Portfolio Planning & Assurance Manager

You will be responsible for establishing and enforcing standards for business cases and project governance, developing effective portfolio management frameworks, and overseeing the prioritisation of projects. This role involves implementing efficient decision-making processes for project approval. You will also stay updated on industry best practices to continuously improve the organisation's maturity.

Primary Outcomes and Accountabilities:

Deliver Portfolio Management Practices: Drive the development and implementation of robust portfolio management practices with a strong emphasis on governance and standards. Ensure these practices support strategic alignment, transparency, and value delivery across the enterprise.
Define Minimum Standards: Establish and maintain clear, enforceable standards for business case development, project governance, and reporting. Ensure consistency and quality across all portfolio initiatives by embedding these standards into the project lifecycle.
Set Portfolio Governance: Design and implement governance frameworks, processes, and tools that enable effective oversight and decision-making. Ensure governance structures are scalable, transparent, and aligned with organisational goals.
Oversee prioritisation: Manage the prioritisation process for portfolio initiatives, ensuring that decisions are based on strategic value, resource availability, and risk considerations. Facilitate alignment between business units and executive leadership.
Risk Management: Develop and maintain governance structures to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks at the portfolio level. Ensure that risk management is embedded in all stages of the portfolio lifecycle.
Challenge Business Cases: Critically evaluate proposed business cases to ensure they are well-structured, feasible, and aligned with strategic priorities. Provide constructive feedback and guidance to improve the quality and impact of submissions.
Approval Process: implement clear, fair and efficient decision-making processes for project approval. Support governance bodies with the information and frameworks needed to make informed go/no-go decisions.
Improving for the future: Stay up to date with industry trends, emerging practices, and technological advancements in portfolio management. Continuously assess and evolve governance practices to enhance maturity and effectiveness over time.
Act as a role model and ambassador for the division, embodying the values and purpose of the Bank. Foster a supportive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture that encourages collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Role Requirements:

Minimum Criteria:

Proven experience in project management, preferably within the banking or financial services sector, with the ability to think ahead and to be innovative in meeting business needs
Proficiency in project management software and tools with proficiency in making informed decisions and solving complex problems, often with incomplete information
Sound understanding of governance frameworks in relation to projects and programmes.
Proven experience engaging with or managing project governance structures such as steering committees or boards.
Essential Criteria:

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate complex and technical information effectively in written and oral form with a style that is moderated according to the audience.
Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams, with the ability to think holistically and work collaboratively to solve business decisions
Resilience, with the ability to demonstrate resilience when delivering difficult messages or when they are met with resistance to ideas or messages
Desirable Criteria:

Experience within a similar organisation in supporting portfolio definition and executing successful delivery, understanding business priorities, supporting business change and managing successful business partnerships.
Our Approach to Inclusion
The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve.

We welcome applications from individuals who work flexibly, including job shares and part time working patterns. We've also partnered with external organisations to support us in making adjustments for candidates and employees in the recruitment process where they're needed.

For most roles where work can be carried out at home, we aim for colleagues to spend half of their time in the office, with a minimum of 40% per month. Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them, their team and stakeholders.

Finally, we're proud to be a member of the Disability Confident Scheme . If you wish to apply under this scheme, you should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.