Head of PMO (Ref: 198471)

Forsyth Barnes Consultancy; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Birthday leave

5% pension contribution matching

4x salary life assurance

Hybrid working arrangements

Electric Vehicle and Cycle to Work

Job summary

Forsyth Barnes Consultancy seeks a Head of PMO to lead a modern portfolio management function for a healthcare services and software organisation. You will shape the PMO operating model, strengthen controls and deliver timely commercial decisions, working across delivery, finance, product and commercial teams.

The role focuses on raising standards, embedding disciplined ways of working, and developing PMO capability within a healthcare technology context.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading a PMO, portfolio office or similar capability.
• Proven success mentoring PMO or portfolio management teams.
• Strong knowledge of portfolio governance, project controls and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction, operating model and priorities for the PMO function.
• Lead, coach and develop PMO professionals with clear expectations and career paths.
• Introduce consistent portfolio governance, stage controls and reporting standards.
• Provide executive insight into delivery status, risks, milestones and forecast confidence.
• Improve resource planning, utilisation tracking and demand-versus-capacity processes.
• Enhance RAID, change control, dependency management and escalation practices.
• Collaborate with professional services and finance on utilisation and revenue delivery.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes and automate reporting.
• Measure PMO maturity and drive a progressive improvement roadmap.

Skills

PMO leadership

Portfolio governance

Reporting & forecasting

Stakeholder engagement

Jira

Confluence

Power BI

Microsoft Project

Precursive

FinancialForce

Kantata

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Power BI

Microsoft Project

Precursive

FinancialForce

Kantata

Job description

About Us

This organisation delivers healthcare services and software that support more effective, connected healthcare operations. Operating across healthcare and technology, the business combines sector expertise with digital solutions to help customers manage complex services, improve visibility and achieve more consistent outcomes.

Job Description

The Head of PMO will lead the development of a modern portfolio management function for a healthcare services and software organisation based in Maidstone.
This senior role will establish consistent governance, improve delivery intelligence and give leaders a clearer view of priorities, capacity, risk and performance across the portfolio.
Success will involve more than maintaining reporting routines.
You will shape the operating model for the PMO, strengthen project and resource controls, and create practical management information that supports timely commercial and operational decisions.
During the first year, your focus will be on raising standards, embedding disciplined ways of working and developing the capability of the PMO team.
Working across delivery, professional services, finance, product and commercial functions, you will turn fragmented information into a reliable view of portfolio health.
Your leadership will help teams forecast with greater confidence, manage dependencies earlier and deliver customer commitments with improved predictability.
The position suits an experienced PMO leader who enjoys building capability while remaining close to execution.
It offers substantial scope to influence how this organisation plans work, allocates resources and measures delivery performance as its healthcare technology activities evolve.

Key Responsibilities

• Set the strategic direction, operating model and priorities for the PMO function.
• Lead, coach and develop PMO professionals, establishing clear expectations and career development pathways.
• Introduce consistent portfolio governance, stage controls, reporting standards and assurance practices.
• Provide executive-level insight into delivery status, milestones, risks, dependencies, capacity and forecast confidence.
• Build stronger resource planning, utilisation tracking and demand-versus-capacity processes.
• Improve the accuracy and timeliness of project, portfolio and commercial forecasting.
• Establish effective approaches to RAID management, change control, dependency management and escalation.
• Challenge delivery assumptions constructively and hold stakeholders accountable for agreed actions and outcomes.
• Partner with professional services and finance teams on utilisation, billability, revenue-linked delivery and portfolio performance.
• Support delivery leaders in applying proportionate controls across customer programmes and internal initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to simplify processes, automate reporting and improve the quality of management information.
• Measure PMO maturity and implement a progressive improvement roadmap aligned with organisational priorities.

Requirements

• Significant experience leading a PMO, portfolio office, project controls function or professional services operations capability.
• Proven success managing, mentoring and developing PMO or portfolio management teams.
• Strong knowledge of portfolio governance, project controls, assurance, reporting and delivery methodologies.
• Practical experience improving resource planning, capacity management, utilisation reporting and forecasting.
• Confidence presenting portfolio insight, delivery risks and recommended actions to senior leadership.
• Demonstrable experience managing RAID logs, dependencies, change activity, milestones and delivery interventions.
• A track record of establishing or transforming PMO practices in a growing or changing organisation.
• Experience working across software, SaaS, healthcare technology, technology services or professional services environments.
• Commercial awareness of customer implementation programmes, billable delivery, revenue forecasting and service performance.
• Ability to combine strategic thinking with hands‑on process design, analysis and stakeholder engagement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the judgement to tailor governance to the scale and risk of each initiative.
• Experience with platforms such as Jira, Confluence, Power BI, Microsoft Project, Precursive, FinancialForce, Kantata or comparable PSA and portfolio tools would be advantageous.

Benefits

• Competitive salary of £65,000 to £75,000, reflecting the seniority and breadth of the role.
• Annual performance bonus of up to 5%.
• Private medical insurance to support personal healthcare needs.
• Twenty-five days of annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 27 days with service.
• A dedicated day of birthday leave in addition to the standard holiday allowance.
• Five per cent matched pension contributions.
• Four times salary life assurance and income protection cover.
• Flexible hybrid working arrangements supporting focused work and effective stakeholder connection.
• Access to Electric Vehicle and Cycle to Work schemes.
• Meaningful influence over portfolio governance, delivery performance and PMO maturity.
• Scope to build a high-impact function within a business operating at the intersection of healthcare services and software.

Other

The role is based in Maidstone, England, with hybrid flexibility. It provides an opportunity to establish a stronger portfolio discipline in an environment where delivery quality, customer outcomes and operational insight are closely connected.

Candidates should be prepared to operate credibly with executives and delivery teams alike, translating strategic priorities into practical controls and measurable improvements. Relevant experience from adjacent technology, healthcare, SaaS or professional services settings will be considered where the underlying portfolio leadership capability is strong.