Portfolio Support Manager

FirstGroup Internal; Swindon; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading transport organization in Swindon seeks a Portfolio Support Manager to shape project delivery across its programmes. The role requires strong project management skills and experience in delivering successful projects using established methodologies. You'll support training, audits, and portfolio governance while ensuring project compliance and quality standards. Ideal candidates will have relevant project management qualifications and a hands-on delivery background.

Qualifications

• Experience in a PMO or project management environment.
• Hands-on project management experience with proven delivery.
• Ideally, knowledge of P3M3.

Responsibilities

• Champion project management processes across all portfolios.
• Lead portfolio steering groups.
• Provide clear reporting on project health and compliance.
• Oversee change control and maintain standards.

Skills

Applying project management methodologies

Managing project assurance

Working across the full project life cycle

Understanding programme and project management disciplines

Education

PRINCE2 Practitioner or APM qualification

Managing Successful Programmes (desirable)

Tools

Enterprise-wide project management systems

Job description

About the role

The Programme Management Office (PMO) plays a central role within our Programmes Directorate. We provide the structure, support, and oversight that keep complex projects on track - ensuring consistency across programme, project, and change management. Acting as the hub for governance, delivery support, and performance reporting, the PMO drives successful outcomes and enables our teams to deliver real impact.

About the Job

We're seeking a Portfolio Support Manager to play a key role in shaping how projects are delivered across our organisation. In this role, you\'ll make sure colleagues have the right tools, knowledge, and guidance to achieve success.

Working across multiple portfolios, you\'ll support the delivery of projects in line with the PMO Strategy - our framework for how programmes and projects are managed and delivered at GWR.

This is an exciting opportunity to take a pivotal role in shaping how projects and programmes are managed across our organisation. You\'ll be at the centre of our PMO Strategy, helping to ensure projects run smoothly, efficiently, and to the highest standards.

Your work will include delivering project management training, carrying out audits, and facilitating stage gate reviews. You\'ll also work closely with programme and project managers, providing expert guidance and ensuring that GWR standards and processes are consistently applied in line with our project management framework.

Your main responsibilities

• Championing our project management processes, tools, and methods across all portfolios.


• Leading portfolio steering groups - from setting agendas to tracking actions and outcomes.


• Providing clear, accurate reporting on project health, risks, approvals, and compliance.


• Overseeing change control and stage gate approvals to keep delivery on track.


• Maintaining high standards through audits, reviews, and assurance checks.


• Delivering training and coaching to build project management capability across teams.


• Ensuring consistency and quality in all project and portfolio information.


• Facilitating key meetings, workshops, and working groups to support delivery.


• Guiding and supporting project managers to achieve successful outcomes.


• Continuously refining and improving processes based on feedback from the project community.

What we\'re looking for

We\'d love to hear from you if you have experience and confidence in:

• Applying project management methodologies and processes.


• Managing project assurance, quality reviews, and change control.


• Working across the full project life cycle, from planning through to delivery.


• Understanding the disciplines that sit within programme and project management.

What you\'ll bring

• Experience of working in a PMO or project management environment.


• Hands-on project management experience, with a proven track record of delivery.


• Familiarity with enterprise-wide project management systems.


• A project management qualification such as PRINCE2 Practitioner or APM (or equivalent).


• A programme management qualification Managing Successful Programmes (desirable but not essential).


• Ideally, knowledge of P3M3 and/or experience

For further information, please contact – George Hart - Head of PMO [e-mail]

For more information regarding the application process, please contact the Recruitment Team [e-mail]

We all belong at GWR. This is our vision for providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA, ethnicity, religion and disability. We maintain zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

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https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

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