Head of PMO

Yayasan Peneraju Pendidikan Bumiputera (Yayasan Peneraju); Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

An educational foundation in Kuala Lumpur seeks a Head of Programme Management Office to lead the establishment of PMO standards and oversee program execution across various initiatives. Core responsibilities include ensuring compliance with governance, managing project development, and engaging stakeholders effectively. Ideal candidates possess a Bachelor’s degree and at least 15 years of relevant experience, including project management. Professional certifications are preferred.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years of experience in programme / project development and management.
• At least 5 years managing complex, cross-functional programmes.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, or Agile are highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Oversee project development phases during initiation, planning, execution, closure, and maintenance.
• Ensure all initiatives comply with governance, audit, procurement, and funding requirements.
• Act as the primary liaison between functional teams, technology teams, and executive leadership.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Engagement

Risk Management

Financial Management

Compliance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, Engineering, Management or related field

Master’s degree

Tools

PMO Governance Methodologies

Project Management Software

Job description

The Head of Programme Management Office (PMO) at Yayasan Peneraju is responsible for establishing and leading the PMO to ensure successful delivery of strategic programmes and initiatives across multiple domains, including technology-enabled programmes and enterprise-wide transformation efforts. This role sets PMO standards, governance and methodologies, ensuring alignment with Yayasan Peneraju’s mission and strategic objectives. The Head of PMO oversees programme portfolio management, resource allocation and performance tracking to drive efficiency, transparency and measurable impact. This role acts as the source of truth on projects governance, management and performance in supporting the CEO, Senior Management Team, Board and Ministries with accurate, timely and decision-ready information.

Job Responsibilities

Governance

• Establish and enforce governance structures including standard methodologies, charter, business processes, accountability structures, and compliance for managing diverse initiatives across the organization.
• Ensure all initiatives comply with governance, audit, procurement, and funding requirements.
• Evaluate alignment between initiative with YP’s strategic focus.
• Promote and ensure collaborative efforts across initiatives as part of YP’s culture.
• Define and maintain documentation standards, templates, and tools for consistent initiative delivery.

Management

• Oversee project development phases during initiation, planning, execution, closure, and maintenance.
• Track and provide visibility on project health, timelines, and deliverables.
• Provide executive-level reporting on programme portfolio performance, risks, and benefits realization.
• Ensure data integrity, consistency, and timeliness across all programme reporting.
• Act as the authoritative voice on “where we stand” across YP’s programme portfolio.
• Surface delivery risks early and drive corrective actions with business owners.
• Take ownership of conflict management by anticipating issues, engaging stakeholders, and implementing corrective actions promptly.
• Identify overlaps, gaps, or inefficiencies across the programme landscape and recommend rationalisation.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as the primary liaison between functional teams, technology teams, and executive leadership for programme-related matters.
• Ensure clear communication of programme objectives, progress, and outcomes to stakeholders.

Financial & Resource Discipline

• Monitor programme budgets, burn rates, and variances in close coordination with Finance.
• Support leadership in resource planning, capacity management, and prioritisation.
• Ensure value-for-money principles are embedded in execution.
• Flag funding pressures or reallocation needs early to avoid delivery disruption.

Risk, Issue & Change Management

• Maintain a centralised view of programme risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Drive structured risk mitigation and escalation where required.
• Govern scope changes to ensure alignment with strategic intent and funding constraints.
• Ensure lessons learned are captured and institutionalised.

Benefits Realisation & Impact Tracking

• Define clear success metrics and outcome indicators for each programme.
• Track benefits realisation beyond delivery, linking outputs to actual talent outcomes.
• Support post-implementation reviews to assess effectiveness and scalability.
• Ensure programmes contribute meaningfully to YP’s long-term talent objectives.

Capability Building & Culture

• Build PMO maturity across YP by coaching leads and teams.
• Promote a culture of delivery discipline, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Identify skill gaps and recommend training or tooling to improve programme execution.
• Serve as a centre of excellence for programme and project management practices.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, Engineering, Management or related field; Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in programme / project development and management, with at least 5 years in a role managing complex, cross-functional programmes.
• Proven experience in setting up and leading a PMO in a dynamic organizational environment.
• Experience working in talent development / capacity building organisation.
• Exposure to technical aspects of system development, including common terminology.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, or Agile (Scrum Master, SAFe) are highly desirable.

Specialized Knowledge/ Skills

• Establish PMO department, Change Committee, Charter, department business process and design 3-5 years product roadmap.