collaboratorAgency & Accountability Owns outcomes, not just tasks; directs itself.Systems Thinking Sees patterns across pods and addresses causes, not symptomsStakeholder Engagement Builds working relationships across pods and leadershipImprove Performance Raises the bar through data and experimentationCross-functional Versatility Comfortable operating beyond their primary disciplineProduct Sense Connects their work to customer and outcomesBuild Capability Invests in developing pods, individuals and selfAdditional InformationAt Entain, we know that signing top players requires a great starting package, and plenty of support to inspire peak performance. Join us, and a competitive salary is just the beginning.Depending on your role and location, you can expect to receive benefits likeA regular bonusHealthcare supportA stake in our success through our ShareSave schemeGreat development opportunitiesWellbeing support, and so much more.And outside of this, you'll have the chance to turn recognition from leaders and colleagues into amazing prizes, join a winning team of talented people and be a part of an inclusive and supporting community where everyone is celebrated for being themselves.Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.SummaryType: Full-timeFunction: ManagementExperience level: Not ApplicableIndustry: Gambling And Casinos