At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive project management excellence and governance across Professional Services Operations.
- Company: Join Sapiens, a leading SaaS company with a focus on innovation.
- Benefits: Flexible hybrid or remote work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with a strong emphasis on continuous improvement and learning.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of SaaS transition and make a real impact in project delivery.
- Qualifications: 7+ years in project governance and experience in cloud-native environments.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Sapiens is seeking a Centre of Excellence Associate to drive consistency, rigor, and quality in project management governance across Professional Services Operations. This dual-focus role combines governance & controls with delivery excellence & project management enablement within a SaaS-oriented delivery model.
Location/working model: London (Flexible Hybrid) or UK (Remote)
About The Role
Governance & Controls: Defining standard project lifecycle governance including scope control, change management, decision rights and escalation paths, project health KPIs (timelines, quality, velocity), reporting standards, and risk management. Establishing feedback loops & forums and owning accounts governance and support unifications.
Delivery Excellence & Learning: Enabling delivery flows, development cadences, data standards, and PM enablement. Defining milestone planning & acceptance criteria, development lifecycles, and systems replacements/enhancements. Maintaining lessons learned processes with implementation into customer, PM, delivery, and quality standards, and a centralized knowledge repository.
Sitting at the centre of PS Ops during Sapiens' SaaS transition, this role offers broad portfolio exposure and the opportunity to build deep expertise in delivery governance, controls, continuous improvement, and decision frameworks, supporting the continued maturity of the PS Ops function and Sapiens' ongoing growth.
Key Responsibilities
- Governance & Controls
- Define and maintain standard project lifecycle governance including scope control, milestone entry/exit criteria, and change management across PS engagements.
- Maintain and drive adoption of governance model, escalation paths, and decision rights across projects.
- Own project health KPIs standards in partnership with Finance and PS delivery functions.
- Create and own reporting standards and implement into new systems.
- Establish feedback loops & forums for risks and lessons learned; act as point of reference for governance clarity.
- Own accounts governance and support unifications across the portfolio.
- Monitor adherence to governance and control standards; identify gaps, risks, or inconsistencies and drive corrective actions.
- Delivery Excellence & Learning
- Enable delivery flows, development cadences, data standards, and PM enablement, ensuring standards are practical and consistently applied.
- Own milestone plan governance, acceptance criteria, and quality gates across delivery engagements.
- Define and operate standardized lessons learned processes and implement into customer, PM, delivery, and quality standards.
- Maintain a central knowledge repository and promote a learning culture beyond compliance.
- Own development lifecycles and support systems replacements/enhancements.
- Collaboration
- Define tooling requirements and data standards with enterprise systems teams; continued ownership of enablement materials.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Delivery, PS Ops, Finance, and PMOs to embed standards into ways of working, tools, and operating cadences.
Expected Experience
- 7+ years of experience supporting project, program, or portfolio governance within delivery operations or PMO.
- Experience working for a born-in-the-cloud software company, and strong familiarity with cloud-native commercial models is preferred.
- Experience supporting the application of project scope control, change management standards, projects health KPIs, risk management across multiple projects, ensuring consistency across workstreams and stakeholder groups.
- Demonstrated involvement in milestone planning and acceptance practices, with an understanding of stage gates, deliverables, and what “good” looks like at key points in the delivery lifecycle.
- Strong foundation in applying governance frameworks, with the ability to navigate escalation routes, decision rights, and control points for complex delivery environments.
- Hands-on exposure to lessons learned, knowledge repositories, retrospectives, and turning delivery insights into actionable change.
- Proven ability to work cross-functionally with delivery teams, PS operations, and enablement functions, driving standards adoption through collaboration.
Professional Services Operations Excellence Partner employer: Sapiens
Sapiens is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, making it an ideal place for professionals seeking to excel in project management governance. With flexible hybrid working options in London or remote across the UK, employees benefit from a supportive environment that prioritises learning and development, alongside opportunities to engage with diverse projects during the company's SaaS transition. Join Sapiens to be part of a forward-thinking team dedicated to driving excellence and innovation in Professional Services Operations.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Professional Services Operations Excellence Partner
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at events. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. We want you to show how your skills align with their goals, especially in project management and governance.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! You should be able to explain your experience and how it relates to the role of a Professional Services Operations Excellence Partner in a clear and engaging way.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive!
We think you need these skills to ace Professional Services Operations Excellence Partner
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the role. Highlight your experience in project management governance and delivery excellence, as these are key for us at Sapiens. Show us how your skills align with our needs!
Showcase Relevant Experience:When detailing your work history, focus on your 7+ years of experience in project governance and operations. Use specific examples that demonstrate your familiarity with cloud-native models and your ability to drive consistency across projects.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity, so avoid jargon and ensure your achievements are easy to understand. This will help us see your potential impact on our team!
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to submit your application directly through our website. This way, you’ll ensure it reaches the right people and you can easily track your application status. We can’t wait to hear from you!
How to prepare for a job interview at Sapiens
✨Know Your Governance Frameworks
Make sure you brush up on governance frameworks and project management methodologies. Be ready to discuss how you've applied these in past roles, especially in SaaS environments. This will show that you understand the importance of consistency and quality in project management.
✨Demonstrate Delivery Excellence
Prepare examples of how you've enabled delivery flows and maintained quality standards in previous projects. Highlight your experience with milestone planning and acceptance criteria, as this role is all about ensuring excellence in delivery.
✨Showcase Your Cross-Functional Collaboration Skills
Think of specific instances where you've collaborated with different teams, like finance or delivery operations. Being able to illustrate your ability to work cross-functionally will be key, as this role requires embedding standards into various ways of working.
✨Be Ready for Scenario Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that test your problem-solving skills in governance and controls. Prepare to discuss how you would handle risks or inconsistencies in project management, as well as how you would implement lessons learned into future projects.
