Portfolio Lead

Pulse Group; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pulse Group is partnering with a leading UK retail brand on a multi-market digital transformation. This senior role owns the end-to-end portfolio and acts as the boardroom voice, presenting to C-suite and directors daily.

Based in Berkshire with hybrid working and UK/Ireland travel, you will govern budgets and benefits, set PMO standards, and lead strategic investment decisions across customer, supply chain and operations.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in portfolio, programme or PMO leadership.
• Experience across large, complex organisations.
• Board/C-suite exposure with strong commercial sense.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end digital transformation portfolio and translate strategy into prioritised roadmaps.
• Lead investment and prioritisation decisions across customer, supply chain and operations.
• Set portfolio governance, decision forums and PMO standards.
• Oversee portfolio Budgets, forecasts, vendor spend and benefits realization.
• Provide execs with a clear, honest view of portfolio health and challenge when needed.
• Lead and develop the PMO Manager and portfolio office.

Skills

Portfolio leadership

Strategic planning

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Job description

Pulse is partnering with a well-known retail brand going through a major multi-market digital transformation, with big plans to keep scaling its customer platforms, supply chain and enterprise technology. The portfolio is worth hundreds of millions over multiple years, and they're now looking for the person to own it end to end.

This is a newly created, senior role and the boardroom voice for the whole portfolio. You'll decide what gets funded, paused or cut, with a PMO Manager reporting into you to run governance day to day. You'll be presenting to C-suite and director-level stakeholders daily, so boardroom confidence is a must.

What you'll be doing:

• Owning the end-to-end digital transformation portfolio and turning strategy into a clear, prioritised roadmap
• Leading investment and prioritisation decisions across customer, supply chain and operations
• Setting portfolio governance, decision forums and PMO standards
• Overseeing portfolio financials: budgets, forecasts, vendor spend, investment cases and benefits
• Giving the exec team a clear, honest view of portfolio health and challenging constructively when things drift
• Leading and developing the PMO Manager and wider portfolio office

What they're looking for:

• 10+ years in portfolio, programme or PMO leadership, ideally progressing from project to programme to portfolio
• Experience across more than one large, complex organisation
• Genuine portfolio ownership, including making and defending investment calls, not just delivering programmes
• Real board and C-suite exposure, confident presenting to and challenging senior leaders
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Retail, FMCG or consumer-facing background preferred; a strong tech portfolio background also works

Location: Berkshire (hybrid), with some travel across UK and Ireland

A rare chance to lead one of the UK's most ambitious retail digital transformations from the top.