Director, Portfolio Lead

The Hartford; Columbus (OH); Hybrid; USD 128,000 - 192,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hartford in Columbus, OH is seeking a Director, Portfolio Lead to align enterprise data and AI portfolios with strategy, managing budgets and financial governance across multiple portfolios.

The role partners with the Chief Data Officer and CAIO, driving value streams, ensuring funding guardrails, and reporting portfolio performance while coordinating with enterprise teams in a hybrid work setting.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership and senior-management influence with a track record of driving business value.
• Strong IT financial acumen and familiarity with budgeting, forecasting, and governance.
• Experience implementing Agile funding models and Lean principles across portfolios.

Responsibilities

• Partner with portfolio leads to develop and maintain investment plans aligned to enterprise data and AI strategies.
• Monitor portfolio performance, ensure spending guardrails, and coordinate resource reallocation.
• Collaborate with Agile operations to improve value streams and forecast future budget needs.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Agile / SAFe

IT financial management

Stakeholder communication

Budget forecasting

Process improvement

Tools

Harvest

Job description

Director, Portfolio Lead - BA06DE

We’re determined to make a difference and are proud to be an insurance company that goes well beyond coverages and policies. Working here means having every opportunity to achieve your goals – and to help others accomplish theirs, too. Join our team as we help shape the future.

This role helps align strategy and execution by applying Lean and systems thinking approaches to strategy and investment funding and governance. Will be accountable for ensuring alignment between the strategy of the Enterprise Data Services (EDS) or Applied AI and Analytics (AIA) organizations and their respective portfolio priorities with the overall Enterprise Data/AI strategies coming from the Chief Data and Operations officer and the remainder of the ELT.

The individual will also be accountable for maintaining alignment between the strategies/portfolios of the EDS or AIA organizations and the respective strategies/portfolios from the lines of business supported by these groups. Support and monitor the prioritization of work and drive financial accountability for the products and solutions inside of each portfolio. Partner with the Agile operations function in coordinating, sustaining, and improving value streams, where applicable inside the portfolio. Plan and monitor IT budgets to ensure alignment with strategic initiatives and/or objectives. Forecast future budget needs, measure portfolio performance, and coordinate required compliance activities.

Operate as the primary conduit for the Chief Data Officer or Chief AI and Analytics Officer in managing the expected financial outcomes for their respective organizations. This involves meeting all efficiency targets and overseeing financial guidelines across various investment portfolios. As Enterprise functions, this role entails a significant amount of interaction with Portfolio Leads from business groups across the Enterprise funding neighboring teams inside of the DAIO organization to deliver against overall business plans. Will play a critical role as a connector of portfolio priorities across all lines of business. Ideal candidate should have strong IT financial competency, ability to understand and track technology work and infrastructure needs across a broad spectrum of teams – tying it to forecasts and financial outcomes; and a proven ability to work and communicate with an executive audience as their primary partner.

The position serves as the primary liaison for the Chief Data Officer or Chief AI and Analytics Officer, directly managing the financial outcomes expected within their respective organizations. This responsibility includes achieving all efficiency targets and ensuring adherence to funding guardrails across a variety of investment portfolios.

This role will have a Hybrid work schedule, with the expectation of working in an office (Columbus, OH, Chicago, IL, Hartford, CT or Charlotte, NC) 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday).

Financial Accountabilities Financial Operations

• Primary contact for organization financials, including outlook locks, op planning, monthly reserving, capitalization, financial reporting supporting the CDO or CAIO and business as needed, and various related items e.g. expense approver.
• Monitor overall performance of portfolios within established guardrails to ensure that delivery of business outcomes is occurring at the appropriate ROI. Will include monthly reporting of portfolio performance against forecasts and overall funding guardrails.
• Planning and monitoring of all ongoing efficiency initiatives, supporting the SLT member in meeting financial commitments; and in decision making on proper re-deployment of resources between sub-portfolios/ functional areas as necessary.
• Vendor management, including contracts, Purchase Orders, MBM, invoice approvals.
• Champion for continued finance evolution to Agile funding value streams, product vs. project mindset.
• Directly responsible for annual portfolio spend of 90-100 M plus.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with DAIO workforce strategy lead to develop and maintain a workforce strategy within the respective DAIO function, inclusive of vendor partners, such that the ratios of employee and or vendor, onshore and or offshore, HIG offices, etc. are considered to achieve an optimum balance.
• Data capture, metrics, measurement, ratios, projections around work force. Understanding current and target team compositions, and path forward via hiring and other levers.
• When needed, brings functional leads together to ensure consistency in various areas i.e. role clarity, job titles.
• Establish and maintain an overall Chief Data Office or Applied AI and Analytics portfolio spending views and forecasts.
• Ensure the investment prioritization process for DAIO owned portfolios is transparent and collaborative.

Required Qualifications

• Mature a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, adopting OwnIT, Agile and DevOps mindsets, leveraging Harvest, enabling high performance. Coordinate a continuous approach to ensure compliance with audit and regulatory requirements and nondiscretionary initiatives. Rally Support and data management.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills at the senior management level. Strong financial acumen and knowledge of IT financial management practices.
• Proven ability to develop talent within the team through coaching, opportunities and team growth by fostering an environment that is a destination for talent.
• Proven ability to create a high performing team that has a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and is focused on business value and outcomes.
• Proven ability to build commitment and empower others, communicate with clarity, courage and timeliness.
• Effective Communication Skills Written, Verbal, Presentation. Strong understanding of Agile and Scaled Agile.
• Strong knowledge of software development processes and procedures to understand team needs includes fundamentals of iterative and incremental development.
• The ideal candidate will possess strong IT financial skills, including the ability to comprehend and monitor technology projects and infrastructure requirements across diverse teams. These competencies must be linked to forecasting and financial results.
• Additionally, candidates should demonstrate a proven capability to work with and communicate effectively with executive-level stakeholders, serving as their primary partner.
• Five to Seven years of portfolio management experience or equivalent leadership experience.
• Five years of industry experience preferred. Experience with Agile methodology and frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, etc. SAFe LPM certification a plus.
• Depends on organization, could require management of a small team.
• Equal Opportunity Employer/Sex/Race/Color/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity or Expression/Religion/Age

Candidate must be authorized to work in the US without company sponsorship. The company will not support the STEM OPT I-983 Training Plan endorsement for this position.

Compensation

The listed annualized base pay range is primarily based on analysis of similar positions in the external market. Actual base pay could vary and may be above or below the listed range based on factors including but not limited to performance, proficiency and demonstration of competencies required for the role. The base pay is just one component of The Hartford’s total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include short-term or annual bonuses, long-term incentives, and on-the-spot recognition. The annualized base pay range for this role is:

$128,000 - $192,000