Head of PMO

System C; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

System C is seeking a Head of PMO to lead our Professional Services Portfolio Management Office and standardise governance, improve delivery insight and drive transformation across client projects.

You will partner with senior leaders to build consistent portfolio reporting, strengthen decision-making with evidence, and evolve the PMO into a strategic capability that improves outcomes for customers and the business.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership of a PMO, portfolio office or equivalent delivery function
• Experience managing complex project and programme portfolios
• Strong governance, assurance and project control expertise
• Confidence working with senior stakeholders and influencing decisions
• Excellent people leadership and capability development skills
• Experience with portfolio financials, capacity planning, risks and dependencies

Responsibilities

• Establish common portfolio reporting, governance and control standards
• Improve project, financial, resource and delivery data quality
• Standardise project controls including milestones, RAID management, dependencies and change
• Build clear ownership and accountability across delivery teams
• Create trusted portfolio reporting for senior stakeholders
• Lead portfolio governance, assurance and review practices
• Provide insight into portfolio health, risks and delivery confidence
• Challenge forecasts, capacity constraints and delivery performance
• Strengthen oversight of dependencies, risks and change activity
• Support leaders with clear recommendations and evidence-based decision making
• Define and deliver the PMO maturity roadmap
• Develop more predictive and forward-looking portfolio insight
• Improve prioritisation, benefits measurement and decision support
• Drive continuous improvement through automation, tooling and improved information flows
• Use portfolio trends and lessons learned to enhance delivery effectiveness

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

People leadership

Tools

Power BI

Excel

Jira

Confluence

Precursive

OpenAir

MS Project

Job description

Location: Leeds, United Kingdom
Salary: 50000GBP - 65000GBP DoE

Lead the future of portfolio delivery. Improve governance. Drive transformation.

At System C, we deliver technology that helps connect and transform health and care outcomes. As we continue to grow and evolve, we are looking for an experienced Head of PMO to lead our Professional Services Portfolio Management Office and establish it as a trusted, high-performing function that strengthens governance, insight and delivery performance.

This is a leadership role with a clear mandate: Standardise, Govern, Transform.

You will work closely with senior leaders while remaining connected to the operational realities of project delivery. You will create consistency across our portfolio, increase confidence in the information used for decision-making and evolve the PMO into a strategic capability that improves outcomes for customers and the business.

What you'll be doing

Establish the Foundations

• Define common portfolio reporting, governance and control standards


• Improve project, financial, resource and delivery data quality


• Standardise project controls including milestones, RAID management, dependencies and change


• Build clear ownership and accountability across delivery teams


• Create trusted portfolio reporting for senior stakeholders

Manage the Portfolio

• Lead portfolio governance, assurance and review practices


• Provide insight into portfolio health, risks and delivery confidence


• Challenge forecasts, capacity constraints and delivery performance


• Strengthen oversight of dependencies, risks and change activity


• Support leaders with clear recommendations and evidence-based decision making


• Define and deliver the PMO maturity roadmap


• Develop more predictive and forward-looking portfolio insight


• Improve prioritisation, benefits measurement and decision support


• Drive continuous improvement through automation, tooling and improved information flows


• Use portfolio trends and lessons learned to enhance delivery effectiveness

What we're looking for

• Proven leadership of a PMO, portfolio office or equivalent delivery function


• Experience managing complex project and programme portfolios


• Strong governance, assurance and project control expertise


• Confidence working with senior stakeholders and influencing decisions


• Excellent people leadership and capability development skills


• Experience with portfolio financials, capacity planning, risks and dependencies


• Ability to balance strategic thinking with operational execution

Experience with Power BI, advanced Excel, PSA/PPM tools, Jira, Confluence, Precursive, OpenAir or MS Project would be beneficial, although the ability to establish robust information disciplines is more important than knowledge of any specific platform.

Why System C?

We are a collaborative organisation where people are encouraged to learn, grow and make an impact. We value teamwork, continuous improvement, accountability and integrity. We invest in professional development, support flexible benefits and create opportunities for people to bring their best selves to work every day.

At System C, we believe great work happens when flexibility and collaboration come together. All our roles are offered on a hybrid basis, with colleagues spending a minimum of two days each week in the office to connect, create, and grow together. (Excludes associate and field-based roles).

We prioritise transparency in our job requirements and selection criteria, ensuring they are based solely on the essentials needed for effective job performance. We consciously avoid assumptions that could skew our perception of a candidate’s suitability for hire.

Our recruitment practices are designed to ensure that no applicant is unfairly disadvantaged by procedures or requirements that disproportionately affect protected groups without being essential for the job.

For every position, we develop a detailed job description and person specification. This approach maintains our focus on the true demands of the role and the skills, experience, and qualifications necessary. During interviews, we involve multiple interviewers where possible to further mitigate unintentional bias, thereby promoting a fair and equitable hiring process.