Portfolio Manager

Alpha Business Solutions; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm seeks a Portfolio Partner to serve as a strategic advisor and leader in R&D Data Digital & Technology. The successful candidate will be responsible for guiding portfolio strategy and governance while ensuring financial stewardship and managing risks. Ideal candidates will have strong financial acumen, strategic judgment, and the ability to influence decision-making. This position requires experience in portfolio financial management and a commitment to disciplined governance and accountability.

Qualifications

• Ability to synthesize complex information and make sound recommendations in ambiguous environments.
• Deep expertise in portfolio financial management, forecasting, and decision support.
• Strong understanding of portfolio governance, lifecycle management, and investment prioritization.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a strategic thought partner to R&D Data Digital & Technology leadership.
• Lead portfolio-level financial planning and forecasting.
• Identify, assess, and manage portfolio-level risks and interdependencies.
• Ensure initiatives are linked to expected outcomes and value realization.

Skills

Strategic Judgment

Financial Acumen

Portfolio Leadership

Analytical Rigor

Influence and Communication

Change Leadership

Integrity and Accountability

Job description

Overview

Portfolio Partners serve as strategic advisors and portfolio leaders within R&D DDT. They operate at the intersection of strategy, finance, and execution, enabling leadership teams to make informed, timely, and confident decisions. Portfolio Partners are accountable for portfolio integrity, financial stewardship, and decision clarity, ensuring that investments align with enterprise priorities and deliver measurable value.

This role requires strong judgment, financial rigor, and the ability to influence outcomes. Portfolio Partners are expected to challenge assumptions, steward definitions and standards, and bring clarity in complex, ambiguous environments.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio Strategy and Decision Leadership
• Serve as a strategic thought partner to R&D Data Digital & Technology leadership, shaping portfolio strategy, priorities, and tradeoffs.
• Frame portfolio decisions in clear, decision-ready terms, articulating options, implications, and recommendations.
• Pressure-test assumptions, classifications, and proposed investments to ensure alignment with enterprise objectives and portfolio strategy.
• Anticipate strategic shifts and guide proactive portfolio adjustments.

• Portfolio Governance and Lifecycle Ownership
• Own portfolio governance standards and ensure consistent application across R&D Data Digital & Technology.
• Guide investments through the full lifecycle, from intake and prioritization through delivery and value realization.
• Ensure portfolio integrity by enforcing disciplined decision-making, escalation, and transparency.
• Partner with Corporate Finance to ensure alignment on financial governance, reporting standards, and portfolio tracking.

• Strategic Financial Stewardship
• Lead portfolio-level financial planning, forecasting, and ongoing financial management.
• Translate financial data into actionable insights for senior leaders, enabling confident and timely decisions.
• Ensure consistent interpretation and application of financial definitions, categories, and classifications across portfolios.
• Advise leadership on the financial implications of strategic decisions, risks, and timing considerations.

• Risk, Issue, and Scenario Management
• Identify, assess, and actively manage portfolio-level risks and interdependencies.
• Develop and present scenarios, options, and contingencies to support leadership decision-making.
• Escalate issues with clear context, recommended paths forward, and implications.
• Maintain a forward-looking view of portfolio health, risks, and opportunities.

• Value Delivery and Performance Management
• Ensure initiatives are clearly defined and linked to expected outcomes and value realization.

Technical Requirements

• Strategic Judgment: Ability to synthesize complex information and make sound recommendations in ambiguous environments.
• Financial Acumen: Deep expertise in portfolio financial management, forecasting, and decision support, with the ability to translate financial concepts for senior non-financial stakeholders.
• Portfolio Leadership: Strong understanding of portfolio governance, lifecycle management, and investment prioritization at an enterprise level.
• Analytical Rigor: Ability to distill complex data into clear insights, scenarios, and decision points.
• Influence and Communication: Proven ability to challenge constructively, drive alignment, and influence outcomes without direct authority.
• Change Leadership: Comfort leading through uncertainty, organizational change, and evolving strategic direction.
• Integrity and Accountability: Commitment to disciplined governance, transparency, and outcomes-focused delivery.