Head of Portfolio Management Office

An opportunity to establish an enterprise-wide Programme Office. Experience selecting PPM and creating project/risk frameworks.

About Our Client: Our client is a large organisation in the Financial Services industry, based in London. Recognised for their strong influence and reputation in the sector, they have a commitment to delivering excellence to their customers and continually driving innovation in their field.

We are seeking a highly experienced Head of Portfolio Management Office to lead and develop our Group PMO function. This is a pivotal role responsible for designing, implementing and refining key Portfolio Management frameworks, implementing optimal portfolio management practices across the entire organisation catering for both agile and waterfall delivery methodologies, and enhancing and ensuring adherence to a group-wide delivery governance model.

In addition, the Head of Portfolio Management Office will be a key partner to senior leadership providing insightful portfolio reporting and enabling informed decision-making. This individual will lead a small team of Group PMO professionals, and embedded programme PMOs. This role will be instrumental in ensuring consistent group-wide practices are performed across the larger portfolios.

• Process Design and Implementation: Design, develop, and implement standardised portfolio management processes, methodologies, and tools across the organisation, encompassing both waterfall and agile delivery approaches. This includes the full lifecycle of initiative management, from ideation and prioritisation through to execution and closure.
• Governance and Framework Adherence: Ensure consistent adherence to rolled-out governance models and frameworks, monitoring compliance and driving continuous improvement. This includes establishing clear roles and responsibilities, decision-making authorities, and escalation paths.
• Group Portfolio Reporting: Develop and deliver comprehensive and insightful portfolio-level reports for senior management and stakeholders. This includes providing clear visibility on portfolio performance, portfolio plan, risks, issues, dependencies, resource utilisation, financials, enabling data-driven decision-making.
• Team Leadership and Development: Lead, mentor, and develop a team of 3-4 PMO professionals, fostering a collaborative and high-performing environment. Set clear objectives, provide regular feedback, and support their professional growth.
• Framework Design and Refinement: Leverage deep expertise to design and continuously refine group-wide portfolio management frameworks, including but not limited to:

• Change Risk Framework: Rollout and maintain a robust framework for identifying, assessing, mitigating, and monitoring change-related risks.
• Governance Models and Control Frameworks: Establish clear and effective governance models and control frameworks applicable to both waterfall and agile delivery methodologies.
• Initiative Budgeting and Forecasting: Design and implement processes for accurate initiative budgeting, forecasting, and financial tracking.
• Change Information Standards: Define and enforce consistent information standards for capturing and reporting risks, issues, milestones, dependencies, and other critical change-related data.

A successful Head of Portfolio Management Office should have:

• Extensive experience in Portfolio Management including leading an Enterprise PMO function.
• Proven experience in selecting and implementing a group-wide PPM tool (e.g., Jira Align, CA PPM, Planview).
• Demonstrable experience in designing and delivering group portfolio reporting (enterprise-wide) to senior management, including the ability to synthesise complex data into clear and actionable insights.
• Deep understanding of "what good looks like" in portfolio management and a proven ability to design and refine:

• Change risk frameworks
• Governance models and control frameworks for both waterfall and agile ways of working
• Initiative budgeting and forecasting processes
• Change information standards for risks, issues, milestones, dependencies etc.

A competitive salary in the range of £130,000 - £150,000. Standard benefits package. The chance to work in a vibrant, bustling location in London. This is a fantastic opportunity for a seasoned professional to take on a strategic, leadership role within a respected organisation. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply.