Senior Portfolio Manager- Brussels

RMM Consulting Group; Brussel Hoofdstad; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

European Commission Brussels seeks a Senior Portfolio Manager to govern a complex IT portfolio, bridging business and technology to ensure strategic alignment with governance, cybersecurity, and budget constraints.

You will lead end-to-end project delivery, coordinate with business units, IT security, procurement, and external vendors, and deliver executive dashboards for decision-making in a challenging European institutional environment.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree (EQF7) with 15+ years IT experience; or Bachelor’s (EQF6) with 17+ years IT exp; or secondary with 22+ years IT exp.
• English: CEFR B2 level mandatory; French B2 advantageous.
• 20+ years IT experience; 10+ years PM; 10+ years portfolio management.
• 5+ years IT governance; 5+ years stakeholder management.
• Experience with enterprise project governance, budgeting, and risk management.
• Experience with IAM, ITSRM, cybersecurity governance, data protection.

Responsibilities

• Lead portfolio governance, coordination, and delivery of IT initiatives across multiple units.
• Prepare executive dashboards and management briefings for decision bodies.
• Coordinate supplier onboarding, service transitions, and cloud governance.
• Ensure alignment with cybersecurity, risk, and data protection requirements.
• Maintain governance frameworks and reporting processes for continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

IT governance

Stakeholder management

Budget planning

Reporting & dashboards

Cybersecurity awareness

Language: English (B2)

French (B2 advantageous)

Education

Master’s degree (EQF7) or equivalent IT experience

Bachelor’s degree (EQF6) or equivalent IT experience

Secondary education + 22 years IT exp.

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Microsoft 365

Portfolio & governance tools

Dashboard/reporting tools

Job description

For our client – EC in Brussels,
we are looking for Senior Portfolio Manager
Home Office – B2B – Attractive Rate – Long Term contract

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Portfolio Manager to support Agency IT governance, portfolio coordination, and project delivery activities. The successful candidate will bridge business and technology stakeholders, ensuring IT initiatives align with strategic objectives, governance standards, cybersecurity requirements, available resources, and budget constraints.

This role combines portfolio management, IT governance, project leadership, cybersecurity oversight, and stakeholder management within a complex European institutional environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and monitor a portfolio of IT initiatives covering operational continuity, modernization, and digital transformation projects.
• Support the identification, evaluation, prioritization, and governance of IT initiatives based on business value, risks, costs, dependencies, and resource availability.
• Maintain portfolio visibility through governance, reporting, and resource management tools.
• Prepare executive dashboards, portfolio reports, and management briefings for decision-making bodies.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of governance frameworks, portfolio processes, and working practices.

Project Management

• Lead and coordinate IT projects throughout their full lifecycle:
  • Initiation and business case preparation
  • Planning and scheduling
  • Delivery oversight
  • Risk and issue management
  • Reporting and stakeholder communication
  • Transition and closure
• Monitor project scope, quality, schedule, budget, risks, dependencies, and deliverables.
• Ensure successful coordination between business units, IT departments, security teams, procurement stakeholders, and external suppliers.

IT Governance & Risk Management

• Support IT security risk assessments and compliance evaluations for new or significantly modified digital solutions.
• Ensure adherence to governance, cybersecurity, and data protection requirements.
• Participate in IT risk management activities, including mitigation planning and escalation of critical issues.
• Support governance reviews and decision-making processes for strategic IT initiatives.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with:
  • Business owners
  • Project and service managers
  • Technical teams
  • Security specialists
  • Procurement functions
  • External vendors and service providers
• Coordinate supplier onboarding, service transitions, and transfer of operational or cloud service ownership.

Documentation & Reporting

• Produce and maintain:
  • Project charters
  • Business cases
  • Technical requirements
  • Governance documentation
  • Status reports
  • Decision papers
  • Executive summaries
• Capture lessons learned and promote best practices in project, portfolio, governance, and security management.

Mandatory Qualifications

Education

One of the following:

• Master’s degree (EQF Level 7) with at least 15 years of relevant IT experience; or
• Bachelor’s degree (EQF Level 6) with at least 17 years of relevant IT experience; or
• Secondary education with at least 22 years of relevant IT experience.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 20 years of IT professional experience
• Minimum 10 years of Project Management experience
• Minimum 10 years of combined experience in project, programme, or portfolio management
• Minimum 5 years of IT Governance experience
• Minimum 5 years of Stakeholder Management experience

Certifications

One of the following certifications is mandatory:

Language Requirements

• English: CEFR B2 level or higher (mandatory)
• French: B2 level or higher (considered an advantage)

Required Technical Expertise

The ideal candidate should demonstrate proven experience in:

• Enterprise project governance
• Budget planning and financial management
• Resource planning and capacity management
• Management reporting and executive communication

Cybersecurity & Risk

• Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• IT Security Risk Management (ITSRM)
• Cybersecurity governance
• Data protection and compliance requirements

Delivery Methodologies

• Scrum
• Hybrid project management approaches

Tools & Platforms

• Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence) or equivalent
• Microsoft 365 ecosystem
• Portfolio and governance management tools
• Reporting and dashboard solutions

Core Competencies

Leadership & Coordination

• Ability to lead complex IT initiatives from initiation through closure.
• Strong coordination skills across multidisciplinary teams and external parties.

Strategic Thinking

• Evaluate initiatives based on business value, costs, risks, benefits, and organizational priorities.
• Support strategic decision-making through structured analysis and recommendations.

Communication

• Ability to communicate effectively with operational teams, technical experts, governance boards, and senior executives.
• Strong presentation and reporting skills.

Analytical Capability

• Assess complex proposals and business requirements.
• Identify gaps, dependencies, and improvement opportunities.
• Produce pragmatic and actionable recommendations.
• Identify, assess, track, and mitigate project and portfolio risks.
• Escalate critical decisions appropriately and drive corrective actions.

Autonomy

• Demonstrated ability to work independently while contributing within a collaborative governance environment.

Preferred Experience

Candidates with any of the following will be considered highly advantageous:

• Experience within European Institutions, Agencies, or other highly regulated environments.
• Hands-on security risk assessment expertise using ITSRM or equivalent frameworks.
• Governance of new or significantly changed digital solutions.
• Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Privileged Access Management (PAM).
• Cloud governance and cloud migration programs.
• Supplier transition and service transformation initiatives.
• IT asset rationalization and decommissioning projects.
• Process improvement and gap analysis initiatives.
• Enterprise portfolio management and service management platforms.

What Success Looks Like

The successful Senior Portfolio Manager will ensure that Agency IT portfolio delivers measurable business value while maintaining strong governance, security compliance, budget control, and stakeholder alignment. The role is critical in enabling informed decision-making and ensuring that strategic IT investments support the Agency’s mission and long-term objectives.

Delivery mode: Near Site (Brussels)

Must be an EU national – due to the nature of tasks the candidate will be required to access sensitive data.