Project Portfolio Manager

OVERVIEW OF ROLE

The Project Portfolio Manager is responsible for overseeing the organization's portfolio of IT projects and programs to ensure alignment with strategic business objectives. This role provides governance, prioritization, resource optimization, financial oversight, risk management, and performance reporting across the portfolio. The Project Portfolio Manager works closely with executive leadership, business stakeholders, project managers, and technology teams to maximize investment value and ensure successful delivery of strategic initiatives.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Portfolio Strategy & Governance

• Develop and maintain the IT project portfolio framework and governance processes.
• Ensure all IT projects align with the organization's strategic objectives and business priorities.
• Facilitate project intake, evaluation, prioritization, and approval processes.
• Establish portfolio management standards, methodologies, and reporting structures.

2. Portfolio Planning & Prioritization

• Evaluate proposed projects based on strategic value, risk, benefits, resource requirements, and ROI.
• Maintain a rolling portfolio roadmap covering short, medium, and long-term initiatives.
• Facilitate prioritization discussions with executive stakeholders.
• Ensure portfolio balance across operational, compliance, technology, growth, and transformation initiatives.

3. Financial Management

• Manage portfolio budgets and investment tracking.
• Monitor project expenditure against approved budgets.
• Support business case development and benefits realization tracking.
• Provide financial forecasts and portfolio investment recommendations to leadership.
• Identify opportunities to optimize project investments and reduce costs.

4. Resource Management

• Work with business and IT leaders to manage resource capacity and demand.
• Identify resource constraints and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Optimize the allocation of project managers, business analysts, technical specialists, and vendor resources.
• Maintain visibility of enterprise resource utilization.

5. Risk & Performance Management

• Monitor portfolio-level risks, dependencies, issues, and constraints.
• Escalate critical risks and recommend corrective actions.
• Establish and track portfolio KPIs and delivery metrics.
• Conduct health checks and portfolio reviews to improve delivery performance.
• Ensure compliance with governance, audit, regulatory, and security requirements.

6. Stakeholder Management

• Build strong relationships with executive leadership and business unit heads.
• Communicate portfolio status, risks, benefits, and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Prepare executive reports, dashboards, and presentation materials.
• Facilitate decision-making and conflict resolution across competing priorities.

7. Continuous Improvement

• Drive PMO and project management maturity initiatives.
• Introduce best practices, methodologies, and tools to improve project delivery outcomes.
• Promote Agile, Hybrid, and Waterfall delivery approaches as appropriate.
• Coach project managers and promote disciplined, pragmatic and outcome-focused delivery practices
• Lead lessons-learned reviews and process improvement initiatives.

COMPETENCIES

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, Information Technology, Engineering, Finance, or related field.
• Minimum 8-10 years' experience in project, program, or portfolio management.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior portfolio management, PMO leadership, or strategic project role.

Preferred

• Project Management Professional (PMP).
• PRINCE2 Practitioner.
• PMI Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP).
• Agile certifications (Scrum Master, SAFe, AgilePM).

SKILLS REQUIRED

· The Project Portfolio Manager must possess strong portfolio governance, strategic planning, project and programme management, financial management, resource planning, and risk management skills.

· The role requires the ability to evaluate business cases, prioritize competing initiatives, manage budgets, track benefits realization, and provide executive-level reporting.

· Strong stakeholder engagement, negotiation, facilitation, and decision-making skills are essential, along with proficiency in portfolio management tools such as Microsoft Project, Azure DevOps, Jira, and ServiceNow.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

· Strategic thinker with strong leadership capabilities and a results-oriented mindset.

· Demonstrate excellent communication and influencing skills, the confidence to engage with senior executives, and the ability to build credible relationships across the business.

· Requires resilience, sound judgment, adaptability, strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and the capacity to remain calm and decisive when managing competing priorities, risks, and organisational change.

KNOWLEDGE

· Comprehensive understanding of portfolio, programme, and project management methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery frameworks.

· Possess knowledge of corporate governance, financial management, benefits realization, risk management, resource capacity planning, and organisational change management.

· Strong appreciation of business strategy, technology-enabled transformation, compliance requirements, and PMO best practices.

Work Location: In person