Interim Head of PMO

James Fisher and Sons plc; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Early finish on Fridays

Private Medical Insurance

Life Assurance

Cycle to work scheme

Company Pension

Job summary

James Fisher and Sons plc in Inchinnan, Glasgow, is seeking a Head of PMO to drive best practice across a global project operations function. This hybrid role requires security checks and travel between Glasgow and Aberdeen, with occasional international travel.

You will embed governance, deliver improvements, and lead reporting while championing safety and building digital capability across the PMO community. A high-impact, strategic position with significant stakeholder engagement awaits.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated PMO best practice experience across complex operations.
• Proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in operational settings.
• Experience leading large, complex projects with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the global PMO, embedding governance, processes and ways of working.
• Identify and deliver high-impact improvement opportunities aligned to objectives.
• Implement clear, engaging project reporting reflecting true performance.
• Champion safety and strengthen safety leadership within project management.
• Build digital capability across the project management community.
• Drive stable, repeatable practices and transition from reactive delivery.
• Align with IMS and ERP transformation and evolving governance with system changes.
• Develop improvement capability across operations, forecasting resources.

Skills

PMO

Governance

Stakeholder Management

Data Analytics

Reporting

Change Management

Job description

About the Role

Head of PMO – Inchinnan, Glasgow – Hybrid, 3 days per week in office. Full-time, 6 month fixed-term. This role requires security checks.

This is a high-impact global role focused on embedding PMO best practice across JFD’s Project Operations to drive consistent, transparent and customer-focused delivery. Working cross-functionally, you will ensure projects are well-supported, governed and aligned to key business processes, while acting as an escalation point for project challenges. Joining at a pivotal stage of growth, you will strengthen delivery capability, influence stakeholders across regions and functions, and deliver meaningful, scalable improvements.

You will be tenacious, pragmatic and commercially aware, bringing credibility, calm authority and a structured approach, with the confidence to challenge constructively. Resilient under pressure, you will take ownership and drive the delivery and embedding of change to elevate project management standards across a complex global organisation.

This is a hybrid role with frequent travel between Glasgow and Aberdeen and some national and international travel to support global operations and stakeholder engagement.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the global PMO, embedding best practice in governance, processes and ways of working.
• Identify and deliver high-impact improvement opportunities aligned to business objectives.
• Implement clear, engaging and effective project reporting that reflects true performance.
• Champion safety and strengthen safety leadership within project management.
• Build digital capability across the project management community in line with strategy.
• Drive the shift from reactive delivery to stable, controlled and repeatable practices.
• Align with IMS and ERP transformation, ensuring governance evolves alongside system change.
• Develop improvement capability across operations while managing and forecasting project resources.

What we’re looking for

• Demonstrated expertise in PMO best practice, ideally within manufacturing, defence or similar environments.
• Proven ability to deliver measurable improvements in complex operational settings.
• Experience leading large, complex projects.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at senior levels and present confidently to diverse audiences.
• High level of data and performance literacy, using metrics to drive insight and track impact.
• Experience implementing and embedding changes within delivery-focused organisations.
• Background in defence, engineering, marine, aerospace or other regulated sectors is desirable.

Why join us?

• Early finish on Fridays
• Competitive salary and benefits package aligned with experience (Private Medical Insurance, Life Assurance, Cycle to work scheme, Company Pension, etc.)
• Clear pathways for career development and organisational visibility
• Inclusive and supportive culture that values individual contributions
• Meaningful work with impact across safety, innovation, and global operations

At James Fisher and Sons, we are committed to taking positive action on diversity and strongly encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and recognise that our success is driven by the talent and diversity of our workforce.

To support an accessible and inclusive recruitment experience in the UK, we partner with Vercida. You can learn more about our approach by visiting our company page.