Senior Portfolio Optimization Process Owner

Centene Corporation; Illinois; Hybrid; USD 103,000 - 191,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401K and stock purchase plans

Tuition reimbursement

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Centene Corporation is seeking a Senior Portfolio Manager to define and advance Strategic Portfolio Management processes. You will drive data-driven decision making, align portfolio initiatives with corporate objectives, and lead cross-functional governance efforts across business, technology, and finance.

The role requires a Bachelor's degree with 4–6 years of related experience, plus certifications such as CSSBB, PMP or SAFe LPM are preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and 4–6 years of related experience.
• Experience in Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) and governance design.
• Strong communication with executive leadership and stakeholders.
• Certifications in CSSBB, PMP or SAFe LPM preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define, execute, and improve Strategic Portfolio Management processes.
• Deliver governance updates, executive reporting, and strategic recommendations.
• Coordinate with process owners and interfaces across business, tech, finance, and transformation.
• Validate designs to ensure scalability and alignment with strategic needs.
• Prioritize backlog for portfolio management enhancements and governance.

Skills

Problem solving

Analytical thinking

Project management

Independent work

Communication

Decision making

Time management

Education

Bachelor's degree

4–6 years related experience

Equivalent experience

CSSBB

PMP

SAFe LPM

PMI-PMP

Job description

Position Purpose:

Accountable for defining, executing, and continuously advancing Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) processes to align portfolio initiatives with organizational objectives. Establishes and drives data driven decision making, optimizes process efficiency and establishes robust mechanisms to monitor portfolio health enabling maximum value realization and achievement of strategic goals.

Key Details:

Partners across business, technology, finance, and transformation teams to improve governance effectiveness, strategic alignment, portfolio transparency, and execution outcomes while supporting enterprise initiatives from planning through operationalization. Preferred experience includes supporting executive leadership teams in Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM), corporate strategy, business transformation, governance and operating model design, business operations, and organizational effectiveness.

• Execute the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of new and existing Strategic Portfolio Management (SPM) processes, driving tool adoption while ensuring alignment with guiding principles, governance frameworks, and organizational strategy.
• Architect, document, and deliver clear, impactful communication of processes, governance updates, executive reporting, controls, and strategic recommendations to stakeholders, leadership teams, and end users.
• Orchestrate collaboration across process owners and interfacing teams, synchronizing improvement initiatives while driving alignment across business, technology, finance, and transformation stakeholders.
• Validate process designs, including the correct business requirements, ensuring scalability and alignment with strategic needs.
• Prioritize technical backlog for future enhancements to portfolio management processes while identifying opportunities to improve governance capabilities, reporting effectiveness, and organizational execution.
• Coordinate alignment between organizational strategy and operational execution, enabling agile decision making around budgets, resource prioritization, investments, and portfolio outcomes.
• Coordinate defining and communicating the process mission, vision, tactics, goals, objectives, and KPIs, ensuring they remain tightly aligned with enterprise strategies and transformation priorities.
• Oversee portfolio process health proactively ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, organizational roadmaps, governance policies, and quality standards.
• Develop executive-level reporting, presentations, business cases, governance materials, and decision-support content to facilitate leadership alignment, portfolio transparency, and informed decision making.
• Deliver in-depth insights and provide actionable recommendations on portfolio reports, with a focus on the health, performance, value realization, risks, and outcomes of portfolios, sub-portfolios, and projects.
• Support governance forums, strategic planning activities, leadership reviews, and transformation initiatives through stakeholder coordination, action tracking, issue resolution, and execution oversight.
• Champion transformative business process changes, governance enhancements, and capability investments that elevate process maturity, strengthen organizational effectiveness, and enable sustained excellence.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

Education/Experience:

Requires a Bachelor's degree and 4 – 6 years of related experience.

Or equivalent experience acquired through accomplishments of applicable knowledge, duties, scope and skill reflective of the level of this position.

Soft Skills:

• Intermediate - Seeks to acquire knowledge in area of specialty
• Intermediate - Ability to identify basic problems and procedural irregularities, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Intermediate - Ability to work independently
• Intermediate - Demonstrated analytical skills
• Intermediate - Demonstrated project management skills
• Intermediate - Demonstrates a high level of accuracy, even under pressure
• Intermediate - Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision making skills
• Intermediate - Ability to communicate and make recommendations to upper managementIntermediate - Ability to drive multiple projects to successful completion

License/Certification:

• CSSBB - Six Sigma Black Belt , Non-Black Belt certifications will be considered as well, preferred
• Portfolio Management Professional (PMP) , SAFe LPM certification will be considered as well, preferred
• Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)-PMI preferred

Pay Range: $102,900.00 - $190,500.00 per year

At Centene, we connect people to the care they need to live healthier lives — and the work you do here makes that impact real every day. You’ll take on meaningful challenges that directly support individuals, families, and communities, building your skills while making healthcare more accessible and effective. It’s work with a purpose you can see, backed by a team committed to improving lives well beyond the workday.

Centene offers a comprehensive benefits package including: competitive pay, health insurance, 401K and stock purchase plans, tuition reimbursement, paid time off plus holidays, and a flexible approach to work with remote, hybrid, field or office work schedules. Actual pay will be adjusted based on an individual's skills, experience, education, and other job-related factors permitted by law, including full-time or part-time status. Total compensation may also include additional forms of incentives. Benefits may be subject to program eligibility.

Centene is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity, and values the ways in which we are different. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with the LA County Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act