Head of Enterprise Systems & Projects

Aurora Energy Research; Oxford; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Parental Support

Salary-Exchange Pension

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Local Oxford Discounts

Cycle-to-work Scheme

Flu Jabs

Job summary

Aurora Energy Research, based in Oxford, seeks a Head of Enterprise Systems & Projects to lead Business Systems and the Technology PMO within Internal Technology. You will direct governance, roadmaps and reporting across enterprise SaaS, driving maturity and value for a fast-growing international business.

You will partner across Architecture, Data, IT Operations and Security to align requirements with best practice, shaping a scalable operating model and driving cross‑team collaboration with

Qualifications

• Significant leadership across enterprise tech, business systems, PMO or technology transformation environments.
• Leads multidisciplinary teams and develops managers across systems, delivery or change functions.
• Experience establishing governance frameworks, operating models, portfolio processes and scalable ways of working.
• Managing enterprise application portfolios, roadmaps and delivery priorities in a complex business environment.
• Enterprise SaaS management including ownership models, lifecycle, integrations, reporting, change control and vendor governance.
• Partnership with architecture, engineering, data, security and operations to ensure secure, scalable solutions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and ability to influence senior leaders, resolving competing priorities and explaining trade-offs clearly.
• Strong reporting and communication capability for executive-level updates.
• Balance strategic leadership with practical operational delivery and governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Business Systems and Technology PMO functions, setting direction, priorities, structure and ways of working across Systems Managers, Project Managers and their teams.
• Own and maintain the enterprise systems roadmap, ensuring integration with business priorities, architecture direction and delivery capacity.
• Establish consistent programme and project governance, including demand intake, prioritisation, delivery assurance, dependency management, risk management and decision forums.
• Define, standardise and continuously improve operating models, processes and controls across Business Systems and Technology PMO.
• Provide clear, accurate and decision-ready reporting across systems and project roadmaps, including progress, health, risk, dependencies and actions.
• Drive a coherent, well-managed enterprise application estate with appropriate ownership and lifecycle management.
• Partner with architecture and other technical leaders to ensure solutions meet business needs and align with guiding principles.
• Lead, coach and develop managers and teams, building capability and a consistent service mindset.
• Ensure clear governance of third-party technology and delivery partners where they support enterprise systems or delivery activity.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, automate and standardise processes across the estate.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

PMO

Governance

Enterprise systems

Executive reporting

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Salesforce

Microsoft 365

SharePoint

Power Platform

Job description

Head of Enterprise Systems & Projects

Department: Internal Technology

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: Oxford, UK

Description

Based in Oxford, Aurora is looking for a Head of Enterprise Systems & Projects to join our Internal Technology leadership team. Reporting to the Head of Internal Technology, this role will lead the Business Systems and Technology PMO functions and will be accountable for the direction, processes and operating model that enable both teams to scale effectively.

This is a senior leadership role with a clear mandate to mature how Internal Technology manages enterprise systems, project delivery, governance and reporting. You will lead the Business Systems and Technology PMO teams, creating consistent ways of working and ensuring the functions operate as a coherent, well-managed and governed Enterprise SaaS estate.

The role will own the enterprise systems roadmap, strengthen project management and delivery governance, and provide high-quality reporting across systems and project roadmaps that is suitable for Global Management visibility and decision making. You will bring structure to prioritisation, demand management, roadmaps, risk, dependencies, change control and operational reporting, ensuring senior stakeholders have a clear view of progress, trade-offs and outcomes.

Working closely with Architecture & Engineering, Business Data, IT Operations, Information Security and the wider Internal Technology leadership team, you will ensure business requirements are met within good technical practice. You will be a key part of the department’s maturity journey, helping to standardise processes, improve cross-team collaboration and embed practical governance that supports Aurora’s continued global growth. You will work closely with the Internal Technology Portfolio Manager on process, ensuring that your teams are aligned with overall departmental process maturation.

