Portfolio PMO

Project Description:

The Portfolio PMO in a banking environment is responsible for managing and overseeing a portfolio of strategic projects and programs. The role involves ensuring that all projects within the portfolio are aligned with the bank's strategic objectives, delivering value on time and within budget, while adhering to governance standards and regulatory requirements. The Portfolio PMO will play a key role in resource allocation, risk management, financial oversight, and reporting to senior leadership.

Responsibilities:

1. Portfolio Management & Oversight:

• Strategic Alignment: Ensure that all projects within the portfolio align with the bank's strategic goals, business objectives, and regulatory requirements.
• Prioritization: Work with senior leadership to prioritize projects based on business value, regulatory demands, and resource availability.
• Governance: Establish and maintain governance structures, ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulations.
• Financial Management: Monitor the financial health of the portfolio, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.

2. Project & Program Support:

• Methodology: Define and implement project management standards, frameworks, and best practices for project execution.
• Resource Management: Collaborate with department heads to allocate resources efficiently across projects.
• Stakeholder Management: Act as the key liaison between project managers, business units, and executive leadership.
• Risk Management: Identify, assess, and manage risks and issues across the portfolio, escalating where necessary.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure that all projects meet quality standards, including delivery timelines, cost estimates, and desired outcomes.

3. Reporting & Analytics:

• Dashboard Creation: Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting mechanisms to track project performance metrics (e.g., budget, scope, timeline, risks).
• Executive Reporting: Provide regular status updates and reports to senior leadership and the board of directors on portfolio performance.
• KPIs & Metrics: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure project success and overall portfolio health.

4. Change Management:

• Process Improvement: Continuously assess and improve the PMO processes, tools, and templates to ensure efficient project delivery.
• Stakeholder Communication: Drive change management efforts, ensuring stakeholders are kept informed about portfolio progress and key decisions.

5. Regulatory Compliance:

• Ensure that all projects within the portfolio adhere to relevant regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, Basel III, SOX, AML).
• Coordinate audits and provide evidence of portfolio compliance when required.

Mandatory Skills Description:

• MUST HAVE: Project Management Office (PMO) experience in Banking at Portfolio level under WATERFALL methodology
• Excel - intermediate standard; knowledge of how to download and manipulate large data sets e.g. define project management dashboards from multiple reports
• Oracle financials or equivalent toolset - experience in Payables module
• Previous experience of Planview and Power BI or equivalent toolset
• MS Office - intermediate knowledge of Powerpoint, Word, Visio
• Sharepoint - intermediate knowledge
• Waterfall project delivery lifecycle knowledge including:
• Knowledge of project management processes, including RAID log management, financials and resource management
• Experience of defining requirements / implementing the project management framework for others to adhere to (which itself is in line with policy), from initiation through to project closure / archive and championing adherence
• Experience of supporting working groups / steering committees and ensuring minutes are taken
• Management of project books and records throughout the lifetime of a project
• Experience of managing project baselines / project change control (scope, plan, budget)
• Experience of budget management and structuring financials across a programme for streamlined and consistent update by the rest of the team
• Experience in influencing others to adhere to project lifecycle and production of required documentation and owning the cadence thereof

Education / Qualifications:

• Formal project management training (e.g. Prince II Foundation, PMI, APM) required
• A level education or equivalent
• Degree or equivalent work experience

PERSONAL REQUIREMENT

• Excellent interpersonal, relationship and communication skills, able to collaborate and partner with all areas of Change, Technology and the business.
• Demonstrable track record of excellent stakeholder management, managing multiple stakeholders and proven ability to deal professionally with senior management.
• Demonstrable track record of building relationships across diverse skill sets and across the organization.
• Strategic mindset, with the ability to focus on both big picture and practical impact.
• Strong problem solving skills and the ability to collaborate and partner across the firm and build an internal as well as external network.
• Proactive, results driven, with a strong sense of accountability and the ability to operate with urgency and prioritise work accordingly
• A calm approach, with the ability to perform well in a pressurised environment
• Strong understanding of project financial management and demonstrable experience of influencing project managers to manage financials in a standard way with regular review and update.
• Strong numerical skills
• The willingness to ensure that tasks are delived in a timely manner and to a high standard

Nice-to-Have Skills Description:

• Experience in Financial Crime or AML will be a bonus