Head of Portfolio

The Head of Portfolio (HoP) play a pivotal role in aligning and optimizing our strategic initiatives across our brands and markets. HoP will drive our methods of working, our organisational set up and our delivery models, in parallel to what we’re working on.

HoP are focused on value delivery. They use a raft of data and metrics to detect trends, identify patterns and solve problems. They partner with Engineering and Product leaders to reduce waste to help teams to achieve Autonomy, Accountability and Alignment to value outcomes.

Partners with Directors of each pillars of business

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and coach our product pillar teams through their transformation, embracing and role modelling autonomy and empowerment throughout the department
• Lead, mentor, and coach a team of delivery professionals, providing guidance on product portfolio management, strategic planning, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including executives, product managers, development teams, and external partners, to ensure alignment and gather insights that contribute to strategic decision-making.
• Develop and enforce common processes, methodologies, and agile best practices for product and project delivery, ensuring consistency, efficiency, and quality.
• Facilitate communication and collaboration between the respective pillar teams to promote knowledge sharing, innovation, and the identification of opportunities for cross-functional projects.
• Complete regular diagnostics on our operational set up, teams’ efficiency and improvement culture to define and drive opportunities for improvement.
• Analyse performance metrics and KPIs to identify areas for improvement.
• Work closely with the performance operations team to allocate necessary resources to support the initiatives in each pillar.
• Picks up programme management activity within pillar, where needed
• Responsible for CAPEX planning for the pillar (gaming, sport etc)
• An expert problem solver; deploying a range of mechanisms to identify, analyse and drive out resolutions
• An expert in scoping, resourcing and executing specific CI programmes utilising a vast toolkit such as Lean Six Sigma, Value Stream Mapping, Design Thinking, 5S, 7 Measures, 7 Wastes, SMED etc
• In depth understanding of the product lifecyle and delivery of business outcomes
• Advanced in all aspects of delivery including selection of framework to use.
• Good understanding of Agile Methodologies, A set of adaptive and collaborative approaches to project management and software development that prioritize flexibility, customer involvement, and iterative progress.
• Experienced in Continuous Improvement, the ability to systematically identify, analyze, and implement incremental enhancements and optimizations in processes, practices, and products, fostering a culture of ongoing learning and refinement within an organization.
• Previous experience of Organisational Transformation, strategic process of implementing significant changes across a company's structure, processes, culture, and operations to achieve new goals and adapt to evolving challenges.
• Advanced understanding of Governance & Assurance, and the ability to apply organisational policies and procedures to manage and control organisation processes.
• Well-versed in Conflict Resolution, Resolves customer conflicts across and identifies, remediates potential areas of risk. Investigating, documenting, and resolving conflicts and issues.
• Competent in Technical Reporting, The communication of complex technical information, data, or findings in a clear, concise, and organised manner to inform decision-making, support problem-solving, and facilitate understanding among relevant stakeholders.
• Experience in project and programme finance including budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, and decision-making, to support strategic goals.
• Well-versed in Risk Management/Impediments, identifies, evaluates and manages interference, obstacles and potential risks that have a negative impact on the sprints' velocity or overall performance.
• Experienced in Project Quality Management, ensures projects are delivered to an agreed quality.
• Demonstrable experience of Schedule Management, establishes policies and documentation for maintaining, developing, managing, and controlling the schedules for time and resources
• Good knowledge of Business Strategy, the ability to analyze complex market dynamics, formulate clear objectives, and devise innovative plans that guide a company's decisions and actions toward achieving its overarching goals.
• Proficient in Business Case Management, the creation, evaluation, and ongoing oversight of comprehensive justifications for projects or initiatives, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and optimal resource allocation

Managerial responsibilities:

• Develop and communicate clear goals and objectives for the team aligned to our business strategy.
• Recruit, develop, and retain top talent, actively coaching the team to develop and grow, creating development opportunities as they arise.
• Create a positive and productive work environment that motivates and inspires people to perform their best work.

Competencies:

• Stakeholder engagement: Builds effective working relationships
• Collaboration: Communicates effectively with a positive impact
• Agility: Quickly adapts and remains flexible while managing risks
• Drives performance: Continually raises the bar
• Delivers results: Plans for success and gets the job done