At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage demand for projects, ensuring alignment with strategic goals and optimising outcomes.
- Company: Join Instem, a global leader in bespoke software solutions for drug discovery.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible working, private medical, and 25 days leave plus public holidays.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in healthcare by improving lives through innovative software solutions.
- Qualifications: Experience in portfolio management and strong analytical skills required.
- Other info: Be part of a supportive, family-like culture with excellent career growth opportunities.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Location: Stone, Staffordshire (Hybrid working, 2 days in our Stone office)
Status: Permanent, Full Time
Package: Competitive Salary, Flexible Working (with one-off allowance and 2 Days in the office), Development & Opportunity (Personal & Technical), Private Medical (Optical & Dental options), Matching Contributory Pension, 25 Days Leave + Public Holidays + Buy and Sell Scheme, Life Insurance, Referral Scheme, Employee Assistance Program, Benefits Hub.
We are hiring a Portfolio Demand Manager to help support & build upon the already existing operations team here at Instem. The Portfolio Demand Manager will provide a single point of governance and control for all demand entering the Operations Department portfolio. This role ensures new client implementation requests, outsourced services and internal initiatives are consistently captured, categorised, prioritised, resourced, and monitored to align with Instem’s strategic objectives.
Working closely with the Director of PMO and Operations leadership, the Portfolio Demand Manager will oversee the end-to-end demand management lifecycle, balancing workloads across project teams, enabling transparent decision-making, and providing data-driven insights to optimise portfolio outcomes.
For a global business of over 400 staff, we very much have a family feel. You’ll be part of a friendly, communal, solution based, flexible environment, where you’ll feel empowered, valued and accountable. We’ll invest in you as a person and encourage you to take part in companywide workshops for wellbeing, mental health, critical conversations, and strengths.
Responsibilities- Demand Intake & Assessment
- Oversee the intake of all new preclinical client implementation requests and internal initiatives across Operations.
- Ensure requests are complete, categorised (e.g., regulatory, client-driven, innovation, operational improvement), and aligned with strategic goals.
- Analyse business objectives, revenue recognition potential, and platform availability to guide initial sizing (T-shirt sizing) and categorisation.
- Prioritisation & Ranking
- Establish and manage a consistent prioritisation framework to score and rank initiatives against strategic alignment, revenue impact, compliance, and risk reduction.
- Facilitate prioritisation and trade-off sessions with leadership to sequence work transparently.
- Maintain a clear pipeline of prioritised initiatives visible to stakeholders.
- Resource & Capacity Planning
- Work with resource managers and PMO to match demand with delivery capacity and skill sets.
- Identify and escalate resource constraints, skill gaps, or overcommitments early.
- Recommend strategies such as deferral, reallocation, or outsourcing to balance demand and capacity.
- Portfolio Oversight & Reporting
- Produce executive dashboards and portfolio reports providing visibility into pipeline demand, active projects, benefits delivery, risks, dependencies, and portfolio health.
- Track demand throughout its lifecycle, from ideation to approval, allocation, and delivery handover.
- Provide forward-looking forecasting to anticipate peaks in client demand and enable proactive resourcing.
- Governance & Decision Support
- Act as Governance Lead by ensuring demand decisions are made within agreed forums (Portfolio Board, Steering Committees).
- Provide data-driven insights to support decision-making and escalate prioritisation or resourcing conflicts for resolution.
- Ensure demand decisions are documented, communicated, and regularly reviewed.
- Continuous Improvement
- Partner with the BI team to drive insights from portfolio performance trends (e.g., delivery timelines, budget adherence, utilisation).
- Refine and evolve demand management frameworks, templates, and reporting standards.
- Capture lessons learned and embed a culture of proactive demand planning rather than reactive firefighting.
- Several years of proven experience in portfolio management, demand management, or Portfolio Analysis roles.
- Strong knowledge of demand intake, prioritisation frameworks, and capacity planning.
- Experience producing executive-level dashboards and portfolio reporting.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate data into insights.
- Excellent facilitation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence at senior levels.
- Knowledge of project/programme management methodologies (e.g., PRINCE2, MSP, Agile, SAFe) is desirable.
- Experience working in complex, multi-service, multi-stakeholder environments (preferably Life Sciences / Tech / SaaS sector).
This is a fantastic opportunity for you to help save and prolong people’s lives, by doing what you do best!
An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.
Portfolio Demand Manager in Stone employer: Instem
Contact Detail:
Instem Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Portfolio Demand Manager in Stone
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to current employees at Instem on LinkedIn or through mutual connections. A friendly chat can give you insider info and might just get your foot in the door.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by understanding Instem's products and services. Show us that you’re not just another candidate; demonstrate how your skills can directly contribute to our mission of improving lives through technology.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your STAR technique for answering behavioural questions. We love hearing about real-life examples, so think of situations where you’ve successfully managed demand or led a project to success.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up after your interview! A quick thank-you email reiterating your interest in the Portfolio Demand Manager role can keep you fresh in our minds and show us your enthusiasm.
We think you need these skills to ace Portfolio Demand Manager in Stone
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Portfolio Demand Manager role. Highlight your experience in demand management and portfolio oversight, and show how your skills align with Instem's strategic objectives.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills: Since this role involves a lot of data-driven insights, don’t forget to mention any relevant analytical tools or methodologies you’ve used. We want to see how you can translate data into actionable insights!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use bullet points where possible and avoid jargon. We appreciate clarity, so make it easy for us to see why you’re the right fit for the team.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands and shows your enthusiasm for joining our team at Instem!
How to prepare for a job interview at Instem
✨Know Your Stuff
Before the interview, dive deep into Instem's operations and their portfolio management processes. Familiarise yourself with their products and how they impact the drug discovery process. This will not only show your genuine interest but also help you answer questions more effectively.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
As a Portfolio Demand Manager, you'll need strong analytical skills. Prepare examples from your past experiences where you've successfully translated data into actionable insights. Be ready to discuss how you can apply these skills to optimise Instem's portfolio outcomes.
✨Prioritisation is Key
Understand the importance of prioritisation frameworks in demand management. Be prepared to discuss how you would establish and manage a consistent framework at Instem. Think of scenarios where you've had to balance competing demands and how you approached those challenges.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
Instem values collaboration and communication. Prepare to share your experiences in stakeholder management and how you've influenced decisions at senior levels. Highlight your facilitation skills and how you can foster transparent decision-making within the team.