Head of Portfolio Management Office

The role of the Head of PfMO (Portfolio Management Office) is to define and maintain the standards for Portfolio and Programme management within the Portfolio Management Function on behalf of the Portfolio & Programme Management Director.
This includes the implementation and sharing of best practices and the development and application of portfolio and programme management procedures, tools and techniques to standardise methodologies and realise economies.
The Head of PfMO provides expert guidance, support, and insight on the portfolio of projects, and acts as the source of all information and metrics. The role is expected to have an expert understanding of the best practice guides which include and is not limited to Management of Portfolios (MoP), P3O, Management of Risk (MoR) and Managing Successful Programmes (MSP)., + Delivery and leadership – Lead the PfMO to support in the delivery of business cases benefits and outcomes.
+ Champion the use of best practice project management standards and processes.
+ Business case – Support the Portfolio & Programme Management Director in developing business cases with input from specialists as necessary.
+ Budget – Working with the PfM team and the Strategic partners to develop and agree on budgets for projects and/or programmes and forecast actual costs against them.
+ Resources – Manage the PfMO team and support the Portfolio Director in the identification, recruitment, development, deployment, and reassignment of resources throughout the portfolio and the lifecycle of the projects.
+ Stakeholder management – Advise the Portfolio Director on appropriate tools and techniques for managing stakeholder relationships. Assure the Portfolio Director and the Senior Stakeholder Manager on the effectiveness of stakeholder management arrangements.
+ Risks and issues – Establish the processes and standards for managing risks and issues. Assure the Portfolio Director on the effectiveness of Risk and Issue management arrangements.
+ Governance and assurance – Ensure appropriate governance is in place and arrange external reviews e.g. Gateway Reviews at appropriate points in the lifecycle of all the portfolio’s projects.
+ Monitor the effectiveness of controls and ensure that recommendations from external reviews are acted upon.
+ Change management – Establish and implement protocols to change the scope of projects and/or programmes and update configuration documents as required.
+ Project performance and controls – Establish and operate project controls on behalf of the Portfolio & Programme Management Director, reporting on all progress and status to appropriate bodies. Identify common capabilities and opportunities for linking up, re-using and sharing of methods and resources between projects and programmes. Ensure learning from experience is disseminated across the organisation.
+ Guidance and support – Identify, develop and share best practice management processes, tools and templates and benchmarks against industry standards. Provides direction and guidance to the project team., If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Any move to GPA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
o UK nationals
o nationals of the Republic of Ireland
o nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
o nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
o nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
o individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
o Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

o Experience in delivering a large real estate portfolio.
o The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of running a Portfolio Office or PMO running high value and complex programmes/projects, or who is able to demonstrate that they can deliver individual projects in the capacity of Project Manager, or as a Workstream leader on a large project.
o They will be an excellent communicator - able to write succinctly and persuasively, adapting the writing style for briefings and papers based on the intended audience, as well as speak with conviction and authority about areas they are responsible for.
o They will be adept at building excellent working relationships at all levels of an organisation, and be a credible leader of people with the ability to get the best out their staff and have a genuine commitment to their development.
The successful candidate will have attained at least 1 of the following qualifications/memberships (or be able to demonstrate an equivalent):
- Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner
- P3O Practitioner
- Management of Risk Practitioner
- Management of Portfolios Practitioner
Desirable criteria:
o MCIOB
o MRICS
o PRINCE2 Practitioner
o Agile Project Management Practitioner
o Managing Successful Programmes Advanced Practitioner
o APM Chartered Project Professional
o Project Leadership Programme
o APM Project Management Qualification
o APMG International Project Planning and Control Foundation
o APMG International Project Planning and Control Practitioner
o Leading and Managing Project Workstream

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.
We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.
Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme, as well as delivering modern, cost-effective real estate service solutions.
Innovation and progress are at the heart of our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. And we’re dedicated to becoming a leading, inclusive employer both in the external market and throughout the Civil Service. Our strong emphasis on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces.
Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.
The GPA is committed to representing the communities we serve by making Diversity, Equality and Inclusion part of everything we do.
To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
o Working Together
o Changing and Improving

Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
o Customer Perspective
o Commercial Acumen
o Property Market Knowledge
o Innovation, Alongside your salary of £66,045, Government Property Agency contributes £19,133 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
o Learning and development tailored to your role
o An environment with flexible working options
o A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
o A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
o Generous annual leave, This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and well-being and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued. The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme (RIS) to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.
Sift
The sift is due to take place week commencing 20th January 2025.
As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 750-word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.
Interview
Applicants successful at sift will be invited to interviews, which are due to take place week commencing 3rd February 2025 and will be undertaken virtually.
At interview, applicants will be scored against their CV and 2 behaviours - Working Together, and Changing and Improving.
Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, and Technical (core skill) questions.
If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to give a 10-minute presentation on the main differences between a Portfolio PMO vs a Project PMO. The presentation will be followed by questions and answers, including questions relating to your experience and GPA Behaviours.