VP, Portfolio & Delivery Excellence

Happen Bank; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 240,000 - 270,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

401(k) match

Parental leave (16 weeks)

Flexible time off

Job summary

Happen Bank, a forward-thinking financial services company, seeks a VP of Portfolio and Program Delivery to orchestrate Product and Engineering strategy into tangible outcomes. You will guide a team of portfolio managers and program leads to ensure reliable, transparent delivery across initiatives.

Ideal candidates have 13+ years in delivery leadership, strong SAFe/PI planning experience, and a proven track record in regulated environments.

Qualifications

• 13+ years of experience in program, portfolio, or delivery management, including leading large-scale, multi-team software delivery.
• 8+ years proven experience managing and developing managers and large teams of program or project managers.
• Bachelor's degree or higher, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Hands-on fluency with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and Program Increment (PI) planning, including experience running planning at scale.
• Experience in a regulated industry, ideally financial services, with a working understanding of software development lifecycle processes, controls, audit, and compliance expectations.
• Track record of delivering Product and Engineering-led initiatives and products.
• Strong command of project sizing and cost estimation, scope management, risk management, and executive-level reporting.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the credibility to influence senior leaders and Engineering teams alike.
• You look for ways AI can improve how teams plan, prioritize, and deliver work, using it to strengthen decision-making, increase efficiency, and improve visibility while maintaining sound judgment and accountability.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end view of the Product and Engineering portfolio, ensuring investment, capacity, and priorities are aligned and visible to leadership.
• Set the standard for planning and tracking delivery timelines, driving accountability for realistic commitments and clear communication when dates change.
• Partner with Business, Product, Engineering, Compliance, and Risk Management teams to align project scope, manage changes, and keep teams anchored to agreed outcomes.
• Establish consistent approaches to project sizing and cost estimation so leadership can make informed investment and trade-off decisions.
• Provide clear, timely reporting on portfolio health, risks, and dependencies, and maintain a disciplined escalation process that surfaces issues early.
• Support Product and Engineering in preparing for and running Program Increment (PI) planning, bringing capacity, dependency, and risk insights to each planning cycle.
• Personally drive delivery of select high-priority, cross-functional projects where leadership and coordination across multiple teams are critical.
• Own the Internally Developed Software (IDSW) control framework, ensuring software capitalization processes are managed effectively in partnership with Finance.
• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing team of Portfolio Delivery Leads and Technical Program Managers, raising the bar on delivery expertise, consistency, and business acumen.
• Create common operating rhythms, tools, and templates so delivery practices are consistent across product areas.
• Act as a trusted partner to senior leaders in Product, Engineering, and the broader business, translating complexity into clear decisions.
• Foster a culture of transparency, ownership, and continuous improvement in how we plan and deliver.

Job description

Happen Bank, a forward-thinking financial services company, seeks a VP of Portfolio and Program Delivery to orchestrate Product and Engineering strategy into tangible outcomes. You will guide a team of portfolio managers and program leads to ensure reliable, transparent delivery across initiatives.

Ideal candidates have 13+ years in delivery leadership, strong SAFe/PI planning experience, and a proven track record in regulated environments.