Manager, IT PMO

Overview
Summary

The Manager, IT PMO is responsible for the high-quality and timely delivery of technology and business initiatives across the enterprise and reports into the central IT Project Management Office (PMO). This position manages a team of Portfolio and Project Managers responsible for delivering business enhancements through Agile methodologies as well as large-scale, complex programs involving internal teams and external vendors.

In addition to project and portfolio delivery responsibilities, this role is accountable for portfolio governance, cross-portfolio prioritization, budget management, Annual Operating Plan (AOP) development, vendor spend oversight, and executive stakeholder engagement. The Manager, IT PMO partners with business and technology leaders to ensure strategic alignment, optimize investments, and deliver measurable business outcomes.

Success in this position requires adaptability, strong leadership, financial acumen, a focus on continuous improvement, and the ability to build and retain a high-performing team focused on consistency, quality, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence.

#LI-JM1

Responsibilities
Essential Functions

Leads a team of highly skilled Portfolio and Project Managers.
Hires, develops, reviews, compensates, manages performance, promotes, and exits team members as appropriate.
Enhances, audits, and enforces project and portfolio management methodologies, governance processes, and communication standards in partnership with the C1 IT PMO.
Assumes responsibility for continuous improvement of delivery quality, operational efficiency, and organizational effectiveness.
Ensures consistency of project execution, governance, reporting, and delivery practices across all portfolios.
Supports and promotes the strategic objectives of the C1 IT PMO.
Promotes knowledge sharing, professional development, and continuous learning.
Identifies opportunities for process improvement, operational efficiency, and business value realization across portfolios.
Establishes, monitors, and reports key portfolio, operational, financial, and delivery performance metrics.
Leads cross-portfolio planning, dependency management, and prioritization to ensure resources and investments are aligned with enterprise strategic objectives.
Facilitates governance boards, portfolio review committees, and executive steering committees to evaluate initiatives and manage competing priorities.
Partners with business and IT leadership to prioritize initiatives, resolve resource conflicts, and align delivery roadmaps with strategic objectives.
Builds and maintains strong relationships with executive stakeholders across the enterprise, serving as a trusted advisor on project delivery, portfolio health, investment decisions, and business outcomes.
Drives effective stakeholder communication, ensuring transparency around portfolio performance, risks, dependencies, budget utilization, and achievement of strategic goals.
Leads portfolio financial management, including annual budget planning, forecasting, spend tracking, and variance analysis.
Develops and manages Annual Operating Plan (AOP) budgets across assigned portfolios.
Oversees vendor spend management, ensuring budget adherence, invoice accuracy, contract compliance, and cost optimization.
Partners with Finance and Procurement teams to support budgeting cycles, forecasting activities, business cases, and investment planning.
Ensures compliance with financial controls, procurement policies, governance standards, and project funding requirements.
Escalates and resolves cross-functional risks, issues, and dependencies impacting strategic initiatives.
Additional Specific Duties and Responsibilities

Engages in direct project and portfolio management as needed.
Oversees strategic and special initiatives as assigned.
Develops executive-level reporting, portfolio dashboards, and investment recommendations.
Supports vendor evaluations, contract renewals, negotiations, and performance reviews.
Develops business cases, ROI analyses, and funding recommendations to support project and portfolio investment decisions.
Supports organizational change management and executive communications for key initiatives.

Qualifications
Required Qualifications

12+ years of experience in project management, portfolio management, PMO leadership, or related management roles.
Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent experience.
Passion for project and portfolio management, operational excellence, and financial stewardship.
Proven ability to analyze, develop, document, and optimize business processes.
Demonstrated experience managing project, portfolio, and operational budgets.
Experience developing and managing Annual Operating Plans (AOP), forecasts, and investment roadmaps.
Experience overseeing vendor relationships and managing third-party spend.
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional and cross-portfolio prioritization within a complex enterprise environment.
Proven ability to influence and align executive stakeholders across business and technology organizations.
Strong understanding of project financial management, resource planning, portfolio governance, and investment prioritization.
Excellent leadership and people management skills with the ability to motivate, coach, and develop teams.
Excellent verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
Strong stakeholder management skills with experience partnering with senior executives, Finance, Procurement, and business leaders.
Ability to foster collaboration and build relationships across all levels of the organization.
Strong interpersonal skills including facilitation, negotiation, conflict resolution, and consensus building.
Ability to drive consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement across teams and portfolios.
Strong financial analysis, reporting, budgeting, and forecasting capabilities.
Proficient with Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project Web, Smartsheet, and related project portfolio management tools.

Desired/Preferred Qualifications

PMP, PgMP, PfMP, or equivalent project management certification.
5+ years of direct people management experience.
Experience leading enterprise PMOs supporting large-scale digital transformation initiatives.
Experience managing multimillion-dollar project and portfolio budgets.
Experience facilitating governance boards, investment review committees, and executive steering committees.
Knowledge of IT financial management practices, including CapEx/OpEx planning, portfolio investment management, and business case development.
Strong understanding of vendor management, contract administration, and spend optimization practices.
Proficiency with Azure DevOps (ADO), SharePoint, Power BI, and portfolio management tools.
Experience presenting portfolio performance, financial results, strategic risks, and investment recommendations to executive leadership and board-level stakeholders