The successful candidate will combine enterprise systems leadership, PMO experience, strong commercial judgement and excellent stakeholder communication. This opportunity will suit a pragmatic leader who can set direction, build capability, create clarity from complexity and deliver measurable improvement in a fast-growing, international business.

Key Responsibilities

• Functional leadership: Lead the Business Systems and Technology PMO functions, setting direction, priorities, structure and ways of working across Systems Managers, Project Managers and their teams.
• Enterprise systems roadmap: Own and maintain the enterprise systems roadmap, ensuring it is integrated with business priorities, architecture direction, delivery capacity and wider Internal Technology strategy.
• PMO governance: Establish consistent programme and project governance, including demand intake, prioritisation, delivery assurance, dependency management, risk management and decision forums.
• Operating models and processes: Define, standardise and continuously improve operating models, processes and controls across Business Systems and Technology PMO, balancing consistency with pragmatic delivery.
• Management reporting: Provide clear, accurate and decision-ready reporting across systems and project roadmaps, including delivery progress, health, risk, dependencies, benefits, resource constraints and key management actions.
• Governed Enterprise SaaS estate: Drive a coherent, well-managed and governed enterprise application estate, promoting appropriate ownership, system boundaries, lifecycle management, integration, simplification and secure ways of working.
• Technical alignment: Partner with technical leaders, particularly in architecture, to ensure solutions meet business needs while following sound technical practice and align with Internal Technology guiding principles.
• People leadership: Lead, coach and develop managers and team members across the two functions, building capability, accountability, collaboration and a consistent service mindset.
• Supplier and partner governance: Ensure clear governance of third-party technology and delivery partners where they support enterprise systems, project delivery or implementation activity.
• Continuous improvement: Identify opportunities to simplify, automate and standardise processes across the estate, ensuring Systems Managers are collaborating to streamline the overall technology estate where appropriate

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Required attributes:

• Significant leadership experience across enterprise technology, business systems, PMO, portfolio management or technology transformation environments.
• Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and develop managers across systems, project delivery or technology change functions.
• Strong experience establishing governance frameworks, operating models, portfolio processes and scalable ways of working.
• Demonstrable experience managing enterprise application portfolios, technology roadmaps and delivery priorities in a complex business environment.
• Strong understanding of enterprise SaaS management, including ownership models, lifecycle management, integrations, reporting, change control and vendor governance.
• Experience partnering with architecture, engineering, data, security and operations teams to ensure technology solutions are secure, scalable, supportable and aligned to good practice.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with confidence influencing senior leaders, resolving competing priorities and explaining complex trade-offs clearly.
• Strong reporting and communication capability, including the ability to prepare executive-level updates for senior and Global Management audiences.
• Ability to balance strategic leadership with practical operational delivery, maintaining momentum while building sustainable governance.

Desirable attributes:

• Experience in a high-growth international organisation or global technology function.
• Experience governing enterprise SaaS estates that include platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Salesforce, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, SAP SuccessFactors, Power Platform or equivalent.
• Programme or project management qualifications, such as MSP, MoP, PRINCE2, Agile, Scrum or equivalent applied experience.
• Exposure to enterprise architecture, integration strategy, data governance, technology risk management or systems lifecycle planning.
• Experience designing reporting frameworks, dashboards or roadmap reporting for senior management and executive decision making.

What we offer

Some of the benefits we include are:

• Private Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Parental Support
• Salary-Exchange PensionEmployee Assistance Programme (EAP)
• Local Oxford Discounts
• Cycle-to-work Scheme
• Flu Jabs

At AER, we are committed to offering flexibility in the way we work. Most of our roles are hybrid with a mix of in-office/home working and potentially adjustable working hours. Let’s discuss what works for you and AER during the interview process.

The Company is committed to the principle that no employee or job applicant shall receive unfavourable treatment on grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy, and maternity.