Director of Portfolio Performance & PMO Excellence

Cushman & Wakefield

Chicago (IL)

On-site

USD 149,000 - 175,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield in Chicago is seeking a Director, Portfolio Performance & PMO to provide strategic leadership for portfolio governance, performance management, PMO operations, and analytics across client account portfolios.

The role partners with client stakeholders and Cushman & Wakefield leadership to drive operational excellence, delivery performance, client satisfaction, and long-term account success, while aligning with contractual commitments and growth strategies.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in business, project management, construction management, engineering, architecture, finance, or related field.
Master’s degree preferred.
PMP, PgMP, Lean Six Sigma, PMI-ACP, or equivalent professional certification preferred.
12+ years of project management, portfolio management, PMO leadership, operational leadership, or program delivery experience.
10+ years of leadership experience within corporate real estate, capital project delivery, professional services, consulting, or financial services environments.
Demonstrated success leading enterprise portfolios, PMO organizations, business transformation initiatives, and cross-functional teams.
Experience presenting to executive leadership, C-suite stakeholders, and client organizations.
Advanced knowledge of PMO governance, project controls, portfolio management, business intelligence, risk management, financial oversight, organizational effectiveness, and strategic planning.
Advanced proficiency with Power BI, Microsoft Excel, portfolio management platforms, reporting systems, and business intelligence tools.

Responsibilities

Contribute to strategic planning, business priorities, growth initiatives, and operational decision-making.
Partner with Client leadership and key stakeholders to align project delivery strategies with business objectives and priorities.
Act as a trusted advisor to client and account leadership regarding portfolio performance, organizational capability and operational risks.
Support account growth initiatives through operational excellence, service expansion opportunities, delivery innovation, and enhanced client value creation.
Drive account-wide initiatives that improve client satisfaction, delivery effectiveness, financial outcomes, and organizational performance.
Participate in executive business reviews, strategic planning sessions, client governance meetings, and account performance reviews.
Lead all PMO functions supporting the Client project portfolio.
Establish, maintain, and continuously improve governance frameworks, methodologies, policies, procedures, standards, and best practices.
Ensure compliance with contractual obligations, service level commitments, client requirements, corporate policies, and regulatory standards.
Provide executive oversight of portfolio governance reviews, steering committees, operational review processes, and executive reporting forums.
Drive consistency in project delivery, controls, documentation, reporting, and performance management across all regions and business lines.
Serve as the executive sponsor for PMO maturity initiatives, governance enhancements, and operational transformation programs.
Function as the primary authority for PMO standards, portfolio controls, reporting methodologies, and governance requirements.
Establish performance targets, accountability measures, and operational success metrics.
Monitor project delivery performance, portfolio health, milestone achievement, financial indicators, resource utilization, aging metrics, and client commitments.
Lead portfolio review processes to identify performance gaps, risks, emerging trends, and opportunities for improvement.
Drive executive-level corrective actions and issue resolution for underperforming projects, programs, and operational processes.
Serve as the senior escalation point for portfolio risks, governance concerns, and client-facing operational issues.
Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies that protect client interests, strengthen operational controls, and support successful project outcomes.
Ensure portfolio data quality, reporting accuracy, and timely execution of governance requirements.
Provide executive oversight of portfolio reporting, analytics, KPI development, dashboard creation, forecasting tools, and business intelligence capabilities.
Lead development and maintenance of operational dashboards, forecasting models, and portfolio reporting systems.
Ensure reporting consistency, accountability, and accuracy across all delivery teams.
Champion data governance initiatives that improve visibility, decision-making, and operational transparency.
Leverage advanced analytics to identify trends, opportunities, performance challenges, and resource constraints.
Present executive-level insights and recommendations to account leadership and client stakeholders.
Drive development of predictive analytics, automation solutions, and advanced performance management capabilities.
Provide leadership oversight of portfolio financial performance, forecasting activities, productivity metrics, staffing models, and operational efficiency.
Partner with account leadership to support achievement of financial objectives, profitability targets, and overall account performance.
Monitor portfolio financial indicators and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and maximize value delivery.
Support budget planning, workload forecasting, workforce optimization, and resource allocation strategies across the account.
Partner with delivery leaders to improve forecasting accuracy, financial compliance, and resource utilization.
Develop long-term workforce strategies aligned with portfolio demand, business requirements, and anticipated account growth.
Lead initiatives that improve operational efficiency, delivery performance, client satisfaction, and organizational effectiveness.
Develop and implement standardized workflows, tools, templates, and best practices across the organization.
Identify opportunities to streamline processes, eliminate inefficiencies, reduce risk, and improve scalability.
Establish performance benchmarks and operational maturity targets in support of continuous improvement objectives.
Promote a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and delivery excellence.
Drive adoption of industry best practices across all portfolio management and PMO functions.
Develop and execute a PMO transformation roadmap aligned with Client and Cushman & Wakefield strategic objectives.
Lead implementation of automation initiatives, AI-enabled solutions, digital workflows, analytics platforms, and emerging technologies.
Drive enhancements to portfolio management systems, reporting tools, governance processes, and operational workflows.
Identify opportunities to utilize technology to improve project delivery, portfolio visibility, client experience, and business outcomes.
Establish best-in-class PMO capabilities that support scalability, future growth, and operational maturity.
Lead, mentor, and develop PMO personnel, including Project Coordinators, Program Support resources, Reporting Specialists and Data Analytics teams.
Establish performance expectations, development plans, succession strategies, and organizational objectives.
Oversee workforce planning, organizational design, staffing models, and talent development initiatives.
Build organizational capability through coaching, professional development, mentoring, and leadership development programs.
Foster a culture centered on accountability, innovation, client service, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Support recruitment, onboarding, retention, and career advancement programs.