Head of Central PMO (Portfolio Management Office)

About the role:
We are seeking an experienced Head of Central PMO to establish and lead a portfolio-level Project Management Office within a large, complex organisation. This is a newly created leadership role with responsibility for driving standardisation, governance, and assurance across a diverse portfolio of strategic and operational programmes.

Reporting to a senior strategy leader, you will operate as a Centre of Excellence for Project, Programme and Portfolio Management, working collaboratively across multiple professional service and delivery functions. You will provide senior leaders with clear, timely insight into portfolio performance, risks, dependencies, and investment decisions.

This role is suited to a senior PMO leader who is equally comfortable shaping strategy, influencing executives, and building high-performing PMO teams in a matrix environment.

Key responsibilities:
PMO strategy & leadership:
Define and own the PMO strategy, ensuring alignment with organisational objectives
Establish the Central PMO as a recognised centre of excellence for project and programme delivery
Set and maintain project, programme, and portfolio management standards, frameworks, and best practices
Provide leadership assurance on the delivery of strategically critical initiatives

Portfolio management & governance:
Lead portfolio-level governance, ensuring appropriate oversight, assurance, and decision-making
Maintain full transparency of the project and programme portfolio, including risks, issues, dependencies, and change control
Oversee preparation and support for senior decision-making boards and forums
Promote and embed governance frameworks through training, guidance, and stakeholder engagement

Performance, reporting & assurance:
Deliver high-quality portfolio reporting to senior leadership, enabling informed prioritisation and investment decisions
Define and monitor KPIs to assess delivery performance, maturity, and value realisation
Act as the central authority for portfolio data, metrics, and management information
Lead project assurance and audit activity, including engagement with internal and external assurance bodies

Capacity, demand & financial management:
Align resources across multiple PMO teams to support strategic priorities
Develop approaches to demand management and cross-organisational resource planning
Ensure effective financial controls, forecasting, and benefits tracking across the portfolio
Identify opportunities for efficiency, continuous improvement, and value for money

PMO operations:
Standardise PMO processes, templates, tools, and documentation across the organisation
Lead maturity assessments and continuous improvement initiatives
Champion the use of portfolio and reporting tools to enable efficient, automated insight

People leadership & stakeholder engagement:
Lead and develop PMO professionals through direct and matrix management models
Coach and mentor senior managers and delivery leads on best practice in governance, planning, and control
Build strong, trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, operating with integrity and impartiality
Foster collaboration across functions and delivery teams

About you:
Essential experience and skills:
Proven experience leading a Central or Enterprise PMO, or equivalent portfolio-level function
Deep understanding of project, programme and portfolio management methodologies and governance
Strong experience operating in complex, multi-stakeholder environments
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence at senior leadership level
Demonstrable experience of portfolio reporting, financial control, and benefits tracking
Strong analytical capability with a pragmatic, solution-focused approach
Experience managing PMO resources, including matrix management models
Advanced skills in common project and reporting tools (e.g. MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint)
Desirable:
Experience in highly regulated or large public-sector style organisations
Formal P3M / PMO qualifications (e.g. P3O, PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent)
Experience leading maturity assessments and continuous improvement initiatives

Why apply?
Opportunity to shape and lead a newly established Central PMO
High visibility role working closely with senior leadership
Significant scope to influence delivery culture, standards, and outcomes
Chance to build and mature portfolio-level capability in a complex organisation