Project Portfolio Governance & Planning Manager

Financial Times; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Medical coverage

Inclusive parental leave

Discounted gym memberships

Community volunteering

Job summary

Financial Times is seeking a Project Portfolio Governance Manager to lead the governance of the FT’s change initiatives portfolio. You will prioritise, plan and govern initiatives, balancing strategic aims, value and investment across Product, Technology, Editorial, Data, Commercial and Corporate functions.

You will enable informed decision‑making, partnering with senior leaders to promote transparent portfolio governance and continuous improvement in delivery and reporting.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading enterprise portfolio management, PMO/VMO leadership or strategic programme governance.
• Strong understanding of technology change and ability to bring together multi‑disciplinary teams to assess investment opportunities.
• Excellent financial competence with experience evaluating investment value, benefits and ROI.
• Experience working in complex, matrixed organisations.
• Outstanding facilitation and senior stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to translate strategic objectives into practical prioritisation frameworks and governance processes.
• Strong analytical, data‑driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Lead portfolio intake and demand management, assess new initiatives for consolidation and delivery pathways.
• Collaborate with teams to shape proposals and ensure sufficient information for evaluation.
• Ensure initiatives are assessed against governance standards and investment requirements.
• Challenge assumptions and forecasts to support evidence‑based investment decisions.
• Highlight risks, dependencies and capacity impacts to enable transparent prioritisation.
• Maintain quality of governance submissions for senior leadership review.
• Lead capacity planning and visibility of demand, resources and constraints.
• Support planning cycles with robust analysis and prioritisation recommendations.

Skills

Portfolio governance

PMO/VMO leadership

Strategic prioritisation

Data-driven decision making

Stakeholder management

Financial evaluation

Risk & dependency management

Tools

Lean Portfolio Management

MoP

SAFe LPM

Enterprise PPM

Job description

About Us

The Financial Times ranks among the world's top news organisations and is known worldwide for its authority, integrity, and accuracy. Its mission is to provide quality information and services around the globe.

At the FT, curiosity flourishes and ambitious thinking is appreciated. Here, you're given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world.

In our warm, collaborative culture, you'll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing.

Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. Without a set route, you'll uncover new skills and build a career that can lead you anywhere.

Develop a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

We believe in the strength of diverse viewpoints and want every voice within our organisation to be acknowledged, respected and appreciated.

A nurturing workplace is one where employees feel free to be authentic and perform at their highest capability.

We are dedicated to eliminating obstacles for all, especially concentrating on challenges encountered by underrepresented groups.

The Role

As Project Portfolio Governance Manager, you will ensure the FT's change initiatives portfolio is governed, prioritised, and planned effectively. You will lead governance processes within Portfolio and Programmes. These processes assess proposed initiatives for strategic alignment, value creation, cost, risk, and feasibility before investment decisions.

Acting as the gateway between idea generation and implementation, you will enable informed, data-driven decision-making, balancing organisational priorities, capacity and investment to maximise business value. You will work closely with senior collaborators across Product, Technology, Editorial, Data, Commercial and Corporate functions to promote transparent governance and effective portfolio planning.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead portfolio intake and demand management processes, facilitating reviews of new initiatives and identifying duplication, consolidation opportunities and appropriate delivery pathways.
• Partner with collaborators to shape and refine proposals, ensuring sufficient information is available for evaluation and prioritisation.
• Ensure initiatives are consistently assessed against governance standards, impact criteria and investment requirements.
• Challenge arguments, assumptions and benefit forecasts to support evidence-based investment decisions.
• Highlight risks, dependencies, opportunity costs, trade-offs and capacity impacts to enable transparent prioritisation.
• Manage the quality and completeness of submissions to governance forums for senior leadership review.
• Lead portfolio capacity planning, maintaining visibility of demand, resource utilisation and delivery constraints.
• Support quarterly and annual planning cycles with robust analysis and prioritisation recommendations.
• Produce governance reporting, monitor delivery against approved arguments and provide actionable portfolio insights.
• Build trusted relationships with senior collaborators, promoting cooperation, responsibility, and effective portfolio governance.
• Drive continuous improvement by embedding standard portfolio management, lean governance and outcome-based investment approaches.
• Support the automation and enhancement of portfolio management tools, reporting and governance frameworks.

Required Skills and Experience

Essential

• Proven experience leading enterprise portfolio management, PMO/VMO leadership or strategic programme governance.
• Strong understanding of technology change and the ability to bring together expertise from multiple technical teams to assess investment opportunities.
• Excellent financial competence with experience evaluating investment value, benefits and return on investment.
• Experience working within complex, matrixed organisations.
• Outstanding facilitation, communication and collaborator management skills, including engagement with senior leaders.
• Ability to translate strategic objectives into practical prioritisation frameworks and governance processes.
• Strong analytical skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making.

Desirable

• Experience within media, publishing, digital subscription or technology-led organisations.
• Experience supporting investment identification, prioritisation and portfolio oversight.
• Familiarity with Agile delivery environments and product operating models.
• Experience with portfolio management frameworks such as Lean Portfolio Management, MoP, SAFe LPM or enterprise PPM platforms.

Accessibility

We are a Disability Confident employer and a Valuable 500 signatory.

Please inform us if you need any reasonable accommodations or customised assistance during the application process or interview. If you have any questions, please contact [e-mail].

Further Information

At the FT, we value innovation and technology and understand that candidates may use AI tools when applying for jobs. Feel free to harness AI to assist your application, but it is crucial that all details are authentic and accurately show your skills, experience, and qualifications.

Candidates should be informed that the use of AI during the application process might be observed to guarantee a fair and transparent hiring experience for everyone.

What's in it for You?

Our benefits differ depending on the location, but we are dedicated to offering top-tier perks at all our offices.

• generous annual leave
• medical coverage
• inclusive parental leave packages
• discounted gym memberships
• chances to contribute to the community

Full details of our benefits are available here: https://aboutus.ft.com/careers/benefits.

We've embraced a 50% hybrid working model with two to three days onsite. This fosters trust and remote adaptability. It also encourages in-person camaraderie and peer learning. Additionally, we are open to flexible working pattern requests for all roles where feasible.