Portfolio Director

Turner & Townsend; Manchester; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking a Portfolio Director/PMO Director to lead global and regional portfolios, translating strategy into delivery across real estate, infrastructure and natural resources sectors.

The role requires senior-level governance expertise, strong leadership, and the ability to drive capital investment planning, risk management and benefits realisation across major programmes.

Qualifications

• Accreditation or strong working knowledge of portfolio and/or programme governance within complex environments.
• Experience managing a portfolio of programmes with capital investment planning.
• Leadership at Executive/C-suite level and ability to influence outcomes.
• Proven ability to drive performance and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Take end-to-end ownership of shaping, embedding, and communicating portfolio vision and direction.
• Lead on Strategic Portfolio Management and Capital Investment Planning providing a forward-looking view of capital allocation strategies.
• Oversee and drive governance frameworks to ensure rigor, transparency, and continuous improvement.
• Establish trusted relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders to align diverse groups behind a common vision.
• Provide oversight of portfolio performance, benefits realisation, risk management, and investment outcomes.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Executive leadership

Portfolio governance

Capital planning

Stakeholder engagement

Communication skills

Portfolio management

Financial oversight

Business development

Risk management

Portfolio optimisation

Benefits realisation

Education

Degree or postgraduate qualification

Tools

Portfolio management software

Job description

At Turner & Townsend we’re passionate about making the difference. That means delivering better outcomes for our clients, helping our people to realise their potential, and doing our part to create a prosperous society.

For 75 years we have been leading the delivery of major transformational programmes. Our success at realising outcomes for clients has resulted in significant growth.Every day we help our major global clients deliver ambitious Net Zero programmes from over 110 offices worldwide.

Further to this success we are now facing a new wave of growth to achieve our ambitious 2025 vision. To achieve this, we need great people who are passionate about both delivering great outcomes to our clients and contributing to our future vision. This is made entirely possible through our entrepreneurial culture, allowing employees of all levels to directly influence the business and to own their career.

The world is changing, and we have a responsibility to support that change, helping drive it and be part of it.

Through the commitment, capability and care our team brings, we build trust between clients, suppliers, governments, and society. Delivering better outcomes that have a positive impact on the world around us.

We work smarter to face the challenges of the future; bringing the clarity that helps teams realise their full potential across the real estate, infrastructure, and natural resources sectors.

As a Portfolio Director or Portfolio Management Office Director, you will have experience leading global/national/regional portfolios with a focus on converting strategy into delivery, optimising portfolio performance, driving strategic capital planning and leading sustained success against annual portfolio objectives.

You provide strategic leadership and governance across a portfolio of real estate investments, programmes, and projects, making sure investments are aligned to organisational strategy and deliver measurable business value.

You know how to oversee the successful implementation of best-in-class Portfolio, Portfolio Management Office, governance and portfolio controls frameworks and functions that realise delivery excellence across growing and major portfolios.

You provide effective oversight throughout the investment lifecycle – from strategy development and portfolio planning through to benefits realisation and portfolio optimisation. Capabilities include: Strategic Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, Partnership Building, Capability Development, Portfolio Management, Portfolio Optimisation, Capital Investment Planning, Scenario Planning, Strategic Analysis, Benefits Realisation Management.

You act as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders and business leaders, providing strategic insight, constructive challenge and assurance on portfolio performance, delivery risks and organisational strategy. You work closely with executive leadership, business stakeholders and delivery teams and directly enable the delivery of a strategically aligned, competitive portfolio.

Through your leadership you ensure portfolios are delivered effectively, stakeholders are engaged, benefits are realised, and investment objectives are achieved, fostering collaboration, innovation and performance excellence across client and internal teams.

Key Responsibilities:

• Portfolio Leadership & Direction: Take end-to-end ownership of shaping, embedding, and communicating portfolio vision and direction. Effectively empower, motivate, and guide high-performing teams to drive success and cohesion across delivery activities, translating strategy into measurable outcomes. Lead on Strategic Portfolio Management and Capital Investment Planning providing a forward-looking view of capital allocation strategies. Drive robust investment decision-making that delivers sustained strategic performance and business value across the portfolio
• Portfolio Controls & Optimisation: Lead the evaluation of portfolios through gap analysis, using internal and external benchmarking data and market analysis. Create a roadmap and effectively lead teams to deliver the optimised future state. Establish and embed portfolio management and control frameworks to ensure rigor, compliance, transparency, and continuous improvement.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence: Establish and maintain trusted relationships with senior leaders, clients and key stakeholders, building a reputation as a collaborative partner & advisor. Drive connectivity across business functions, delivery teams and leadership groups, fostering strong partnerships and aligning diverse stakeholders behind a common vision and shared outcomes. Proactively collaborate across stakeholder groups to establish and deliver innovative and integrated solutions.
• Risk & Health/Safety Management: Define and embed safeguards that manage portfolio risks, including health and safety considerations. Oversee the proactive identification, escalation, and mitigation of risks and issues across the portfolio
• Financial Oversight: Oversee and drive the implementation and control of financial management processes, including CapEx performance, budget tracking, cost reporting, and financial risk visibility. Ensure portfolio financials are controlled, accurate, and aligned with governance requirements.
• Commission Management and Business Development: Ensure the commission is well-managed from a contractual and commercial perspective, ensuring performance expectations are met, build trusting client partnerships and identify and pursue future business growth / Business Development opportunities.
• People & Culture: Act as a first-class colleague and leader, taking a lead and positively contributing to the culture of internal and commission teams and demonstrating leadership in internal team growth. Build capability, mentor teams, drive inclusion across the team and successfully carry out people management responsibilities to drive internal team performance and growth and our One Business culture.

Qualifications

This is a Director level role. To excel in this role, you will have:

• Accreditation or strong working knowledge of portfolio and/or programme management methodologies and governance frameworks, particularly within real estate and complex delivery environments, with demonstrated experience establishing or working within portfolio and/or programme governance frameworks in fast‑paced environments.
• Strong capability in managing a portfolio of programmes and/or projects, with experience in performance optimisation initiatives, and experience in managing capital investment plans.
• Strong experience overseeing the delivery of expected outcomes with best practice and high standards, driving performance and discipline in a culture of continuous improvement.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to lead strategic partnerships and foster trust, and to inspire and empower teams.
• Experience operating at Executive / C-suite level – demonstrating exceptional communication skills including presentation of data to influence outcomes.
• Experience in effective portfolio / programme financial performance oversight including reporting, budget tracking and portfolio and/or programme cost management processes. Good understanding of procurement methodologies, contract forms, and commercial frameworks.
• Experience in business development and successfully securing portfolio / programme management commissions and roles through your industry networks, competitive tender and interview processes, and negotiated opportunities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and portfolio / programme management tools, reporting systems and digital platforms, with a proactive approach to data, innovation and digital tools and strategy, including the use of AI.
• Degree or postgraduate qualification, professional membership in a relevant field.

Additional Information

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to effect change. We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive, and flexible working environment.

At Turner & Townsend, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage applications from all sectors of the community, and we strongly believe that this diversity is what creates great solutions for our clients, bringing together people with different ideas and skills who want to push boundaries. In celebration of our diversity and to keep this agenda at the forefront of what we do, we have several internal networks, such as LGBT+, Diversity & Inclusion, and Race & Ethnicity which create a safe space for employees to express themselves and to drive change.

SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

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