Head PMO

Merlin-Entertainment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Merlin Entertainments is seeking a Head of PMO to bring structure, pace and clarity to our technology portfolio and help shape the future of delivery across Merlin.

This leadership role reports to the VP of Tech Delivery and will drive governance, planning and reporting, oversee resource planning and support a high-performing PMO team to deliver meaningful business outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading a PMO, Portfolio Office or similar function within a complex organisation.
• Strong portfolio management expertise across Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery environments.
• Experience partnering with senior stakeholders and influencing strategic decisions.
• Excellent governance, planning, reporting and resource management capabilities.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn complex data into clear actions and insight.
• Experience developing teams and creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of tools such as Smartsheet, Jira, Microsoft Project or similar.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio management across the technology change portfolio, ensuring priorities align with business goals.
• Governance, planning and reporting frameworks that provide clear visibility to senior stakeholders.
• Resource planning and demand management to ensure teams are focused on the highest-value work.
• Continuous improvement of PMO processes, tools and delivery methodologies.
• Ownership of the PMO tooling ecosystem, including data integrity and reporting accuracy.
• Risk, dependency and issue management across complex programmes and projects.
• Partnership with the Enterprise TMO to align delivery approaches and best practice.
• Leadership and development of a high-performing PMO team.

Skills

PMO leadership

Portfolio management

Governance & reporting

Resource planning

Stakeholder influence

Tools

Smartsheet

Jira

Microsoft Project

Job description

What you'll bring to the team

Head of PMO

London | Technology | Leadership

It starts with play.

At Merlin, we create extraordinary experiences that bring people together through play. Behind every magical moment is technology that helps our teams deliver, innovate and grow. We're looking for a Head of PMO to bring structure, pace and clarity to our technology portfolio and help shape the future of delivery across Merlin.

The Opportunity

This is a pivotal leadership role within our Technology function. Reporting to the VP of Tech Delivery, you'll lead our PMO capability, ensuring the right initiatives are prioritised, governed and delivered in line with Merlin's strategy. You'll work across Technology, Finance, Transformation and the wider business, creating visibility, driving consistency and enabling teams to do their best work.

What You’ll Lead

• Portfolio management across the technology change portfolio, ensuring priorities align with business goals.
• Governance, planning and reporting frameworks that provide clear visibility to senior stakeholders.
• Resource planning and demand management to ensure teams are focused on the highest-value work.
• Continuous improvement of PMO processes, tools and delivery methodologies.
• Ownership of the PMO tooling ecosystem, including data integrity and reporting accuracy.
• Risk, dependency and issue management across complex programmes and projects.
• Partnership with the Enterprise TMO to align delivery approaches and best practice.
• Leadership and development of a high-performing PMO team.

Qualifications & Experience

What You’ll Bring

• Proven experience leading a PMO, Portfolio Office or similar function within a complex organisation.
• Strong portfolio management expertise across Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery environments.
• Experience partnering with senior stakeholders and influencing strategic decisions.
• Excellent governance, planning, reporting and resource management capabilities.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to turn complex data into clear actions and insight.
• Experience developing teams and creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Knowledge of tools such as Smartsheet, Jira, Microsoft Project or similar.

Leadership at Merlin

How you lead matters just as much as what you deliver. You will be soulfully curious, results focused, an extraordinary teammate and someone who develops people. You’ll bring teams together, remove barriers and help create an environment where people can thrive.

Why This Role Matters

Merlin is on an exciting transformation journey. As Head of PMO, you'll help ensure our technology investments deliver meaningful business outcomes and create the foundations for future growth. You'll influence how we prioritise change, improve delivery maturity and enable technology to have an even greater impact across Merlin.

Bring your expertise. Bring your leadership. Help us build the future of technology delivery at Merlin.Because at Merlin, it starts with play.

Benefits

Pay Range

Competitive