Functions Centre Technology Portfolio Lead

Join Barclays as a Functions Centre Technology Portfolio Lead, where you'll play a key role in ensuring project governance standards are met across the portfolio. You'll work closely with Project Managers to help them understand and apply Change Delivery Model governance requirements, conduct self-assessments, and perform check and challenge to maintain compliance. You'll act as a SME for the projects within your portfolio, training PMs on governance enhancements, overseeing the adoption of new standards, and participating in audits. Success in this role requires deep project alignment, the ability to articulate value to stakeholders, and ensuring governance is seamlessly integrated into project execution.

Key responsibilities include:

• Partner with PMs on governance requirements, including the completion of outlined business cases (OBCs), detailed business plans (DBCs), control testing; check and challenge to meet the highest governance standards.
• Establish and maintain portfolio governance meetings, collaborate with senior leadership to set agenda, produce meeting materials, and take minutes; present and escalate governance issues and drive remediation.
• Be the subject matter expert (SME) on projects covered in partnership with PMs, including financials and delivery requirements.
• Run QC reporting process where project updates are requested from PMs in Navigator (Barclays project reporting tool). Analyse data, project deliverables, and ensure adherence to timeframe and control requirements. Produce and maintain portfolio trackers.
• Train PMs on new governance standards and implement new processes.

To excel in this role, you should have:

• Strong understanding of Change methodologies and industry-standard tools used in project governance and ability to drive and promote a governance culture throughout the organisation.
• Solid grasp of PMO methodologies in technology project management space, ensuring projects adhere to governance standards and best practices.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, including senior leadership, and present complex information with clarity.
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills, with the ability to convey key messages concisely and persuasively.

Some other highly valued skills may include:

• Change management and PMO experience, including reporting and strong excel skills.
• Ability to escalate, influence, and assert accountability to meet deadlines.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment, managing multiple priorities with a proactive, self-starting approach.
• Familiarity with Navigator, SharePoint, Qlik / Self-Serve MI.

You may be assessed on the key critical skills relevant for success in role, such as risk and controls, change and transformation, business acumen, strategic thinking and digital and technology, as well as job-specific technical skills.

The successful candidate will be based in Glasgow.

Purpose of the role

To support change delivery managers in the delivery of successful projects, while ensuring that project management processes and practices are aligned with controls and governance standards and that projects are aligned with the organisation's strategic objectives. 

Accountabilities

• Support to change delivery managers, ensuring their programme is compliant with the Barclays Control Framework, including oversight of controls and governance standards.
• Creation and implementation of standardised PMO processes and methodologies that are aligned with controls and governance standards and that support the delivery of successful projects.
• Monitoring of project performance, including tracking of project progress, identification of risks assumptions, issues and dependencies, and creation of report on project status to senior management.
• Support of project documentation, including maintenance of project plans, schedules, and budgets, and ensuring that project documentation is up-to-date and accurate.
• Facilitation of project governance, including ensuring that projects are aligned with the organisation's strategic objectives, and that project risks assumptions, issues and dependencies are managed effectively.
• Provision of change management framework training to project managers and other stakeholders, ensuring that they have the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver successful projects.
• Continuous improvement of project management practices, including identification of areas for improvement and implementation of changes to improve project delivery.

Vice President Expectations

• Contribute or set strategy, drive requirements and make recommendations for change. Plan resources, budgets, and policies; manage and maintain policies/processes; deliver continuous improvements and escalate breaches of policies/procedures.
• Be a subject matter expert within own discipline and will guide technical direction. Lead collaborative, multi-year assignments and guide team members through structured assignments, identify the need for the inclusion of other areas of specialisation to complete assignments. Train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions.
• Advise key stakeholders, including functional leadership teams and senior management on functional and cross functional areas of impact and alignment.
• Manage and mitigate risks through assessment, in support of the control and governance agenda.
• Demonstrate leadership and accountability for managing risk and strengthening controls in relation to the work your team does.
• Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the organisation functions to contribute to achieving the goals of the business.
• Collaborate with other areas of work, for business aligned support areas to keep up to speed with business activity and the business strategies.
• Create solutions based on sophisticated analytical thought comparing and selecting complex alternatives. In-depth analysis with interpretative thinking will be required to define problems and develop innovative solutions.
• Adopt and include the outcomes of extensive research in problem solving processes.
• Seek out, build and maintain trusting relationships and partnerships with internal and external stakeholders in order to accomplish key business objectives, using influencing and negotiating skills to achieve outcomes.

All colleagues will be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Values of Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence and Stewardship – our moral compass, helping us do what we believe is right. They will also be expected to demonstrate the Barclays Mindset – to Empower, Challenge and Drive – the operating manual for how we behave.