Head of Portfolio Controls Office

The Head of Portfolio Controls Office provides oversight, governance, control, and execution management across the Barclaycard Payments technology and change portfolio. Operating as a senior leadership role and Chief of Staff function to the CIO and COO leadership team, the role ensures strategic priorities are translated into executable plans, delivery remains within approved tolerances, and senior stakeholders have the insight required to make effective decisions

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.

Director Expectations

• To manage a business function, providing significant input to function wide strategic initiatives. Contribute to and influence policy and procedures for the function and plan, manage and consult on multiple complex and critical strategic projects, which may be business wide..
• They manage the direction of a large team or sub-function, leading other people managers and embedding a performance culture aligned to the values of the business. Or for an individual contributor, they lead organisation wide projects and act as deep technical expert and thought leader, identifying new ways of working and collaborating cross functionally. They will train, guide and coach less experienced specialists and provide information affecting long term profits, organisational risks and strategic decisions..
• Provide expert advice to senior functional management and committees to influence decisions made outside of own function, offering significant input to function wide strategic initiatives.
• Manage, coordinate and enable resourcing, budgeting and policy creation for a significant sub-function.
• Escalates breaches of policies / procedure appropriately.
• Foster and guide compliance, ensure regulations are observed that relevant processes in place to facilitate adherence.
• Focus on the external environment, regulators, or advocacy groups to both monitor and influence on behalf of Barclays, when appropriate.
• Demonstrate extensive knowledge of how the function integrates with the business division / Group to achieve the overall business objectives.
• Maintain broad and comprehensive knowledge of industry theories and practices within own discipline alongside up-to-date relevant sector / functional knowledge, and insight into external market developments / initiatives.
• Use interpretative thinking and advanced analytical skills to solve problems and design solutions in often complex/ sensitive situations.
• Exercise management authority to make significant decisions and certain strategic decisions or recommendations within own area.
• Negotiate with and influence stakeholders at a senior level both internally and externally.
• Act as principal contact point for key clients and counterparts in other functions/ businesses divisions.
• Mandated as a spokesperson for the function and business division.

All Senior Leaders are expected to demonstrate a clear set of leadership behaviours to create an environment for colleagues to thrive and deliver to a consistently excellent standard. The four LEAD behaviours are: L – Listen and be authentic, E – Energise and inspire, A – Align across the enterprise, D – Develop others.

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.