Innovation Portfolio Manager RokeBuilt on a 70-year heritage, Roke offers specialist knowledge in sensors, communications, cyber, and AI and ML. We change the way organisations think and act – through dynamic insights from the analysis of multiple layers of data. We take care of the innovative, technical stuff that keeps everyone safe – that's our mission, passion, and motivation. RoleThe Science & Technology (S&T) function within Roke Global Services is being established to provide a coherent coordination layer across innovation, strategy, road mapping and knowledge management. The function balances client demand, technology push and operational priorities to shape direction, accelerate innovation pull-through, maximise reuse of knowledge and intellectual property, and build future-ready capability across Global Services. This role will sit at the centre of that function, helping connect people, processes, information and priorities into a single, organised and effective operating rhythm. We are looking for an experienced, organised and highly detail-oriented Delivery Manager to help cohere the whole S&T function. The successful candidate will be comfortable operating across multiple stakeholders and topics, from applied innovation and strategic planning through to communications, knowledge sharing and cross-functional coordination. Experience with innovation, science and technology environments is essential; experience with Power BI and AI-enabled approaches would be highly beneficial to improve dashboards, reporting and knowledge analysis. Act as the central coordination point for the S&T function, ensuring coherence across applied innovation, road mapping, strategy and knowledge management Establish and maintain the operating rhythm for S&T, including governance, planning cycles, reviews, reporting, action tracking and stakeholder engagement Own selected parts of the function as required, driving them forward from concept through implementation and into business-as-usual operation Coordinate the interfaces between S&T and Engineering, Product, Sales, Accounts, Partner Services, Operations and wider leadership to ensure alignment and progress Support the management of innovation activity, including tracking ideas, coordinating gate reviews, maintaining portfolio visibility and helping ensure pull-through into deliverable capability or product outcomes Maintain a clear programme-level view of priorities, risks, issues, dependencies, resource demand and delivery progress across the S&T function Develop dashboards, reporting views and management information to support decision-making, transparency and performance tracking across S&T Coordinate knowledge management activities across S&T, including the flow, curation and distribution of insight from problem books, IP, Communities of Interest, roadshows, show-and-tells and lunch-and-learns Support the creation and maintenance of integrated roadmaps covering future skills, tooling, technology direction and capability readiness Help shape and coordinate strategic initiatives, including AI-related activity, communications planning, academic engagement and thought leadership where appropriate Provide timely and accurate reporting, including progress updates, KPIs, risks, issues and recommendations for intervention or escalation Identify opportunities to improve how S&T works, including the use of automation, AI-assisted analysis, Power BI dashboards and improved knowledge management practices Uphold Roke policies, governance requirements and good delivery discipline while remaining pragmatic, collaborative and outcome-focusedKnowledge, Skills & Strong programme or senior project management experience in complex, cross-functional environments Experience working in science, technology, innovation, engineering or adjacent delivery settings where multiple workstreams and stakeholders must be coordinated Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to bring together contributors from different disciplines and levels of seniority Experience creating dashboards, reports or management information using tools such as Power BI would be highly desirable Familiarity with AI tools, AI-enabled workflows, or knowledge management approaches would be beneficial, particularly where these improve insight, efficiency or decision support Good understanding of innovation processes, technology trends, and how ideas progress into operational value, products or customer outcomes Comfortable working across strategy, planning, knowledge sharing, coordination and delivery support rather than within a single narrow project scope Relevant project, programme or portfolio management qualifications are desirable (e.g. APM, MSP, Prince2, PMI or similar)Where you'll workRomsey (HQ) - You'll find our Romsey site located within beautiful Hampshire countryside, close to the picturesque New Forest District and not far from a superb stretch of the south coast. This is no corporate concrete jungle; this is a manor house site, with ample parking an on-site gym and a driveway full of daffodils in the spring. Woking - You'll find our Woking site in a modern building on the outskirts of London.
Locations
Technology & Innovation Portfolio - Portfolio Manager in Hampshire, Romsey employer: Roke
Roke is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration within the Defence sector. Employees benefit from a competitive salary, flexible perks focused on health and wellbeing, and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, all while contributing to meaningful projects that address national security challenges. With ample opportunities for professional growth and a supportive community, Roke is dedicated to empowering its team members to thrive in their careers.
