Portfolio Specialist

About Alexander James

We’re looking for an experienced Portfolio Specialist to play a pivotal role in portfolio governance, analysis, and delivery across a large, complex technology environment.

This is a PMO-style role with real influence. You’ll sit at the intersection of portfolio leadership, delivery teams, and finance, ensuring decision-makers have clear, accurate, and timely information to guide priorities, investment, and delivery outcomes.

If you’re someone who thrives on structure, governance, and turning complexity into clarity, this role will suit you well.

The Portfolio Specialist Role

As the Portfolio Specialist, you’ll support portfolio governance and operating rhythms across multiple value streams. You’ll act as a trusted link between portfolio leadership and delivery teams, ensuring risks, dependencies, priorities, and decisions are surfaced early and managed effectively.

You’ll be accountable for high-quality governance artefacts, business case flow, audit-ready documentation, and portfolio insights that genuinely influence decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Portfolio governance and coordination:
  • Facilitate and coordinate monthly value stream governance forums, ensuring agendas, pre-reads, and actions meet governance standards
  • Act as the primary interface between portfolio leadership and delivery leadership teams
  • Maintain accurate, auditable records of decisions, actions, risks, and escalations
• Business case and PMO management:
  • Drive and fast-track business case approvals through delegated financial authority workflows
  • Maintain a clear, up-to-date business case register highlighting ageing, bottlenecks, and dependencies
  • Manage the PMO Kanban, lead weekly stand-ups, and ensure blockers are visible and escalated
  • Ensure all governance and financial artefacts are stored correctly and are audit-ready
• Portfolio analysis and reporting:
  • Produce portfolio dashboards, reports, and insights for leadership and governance forums
  • Conduct trend analysis across performance, risk, and resource utilisation
  • Provide actionable insights to support prioritisation and investment decisions
• Strategic and continuous improvement support:
  • Support scenario planning and resource forecasting
  • Identify governance or process inefficiencies and recommend improvements
  • Actively contribute to a culture of continuous improvement

What You’ll Bring

• Experience in portfolio management, PMO, or project/program governance roles
• Strong understanding of portfolio governance frameworks and operating rhythms
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to turn data into clear insights
• Proven experience working with senior stakeholders and influencing within governance settings
• Confidence managing multiple priorities in a fast-moving environment
• Experience with portfolio and PMO tools such as Sentient, Clarity, Planview, MS Project, or similar
• Strong Excel skills and experience with reporting or visualisation tools such as Power BI
• Solid understanding of financial management, cost tracking, and business cases

Benefits & Employee Experience

• Flexible working and Living Wage employer
• 26 weeks paid parental leave plus partner leave
• Additional fifth week of annual leave after five years
• Career development including secondment opportunities
• Annual wellbeing day plus strong employee support
• Discounts, learning benefits, and lifestyle perks

Key skills/competency

• Portfolio Management
• PMO
• Project Governance
• Financial Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Data Analysis
• Reporting
• Business Cases
• Process Improvement
• Risk Management