Benefits Manager

Cornwall Council; Dunmere; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Dunmere is seeking a Portfolio Benefits Manager to lead the benefits realisation strategy. This role demands a strategic leader with financial acumen and strong influencing skills to deliver measurable value. Responsibilities include developing operational processes for benefits management, overseeing a change portfolio yielding £40 million in savings, and ensuring alignment with strategic objectives. The position offers flexible working options and a competitive rewards package.

Benefits

Relocation support

Flexible working options

Defined benefit pension scheme

Generous annual leave

Health and wellbeing programme

Discounts on local and national services

Qualifications

• Strong track record in benefits management within portfolio, programme or project settings.
• Experience translating benefits management frameworks into operational deliverable methods.
• Expertise in delivery methodologies such as PRINCE2, MSP, Agile, or Change Management.
• Ability to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights.
• Excellent collaboration skills with various stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Council's benefits realisation strategy.
• Develop tools, dashboards and insights for evidence-based decision-making.
• Maintain a portfolio-wide benefits register.
• Embed a robust benefits realisation framework.
• Support commitments through benefits tracking.

Skills

Benefits management

Stakeholder engagement

PRINCE2

MSP

Agile

Change Management

Data analysis

Collaboration

Influencing

Job description

Portfolio Benefits Manager

As Portfolio Benefits Manager, you will lead the Council's benefits realisation strategy, acting as both a strategic advisor and a subject matter expert. This isn’t your typical project management role – it requires a unique blend of strategic leadership, financial acumen and influencing skills to ensure that every change initiative delivers measurable value.

Key Responsibilities

• Take forward the high‑level design for the benefits management framework and translate the intent into a set of operational processes with a clear RACI and implementation plan.
• Embed and maintain a robust benefits realisation framework across the full project and programme lifecycle.
• Maintain a clear, portfolio‑wide benefits register to track and report progress, ensuring transparency and accountability.
• Develop tools, dashboards and insights that enable evidence‑based decision‑making across the portfolio.
• Oversee a change portfolio aimed at delivering approximately £40 million in annual savings.
• Ensure alignment by maintaining the “golden thread” that links strategic objectives to delivery outcomes.
• Act as a trusted advisor, offering insight and challenge to support prioritisation, confident decision‑making and the continuous realisation of benefits.
• Develop method, process and tools to implement the benefits management framework that aligns with corporate strategy.
• Ensure benefits realisation is embedded within the project and programme lifecycle, from business case development to post‑implementation review.
• Support senior leadership and stakeholders through the benefits journey and in decision‑making by providing insights into the benefits of projects and programmes.
• Ensure programmes and projects benefits align to and meet strategic objectives.
• Ensure appropriate scrutiny is applied in identifying the value and success measures programmes and projects aim to achieve.
• Ensure measurement and metrics are in place to track benefits to realisation.
• Ensure process and meetings support the value capture.
• Champion benefits management at Senior level.
• Enable benefits reporting at Senior level and to aid regular programme and project reporting.
• Act as the e‑Programme Management Office (PMO) Benefits Subject Matter Expert to establish processes for benefits tracking and reporting across the portfolio.
• Maintain a portfolio‑level benefits register, ensuring clear accountability for benefits realisation.
• Support directorates directly with managing the benefits associated with their portfolios through the provision of tools, data and dashboards to enable this.
• Work closely with key finance colleagues to ensure transparent benefits tracking, particularly those supporting delivery of the Medium‑Term Financial Plan.
• Ensure benefits identification, tracking and realisation support and are aligned to the business planning and delivery planning processes.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement in benefits management by sharing best practices and lessons learned.

Qualifications

• A strong track record in benefits management within portfolio, programme or project settings (public sector experience is highly advantageous).
• Experience of translating benefits management frameworks and theory into pragmatic, operationally deliverable ways of working.
• Expertise in delivery methodologies such as PRINCE2, MSP, Agile or Change Management.
• Experience of designing and implementing changes to established norms that help ensure stakeholders are ready, willing and able to adopt the new ways of working.
• An ability to turn complex data into clear, actionable insights, empowering stakeholders at all levels to make informed decisions.
• Excellent collaboration skills – building and maintaining strong relationships with a variety of stakeholders.
• Influencing skills to challenge and guide decision‑makers, ensuring that benefits realisation stays on track.

Benefits & Culture

• Impactful Work – your efforts contribute to projects that make a real difference to Cornwall’s residents.
• Innovative Culture – be part of a forward‑thinking, data‑driven team that embraces continuous improvement and the latest thinking in benefits management.
• Relocation Support – we offer an attractive relocation package to support eligible candidates.
• Flexible Working – we offer hybrid working options to ensure a great work‑life balance.
• Exceptional Lifestyle – work in one of the UK’s most stunning locations with coastlines, natural beauty and a vibrant cultural heritage.

Where you’ll get: Cornwall Council offers a range of flexible working options and a competitive rewards package including a defined benefit pension scheme, generous annual leave, a national award‑winning health and wellbeing programme and a wide range of discounts to local and national goods and services.