Portfolio Manager

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Job Title: Portfolio Manager

Location: Warwick / London

Contract Type: 6 months with scope to extend

Job Purpose

The Portfolio Manager sits within IT&D and will have a strong operational technology focus, directly supporting a critical operational network and associated transformation activity.

The role is responsible for bringing together a complex set of moving parts, constraints, dependencies and priorities at portfolio level, creating the visibility and governance needed to optimise delivery and support effective decision-making.

The role will establish clear portfolio governance, responsibilities and accountabilities, while connecting activity across teams and advising on the work required to inform wider strategic direction.

This is a hands-on role requiring a strong balance of proactive portfolio management and reactive problem-solving. The successful candidate will be comfortable getting into the detail, working directly with teams and addressing issues as they emerge.

Key Accountabilities

• Establish a clear view of portfolio activity, priorities, dependencies, risks, constraints and delivery.
• Assess the moving parts across the portfolio and identify opportunities to improve sequencing, prioritisation and delivery.
• Establish the portfolio layer that brings activity together and enables effective oversight and optimisation.
• Support relevant transformation and T3 activity where required.
• Identify emerging issues and dependencies and ensure they are addressed or escalated appropriately.
• Develop portfolio plans, priorities and decision points to support effective leadership decisions.
• Define and establish appropriate portfolio governance and ways of working.
• Clarify responsibilities, accountabilities and decision rights across the portfolio.
• Work with PMO and relevant teams to establish effective reporting, RAID and portfolio controls.
• Ensure governance is practical, proportionate and supports delivery rather than creating unnecessary process.
• Build effective relationships across a complex, matrixed organisation and manage stakeholders with differing priorities and perspectives.
• Work across IT&D, operational, delivery and supporting functions to build alignment and maintain momentum.
• Influence effectively without relying on formal authority.
• Connect the dots across teams and provide clear advice on issues, dependencies and work required.
• Communicate complex portfolio information clearly to both operational and senior audiences.
• Identify portfolio problems early and lead collaborative action to address them.
• Establish practical portfolio processes and disciplines that can be embedded within permanent teams.
• Transfer knowledge, capability and ownership to appropriate business owners.
• Ensure portfolio governance and management practices can operate effectively without ongoing dependency on the role.

Experience and Technical Know-How

Essential

• Demonstrable experience managing complex portfolios, programmes or delivery environments.
• Experience establishing portfolio governance, accountabilities, responsibilities and ways of working.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to connect information across multiple areas and identify dependencies and constraints.
• A hands-on approach, with the confidence to move between high-level portfolio oversight and detailed operational issues.
• Ability to balance proactive planning with reactive problem-solving in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong influencing and communication skills.

Desirable

• Experience within the utilities sector or another complex operational environment.
• Experience working with operational technology or technology supporting critical infrastructure.
• Exposure to regulated environments or major infrastructure programmes.
• Familiarity with portfolio or programme management frameworks.
• Experience working within or alongside a PMO.

Standout Skills and Experience

• Multi-stakeholder management - confident working across different levels, functions and priorities.
• Matrix organisation experience - comfortable navigating complex structures and influencing without direct authority.
• Hands-on portfolio management - willing to get into the detail, investigate issues and actively move things forward.
• Reactive and proactive thinking - able to manage immediate issues while maintaining a forward-looking portfolio view.
• Connecting the dots - able to identify relationships, dependencies and constraints across different areas and turn them into clear actions or advice.
• Operational mindset - comfortable working close to critical operational activity rather than operating solely at a strategic level.
• Adaptability - able to quickly understand a complex environment and build credibility with technical, operational and senior stakeholders.

Apply now!

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