Key Responsibilities

• Lead a team of business partners to design, manage, and continuously improve the Portfolio Management governance process for Clinical Groups and Corporate Functions.
• Lead Benefits Management for the Trust, creating and maintaining a Trust-wide benefits register, and ensuring regular reporting on benefits realization to leadership teams and the board.
• Support the Head of Major Programmes and Portfolio in providing assurance on the major programme portfolio (ongoing assurance, gateway reviews, programme health checks).
• Support the management and development of a team of high-performing, senior portfolio management professionals.
• Lead and deliver special projects as required by the Deputy CEO.
• Work with the wider DCEO team to shape the Trusts portfolio of programmes and projects to deliver its strategy and performance objectives.
• Lead the annual refresh of the Trust Medium Term Capital Plan, identifying capital investment requirements and coordinating high-quality concept case development.
• Influence the annual business planning process to align change portfolio with available bandwidth and resources.
• Provide direct support to Corporate Functions leadership teams to identify priorities and develop concept cases.
• Support the annual business planning process in Clinical Groups, aligning the project portfolio with available resources and organizational bandwidth.
• Lead the team of business partners to design, manage, and continuously improve the Portfolio Management governance process for Clinical Groups and Corporate Functions.
• Manage the portfolio management board meetings, supporting the production of papers and providing chairs briefs.
• Provide constructive challenge to Clinical Group and corporate function leadership teams regarding project progress and portfolio alignment.
• Proactively monitor portfolio progress to ensure alignment with the Trusts strategy, values, standing financial instructions and project management processes.
• Support and shape the development of multi-year programmes in an evolving environment.
• Facilitate information and communication flow between Clinical Group stakeholders and delivery teams.
• Own the Trust Project Playbook (repository of Trust Policy documentation), updating and improving it.
• Manage change control for the Trusts change portfolio, applying the new project gateway assessment.
• Champion and ensure the use of appropriate project management practices, including the use of the digital PPM tool, and provide training.
• Support the development of, and provide assurance on, programme reports going to TEC and TMP.
• Own the Trusts policies and standards for benefits management across the project lifecycle, identifying opportunities for improvement.
• Lead the development and maintenance of a Trust-wide benefits register and ensure regular reporting to appropriate governance forums.
• Provide expert support to Clinical Groups and Corporate Functions on business case development and benefits realization.
• Support project SROs to run benefits workshops and produce pre and post-go-live benefit reports.
• Work with the CPO Delivery Leads to define and continuously improve the project assurance process for capital and non-capital projects.
• Represent the CPO on relevant project and programme boards, shaping and steering top priority projects.
• Lead assurance of key programmes, including business case reviews, gateway assurance and project health checks.
• Audit reporting compliance, including progress, RAID and finances, and working with teams to improve reporting.
• Clearly communicate assurance outputs, including complex findings, to SROs, governance boards and senior decision makers.
• Proactively mitigate risk across the delivery portfolio and provide assurance on effective risk and dependency management.
• Ensure project-related business plans are underpinned by detailed financial plans.
• Actively monitor expenditure against budget and address problems at an early stage.
• Proactively monitor resource allocation across the clinical group to ensure alignment with strategic priorities.
• Support the commissioning and procurement of products, equipment, services, systems and facilities as required.
• Lead a team of four CPO business partners, with full direct line management responsibility.
• Provide peer support to other staff in the CPO.
• Actively contribute to the wider CPO, proactively identifying opportunities to improve ways of working.
• Work on special projects for the Head of Major Programmes and Portfolio as required.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of relevant skills including project and portfolio management best practice and develop and maintain own CPD programme.

Skills and Expertise

• Formal qualification in Project or Programme management (PRINCE 2 or MSP) or equivalent.
• Expert knowledge of operations and/or programme management methodologies and techniques.
• Strong sense of quality and equality.
• Highly effective people and project management skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication (written, oral, presentation, facilitation), networking and negotiation skills.