Portfolio Management Office (PMO) Guild Lead

AXA UK plc; Royal Tunbridge Wells; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services firm is seeking a PMO Guild Lead to design and run an enterprise-wide PMO. You will provide technical leadership, drive continuous improvement, and employ modern tools for data visualization. The ideal candidate will have experience in regulated industries and knowledge of agile principles. The role allows for flexible working arrangements, with a competitive salary and various benefits.

Benefits

Competitive annual salary

Annual company and performance-based bonus

Contributory pension scheme

Life Assurance

Private medical cover

28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays

Wellbeing services

Qualifications

• Experience leading PMO teams in regulated industries.
• Strong grasp of agile practices within PMO contexts.
• Ability to leverage analytics for reporting and insights.

Responsibilities

• Lead the PMO function aligning activities with strategic objectives.
• Design effective PMO with data-driven insights for decision making.
• Foster a culture of analytical excellence within the PMO team.

Skills

Leadership

Data visualization

Agile principles

Stakeholder management

Team development

Tools

Power BI

Tableau

Job description

Change Guild leads AXA's shift to agile ways of working, with PMO as a central capability. The PMO Guild Lead will design and run an enterprise‑wide PMO that delivers clear, data‑driven insights, robust governance, and continuous improvement to support delivery of valuable products and services across Tribes, Programmes and Projects. As the PMO Guild Lead, you'll provide technical leadership for the PMO function, design a high‑performing PMO where governance, reporting, planning, and risk oversight enable data‑driven decision‑making. You'll champion modern PMO tools and visualization, develop talent, and ensure capacity planning and capability development align with AXA's product‑based operating model. At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You'll work at least two days a week (40%) away from home, moving to three days a week (60%) in the future. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting clients or attending industry events. We’re also happy to consider flexible working arrangements, which you can discuss with Talent Acquisition.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for the PMO function, aligning its activities with AXA's strategic objectives and the Change Guild's priorities and reporting on PMO performance and key initiatives.
• Design and operate an effective and efficient PMO function that provides clear, data‑driven insights to support senior leadership decision‑making.
• Drive continuous improvement in the application of the enterprise‑wide framework for the portfolio, programme, and adherence to project governance, ensuring robust oversight and compliance.
• Lead and develop the PMO team, fostering a culture of proactive partnership and analytical excellence.
• Oversee the development of effective training programmes (in collaboration with L&D), talent management and succession planning.
• Champion the adoption of modern PMO tools and data visualization techniques to enhance portfolio reporting and strategic insights.
• Ensure all change delivery activity across the portfolio adheres to regulatory and internal governance policies.
• Continuously improve PMO processes and methodologies, driving efficiency, effectiveness, and quality within the PMO function.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading and managing PMO teams within a complex organisation, preferably in a regulated industry such as financial services, covering planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk management, reporting, and governance.
• Strong understanding of agile principles and practices and the ability to apply them within a PMO context; experience guiding teams in agile PMO operations.
• Proven ability to leverage data and analytics to generate meaningful insights and reports, using data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) to communicate clearly to senior leadership; experience establishing reporting standards and ensuring data quality.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build strong stakeholder relationships at all levels and facilitate critical governance discussions.
• Experience leading and motivating teams, fostering a collaborative, high‑performing environment; mentoring and development of staff.
• Understanding of relevant regulations and compliance requirements within the financial services industry (desirable).
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, benefits realisation tracking, and alignment with investment governance processes.
• Proficiency with PMO tooling and delivery platforms, and a track record of driving capacity planning and resource optimisation.

Eligibility

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.

Benefits

• Competitive annual salary dependent on experience
• Annual company & performance‑based bonus
• Contributory pension scheme (up to 12% employer contributions)
• Life Assurance (up to 10 × annual salary)
• Private medical cover
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 5 days leave
• Wellbeing services & resources
• AXA employee discounts

Screening & Conduct

As a regulated financial services company, all successful candidates will be subject to pre‑employment checks. Adherence to the PRA Insurance Conduct Standards and the FCA Conduct Rules will be required.

Equal Opportunities & Diversity

We acknowledge and appreciate the exceptional efforts of our people in protecting what matters most to our customers. In exchange we offer a series of core and supporting benefits designed to empower our people to thrive both professionally and personally. We believe in hiring people who possess the appropriate skills and values that align with our vision. Our selection process is fair and equitable, ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to join us. We are dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion, and we actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we take pride in treating our employees and potential hires with respect and without discrimination based on any protected characteristics. AXA UK are recognised as a Disability Confident Leader. We actively encourage applications from people who face barriers in the workplace due to a disability or long‑term health condition. We participate in the Disability Confident ‘Offer of Interview’ scheme, meaning a fair and proportionate number of candidates with long‑term health conditions or disabilities who meet the essential criteria of a job will be offered an interview. You do not need to share details of your long‑term health condition or disability for your application to be considered under this scheme. If you would like to opt‑in, please let us know. A responsible Talent Acquisition contact will be available to connect you with our Accessibility Concierge if you require any support.