Portfolio Delivery Lead

FTC 12 months The Portfolio Delivery Lead is accountable for the successful execution of the Change Portfolio, ensuring approved projects and programmes deliver their agreed outcomes within defined scope, time, cost, quality and risk parameters.

London/Hybrid FTC 12 months The Portfolio Delivery Lead is accountable for the successful execution of the Change Portfolio, ensuring approved projects and programmes deliver their agreed outcomes within defined scope, time, cost, quality and risk parameters.

The role acts as a working deputy to the Head of Change for project and portfolio delivery, providing hands‑on leadership and intervention across priority initiatives.

The role leads Project Managers and delivery resources, translates portfolio priorities into executable delivery plans, and actively manages delivery performance, capacity, dependencies and recovery interventions.

Working in partnership with the Enterprise PMO Manager, the role operates within the Change Framework and agreed governance standards. The Portfolio Delivery Lead owns delivery performance and corrective action, while the Enterprise PMO Manager owns portfolio governance, standards, reporting processes and independent assurance.

Key Activities/Accountabilities

Portfolio Leadership

• Support the development and maintenance of the organisational change portfolio roadmap.
• Own the consolidated delivery performance of approved projects and programmes across the Change Portfolio.
• Hold Project Managers accountable for delivery against approved objectives, milestones, budgets, outcomes and tolerances.
• Translate the approved portfolio roadmap and priorities into integrated delivery plans, resource requirements and delivery sequencing.
• Provide accurate delivery forecasts, commentary, recovery actions and recommendations to the Enterprise PMO within agreed reporting cycles.
• Actively manage cross-project dependencies, delivery constraints and competing resource demands, escalating decisions where required.
• Lead recovery planning and delivery intervention for initiatives that are at risk or outside agreed tolerances.
• Use Enterprise PMO reporting and assurance insight to challenge delivery performance, agree corrective actions and improve delivery confidence.
• Present delivery performance, material exceptions and recommended interventions to governance forums as required.
• Personally step into priority, complex or at-risk initiatives to establish clarity of scope, practical delivery plans, effective governance, delivery cadence and clear routes for decision‑making.

Team Leadership

• Line management of Project Managers, including objective setting, coaching, career development and performance management.
• Identify capability gaps and recommend recruitment, contractor or development interventions.
• Develop succession plans and career pathways across the project delivery profession.
• Build a collaborative, accountable and inclusive delivery culture.
• Develop the capability, performance and career pathways of Project Managers and delivery professionals.
• Contribute delivery experience, lessons learned and practitioner feedback to the Enterprise PMO Manager to support continuous improvement of the Change Framework and project management standards.
• Embed agreed delivery practices across the project delivery team through coaching, leadership and role modelling.

Stakeholder Management

• Build trusted relationships with Executive Sponsors, Business Owners and senior stakeholders.
• Ensure effective engagement with sponsors, business owners and key stakeholders throughout delivery, supporting clear decision‑making, issue resolution and successful adoption of change.
• Challenge and support stakeholders to ensure scope, outcomes, timelines and commitments are realistic and understood.
• Influence decisions on change investment, priorities, dependencies and delivery trade‑offs.
• Represent the Change function at senior governance and leadership forums as required.

Key Knowledge, Qualifications And Experience

• Significant experience leading complex portfolios, programmes and projects spanning business and technology change.
• Demonstrable experience managing Project Managers and multi-disciplinary delivery teams, including internal and external resources.
• Experience reporting to executive stakeholders and governance boards, with the confidence to challenge and influence senior decision-makers.
• Strong portfolio planning, prioritisation, resource forecasting and dependency management capability.
• Strong commercial, financial, supplier and risk management skills.
• Experience of benefits management, business case development and transition to business‑as‑usual operations.
• Recognised project or programme management qualification, such as APM, PRINCE2, MSP or PMP, or equivalent professional experience.
• Practical experience of Agile, Waterfall and hybrid delivery environments.
• Strong analytical, strategic thinking, communication and decision‑making skills.