Strategic Portfolio Manager: Aligning Investments & Outcomes

National Physical Laboratory (NPL); Teddington; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is seeking a Senior Portfolio Manager to steer a portfolio of digital and data initiatives aligned with operational and strategic goals. You will aggregate progress, dependencies and resource pressures, challenging priorities and guiding decisions to maximise value.

You will lead cross‑functional collaboration, test evidence, and coach teams to improve portfolio practices.

Qualifications

• Experience managing a portfolio across several related programmes or initiatives.
• Experience using investment analysis, scenarios and evidence to influence senior decisions.
• Ability to balance demand, resources, delivery capacity and organisational readiness for change.
• Experience assessing benefits, performance and risk to guide priorities and corrective action.
• Ability to build agreement across stakeholders with competing objectives and interdependent work.
• Experience in improving portfolio practices and developing colleagues through coaching or knowledge sharing.

Responsibilities

• Shape investment and priorities: Provide evidence and scenarios that help leaders balance strategic objectives, value, risk and resources.
• Improve portfolio performance: Challenge expected and realised benefits, identify duplication and recommend corrective action where outcomes are at risk.
• Make plans achievable: Assess demand, resources and the organisation's capacity to absorb change, informing annual and longer-term plans.
• Resolve competing priorities: Bring leaders and delivery teams together to address dependencies and constraints before they undermine outcomes.
• Enable timely decisions: Maintain effective portfolio reporting and governance, providing forward‑looking insight and proportionate assurance while raising significant risks and investment concerns early.
• Strengthen portfolio capability: Improve ways of working and support practitioners through coaching, knowledge sharing and lessons from delivery.

Skills

Portfolio management

Investment analysis

Stakeholder management

Resource & capacity planning

Benefits and value assessment

Coaching and knowledge sharing

Job description

National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is seeking a Senior Portfolio Manager to steer a portfolio of digital and data initiatives aligned with operational and strategic goals. You will aggregate progress, dependencies and resource pressures, challenging priorities and guiding decisions to maximise value.

You will lead cross‑functional collaboration, test evidence, and coach teams to improve portfolio practices.