Portfolio Manager

The Strategy, Finance and Performance (SFP) Directorate sits within Cabinet Office Corporate Services. The main focus of SFP is to ensure that the Cabinet Office gets the best return on its investment and meets commercial, regulatory and functional standards and is fiscally responsible. Working for the SFP directorate, you will be working right at the heart of government, engaging with the most senior stakeholders, and making a real impact on how the Civil Service works. The Team The Cabinet Office Portfolio Office (COPO) team exists to support delivery across the Cabinet Office's most critical projects. It is a small team that oversees a significant and high priority delivery Portfolio. By providing expert guidance, support and insight the team helps to ensure the projects are delivered in the right way, at the right time. Responsibility for Project and Programme delivery in CO sits with each Business Unit. COPO therefore works with project teams to combine oversight, advice, assurance and reporting as seamlessly as possible. It ensures the successful flow of information on the Portfolio's projects and programmes to Cabinet Office leadership by providing an overview of the Portfolio's performance. Regular engagement with projects, data analysis, reporting and coordination of assurance activity are all critical functions of the team. Further to project oversight and reporting, the team routinely reviews and advises on Business Case development and has a formal role to provide a pre-scrutiny review function for the Cabinet Office Investment Committee (CO-IC). The team is responsible for monitoring and maintaining Project Delivery Functional Standards (FS002) in the Cabinet Office and work with Directorates and ALBs to ensure compliance. Alongside this, the team is growing the Project Delivery Profession in Cabinet Office - developing senior governance to ensure visible leadership, and is currently developing networks to help discuss, develop and disseminate best practice and development opportunities (such as gaining IPA Accreditation or Chartered Project Professional status and Project Leadership Programme, Major Projects Leadership Academy and other training courses). This is an exciting opportunity to support delivery of change at the centre of government. Working flexibly as part of a small, expert and creative team, the successful candidate will support all aspects of the Portfolio Management function in the Cabinet Office. Role Overview The Portfolio Manager is an integral role within the CO Portfolio Office. The Portfolio Manager will play an important role in ensuring the accuracy of the Cabinet Office Project/ Programme reporting, which will lead to better decision making, improving the Cabinet Office. This role will be directly reporting to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on the Quarterly Performance Reviews and escalating relevant issues to the Executive Committee (ExCo). The Portfolio Manager will ensure that quality data and analysis underpins all reporting and that reporting to senior committees is of a high standard. The role will also involve the coordination of Gateway and Critical Friend Reviews for major projects. The team attends the CO Investment Committee (CO-IC) as part of its role in ensuring that Business Cases are of the necessary quality at the formal approvals stage. This provides an excellent opportunity to track new business cases for the Portfolio pipeline. Lastly, the team is responsible for driving the development of the Profession and Function. This is a really exciting part of the role which should allow the post-holder to demonstrate their wider capability supporting capability related activity such as increasing the numbers of IPA Accredited staff in CO, presenting PD training sessions, leading Communities of Practice, co-developing capability plans and ensuring compliance with the Functional Standards.,

• Management of the Cabinet Office Major Projects Portfolio including continuous improvement of the processes and applications that support it.
• Produce high quality performance management reports on a quarterly basis or ad-hoc basis as required by senior stakeholders and be able to present them to senior CO committees and stakeholders.
• Responsible for the data collation, monitoring and reporting process for all project and programmes in CO Portfolio, identifying new and innovative ways to provide greater Portfolio insight.
• Provide advice and guidance to SROs, Programme Directors or their teams on any facet of project delivery, approvals, assurance or business case development
• Coordinate formal Assurance interventions for projects (e.g. Gateway Reviews)
• Work with the Head of COPO to review Business Cases for the CO Investment Committee (CO-IC) pre-scrutiny meetings.
• Build and maintain the Business Case pipeline.
• Support the development of the Project Delivery profession for Cabinet Office, facilitating the development of project delivery capability and capacity across Cabinet Office and embedding a professional career path.
• Lead the drive to meet IPA Accreditation targets for CO
• Driving Functional compliance with FS002 across Cabinet Office and its ALBs.
  
  Experience of managing a Project Portfolio or Delivery Programme, including experience of management information reporting, assurance, governance and risk management.
• Good understanding of Business Case development and approvals
• Good understanding of Assurance and Gateway Reviews
• Experience of producing good quality documentation, management information and analysis for the consideration of governance boards and senior management.
• Demonstrable understanding of the Project Delivery Profession, Functional Standards and how they positively impact project delivery at an organisation level.
• Experience of investigating, defining and resolving complex issues in challenging, high-pressured situations with sensitivity and professionalism to ensure a positive outcome.
• Good communication skills - both oral and written, keen awareness of the audience, able to present complex information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to confidently engage with and manage a complex range of stakeholders, crossing team and organisational and grade boundaries, to build trust and credibility.
• Strong analytical skills - ability to interpret complex data, discern trends and draw implications to support effective decision-making.
Desirable
• Familiar with project management methodologies, ideally evidenced by one or more of the following accreditations: PLP, P3O, MoP, MSP, Prince2, PMP.
• Experience of Assurance Reviews (Review Team Member or Lead)