Description

The management of projects, typically involving the development and implementation of information systems to meet identified business needs, acquiring and utilizing the necessary resources and skills, within agreed parameters of cost, timescales, and quality.

The coordinated management of a range of programs, projects, and other work to achieve agreed strategic objectives for a designated business unit, involving the identification and prioritization of assignments and the deployment of resources to deliver them.

Portfolio Management Processes

• identifying and prioritizing the portfolio components;

• organizing and resourcing the portfolio;

• planning and tracking, at portfolio level;

• status reporting, at portfolio level;

• managing portfolio-level risks and issues;

• controlling dependencies across the portfolio;

• Performance measurement across the portfolio.

Additional Responsibilities

• Has full responsibility for defined areas of activity.

• Has a significant effect on an area of the IT work of the organization.

• Clearly understands how project management, program management, and portfolio management relate to the organization.

• Contributes to the profitability or operating efficiency of the organization.

• Able to influence policy formation.

• Demonstrates good knowledge of IT and its exploitation in both own and other organizations.

Complexity of Work

When managing a portfolio, performs work which is mainly non-routine and often includes strategic decision making and/or the large-scale deployment of resources.

Tasks

• Builds and reviews the relationships with business and out-task partners on a regular basis. Provides regular status updates on the portfolio, agrees issue resolution, and actions improvement plans.

• Balances the relative priorities of each constituent of the portfolio, as existing work is either completed or cancelled or when new requirements are identified with high priority levels.

• Initiates new work within the portfolio as capacity becomes available.

• Ensures that all work within the portfolio is supported by an up-to-date Business Case, and re-balances portfolio priorities to reflect revisions to Business Cases.

• Ensures that the appropriate environment is provided to support project and program managers, including access to local processes, practices, and facilities for managing projects.

• Builds and maintains a comprehensive milestone plan for the portfolio, based on the current plans of each constituent project or program.

• Puts in place systems, processes and measures to ensure that exceptions, slippage, and issues of priority are properly communicated to business partners and effectively managed, and that extra activities are initiated wherever gaps in the program are identified.

• Co-ordinates the portfolio, on a day-to-day basis to ensure maximum efficiency in the allocation of common resources and skills.

• Monitors overall progress of the portfolio, with particular focus on budgets, key milestones, and dependencies.

• Reviews the efficient use of resources across the portfolio.

• Ensures coherence of the portfolio, through regular reassessment of priorities, by resolving resource conflicts, and reassessing whether projects continue to meet business objectives and to use funds efficiently. Recommends initiation, postponement, or cancellation of projects or programs, in order to best align to business priorities.

• Ensures that significant strategic problems are identified at the earliest opportunity and that solutions are identified and implemented in line with the change control process.

• Reports progress of the portfolio to senior management, with specific emphasis on delivery of business objectives, the efficient deployment of staff resources, the effective management of risk and issues, and the volatility of the portfolio with respect to scope and quality changes, and the application of process improvement.

Education

• Has a four year degree

• PMP Certification preferred.

Experience

• Has 10+ years in the role of Program / Project Management withing the Manufacturing / Mining Industry. ERP implementation, conversions and / or upgrades preferred.

• Understands the principles of Program Management

• Has a comprehensive knowledge of system development life-cycles.

• Experience in relevant user environment involved in the introduction and use of IT including experience managing multiple projects.

• Is familiar with a number of business departments, their objectives and cultures.

• Strong leadership skills and is capable of establishing and sustaining effective relationships both within own organization and with other departments and external organizations.

• Knows own organization’s policy framework, management structures and reporting procedures for all aspects of the portfolio’s environment.

• Strong planning, communication and presentation skills.