Head of Specialist Projects & Governance (PMO)

Cavu; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Pension 10%

On-site gym

Flexible benefits

Job summary

CAVU is seeking a seasoned Head of Portfolio Management & Governance to lead the PMO and oversee a portfolio of strategic initiatives. The role focuses on governance, delivery assurance, benefits realisation and senior stakeholder engagement to drive organisational growth.

You will build a best-in-class PMO capability, embed governance standards, and deliver robust reporting to the Executive Committee, ensuring strategic priorities translate into measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Significant experience designing and leading a PMO in a complex organisation.
• Proven ability to design and embed portfolio governance frameworks, controls and standards.
• Strong expertise in governance, benefits management, dependency management and delivery assurance.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation and continuous development of the PMO.
• Embed portfolio governance frameworks and operating model across programmes.
• Provide executive reporting, dashboards and assurance across the portfolio.

Skills

PMO leadership

Stakeholder management

Portfolio governance

Executive influencing

Data-driven delivery

Education

PMO-related degree or equivalent

Tools

PPM tools

PRINCE2

Agile/SAFe

Job description

Head of Portfolio Management & Governance

Permanent

Hybrid (2 days per week in the office at Manchester Airport)

About CAVU

For airports, for partners, for people. We are CAVU.

At CAVU, our purpose is to find new and better ways to make airport travel seamless and enjoyable for everybody, from the smallest ideas to the biggest transformations. Every day is an opportunity to create better travel experiences.

From our revenue-accelerating single-platform technology, Propel, through to our world-class hospitality venues, our solutions make travel smoother for passengers and more profitable for our clients and partners.

We know that to bring your best ideas, you need the space to think, the support to grow, and the freedom to be your authentic self. Whether you're working from our offices, from home, in our lounges, or on the road, we provide an environment where you can create, innovate, and help transform airport travel.

Together, we can reach new heights. Together, we are CAVU.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced Head of Portfolio Management & Governance to join our Strategy & Governance team and play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering CAVU's strategic ambitions.

Reporting to the Strategy & Governance Director, you'll lead the development and maturity of our enterprise-wide Portfolio Management Office (PMO), ensuring our most critical business initiatives are prioritised, governed, and delivered successfully.

This is a highly visible leadership role with significant exposure to the Executive Committee. You'll provide oversight of a diverse portfolio of strategic change and business-as-usual initiatives, ensuring delivery remains aligned to organisational priorities, investment decisions, and growth ambitions.

You'll be responsible for building and embedding a best-in-class PMO capability, creating governance frameworks, portfolio processes, reporting structures, and assurance mechanisms that enable informed decision-making and successful delivery across the organisation.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who combines strategic thinking with strong PMO leadership experience and enjoys influencing senior stakeholders, driving accountability, and helping organisations turn strategy into measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation and continuous development of CAVU's Portfolio Management Office (PMO).
• Establish and embed portfolio governance frameworks, methodologies, controls and standards across strategic and operational programmes.
• Own and maintain the CAVU PMO blueprint, delivery frameworks and portfolio operating model.
• Ensure effective prioritisation, governance and oversight of enterprise-wide programmes and projects.
• Drive consistency in delivery practices, reporting, risk management and benefits tracking across the organisation.
• Lead governance forums and provide quality assurance across portfolio reporting and decision-making processes.
• Provide strategic leadership across complex, multi-disciplinary change and transformation programmes.
• Support project and delivery teams to ensure robust governance, controls and delivery disciplines are in place.
• Oversee programme interdependencies, resource planning, timelines, risks, benefits and delivery milestones.
• Act as a trusted advisor and critical friend to senior stakeholders, helping teams navigate challenges and remove blockers.
• Ensure projects deliver agreed business outcomes, benefits and value creation objectives.

Executive Reporting & Stakeholder Management

• Build strong relationships with Executive stakeholders, Programme Sponsors and senior leaders across CAVU and MAG.
• Develop meaningful management information, dashboards and portfolio reporting for Executive governance forums.
• Provide insight, analysis and recommendations that support strategic decision-making.
• Influence and challenge constructively to ensure accountability, transparency and successful programme outcomes.
• Foster a collaborative delivery culture that accelerates decision making and supports organisational growth.

Risk, Benefits & Financial Management

• Ensure effective portfolio risk, dependency and change control management.
• Maintain oversight of programme benefits, ensuring robust tracking and benefit realisation throughout delivery lifecycles.
• Support business case governance through effective financial monitoring, forecasting and reporting.
• Identify opportunities, risks and delivery challenges early and work proactively with stakeholders to mitigate them.

What We Need From You

• Significant experience leading and developing a Portfolio Management Office (PMO) function within a complex organisation.
• Proven success designing, implementing and embedding portfolio governance frameworks, delivery methodologies and controls.
• Strong experience managing enterprise portfolios comprising strategic change, transformation and operational initiatives.
• Demonstrable expertise in portfolio governance, benefits management, dependency management, change control and delivery assurance.
• Experience working with portfolio and project management tools (PPM) and leveraging data to improve delivery performance and decision-making.
• Strong programme and project management expertise, with knowledge of recognised methodologies such as PRINCE2, APM, MoP, Agile or SAFe.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills with experience influencing and challenging at Executive or Board level.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to balance strategic priorities, risks, resources and investment decisions.
• Excellent analytical, reporting and communication skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and building collaborative relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.
• Experience within travel, aviation, technology or other fast-paced customer-focused sectors.
• Experience leading large-scale transformation or organisational change programmes.
• Knowledge of strategic planning, business performance management and operating model design.
• Experience establishing PMO standards within a growing or evolving business environment.

What's In It For You

• 25 days holiday, increasing with service (up to 28)
• Option to buy up to 10 extra days + 4 flexible bank holidays
• 10% company pension
• On-site gym
• A range of flexible benefits and discounts, including up to 50% off CAVU products such as Escape Lounges and Airport Parking
• Rail and retail discounts
• 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Access to health & wellbeing events, ID&E activities, and learning opportunities
• Formal and informal development options, including mentoring programmes and learning grants
• Enhanced parental leave (T&Cs apply)

Equal Opportunities and Reasonable Adjustments

We're building something brilliant at Cavu: a diverse team of people who reflect the global customer base we serve. We're proudly part of MAG, and together we're on a mission to be number one in our industries, and that takes talent in all its forms.

Whether this is your first role or your next big step, we want to hear from you, even if you don't think you tick every box. What matters most is what you bring.

We're proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you need any adjustments to support your application or interview, just let us know. We're committed to helping you perform at your best.

Our Colleague Communities play a big part in that journey, including Women's Network, Embrace (Race & Ethnicity), Fly with Pride (LGBTQIA+), Mind Matters (Mental Health), PACT (Parents & Carers), RespectABILITY (Disability & Neurodiversity), and the CAVU Global ID&E Affinity Group.