Senior Client Portfolio Manager

The Senior Client Portfolio Manager is accountable for the commercial success, operational excellence, client satisfaction and people leadership of an assigned portfolio of Software Engineering clients and personnel. The role owns executive client relationships, portfolio financial performance, service delivery governance, engineering quality, team capability and business growth. Working closely with Delivery Managers, Technical Leads, Architects, Competency Leaders and Sales, the role ensures the successful delivery of software engineering services while developing long-term client partnerships and high-performing delivery teams. The role carries end-to-end accountability for portfolio health, including revenue growth, profitability, SLA achievement, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, capability development and continuous improvement.

What you'll do:

• Client Leadership & Commercial Growth

  • Develop trusted executive relationships with client stakeholders.

  • Act as the executive sponsor for the assigned client portfolio.

  • Understand client strategies and align technology solutions to business objectives.

  • Develop and execute strategic account plans.

  • Drive revenue growth through account expansion, renewals and cross-sell opportunities.

  • Lead Executive Business Reviews (EBRs), Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and governance forums.

  • Support commercial negotiations and contract renewals.

  • Position the organisation as a strategic software engineering partner.

• Operational Excellence & Delivery Governance

  • Provide executive oversight across all delivery engagements.

  • Ensure projects and managed services are delivered on time, within budget and to agreed quality standards.

  • Own SLA, KPI and contractual performance.

  • Monitor portfolio health across operational, financial and customer metrics.

  • Lead operational governance and manage executive escalations.

  • Drive continuous improvement, root cause analysis and service optimisation.

  • Champion Agile, DevSecOps, engineering governance, AI-enabled delivery and software quality practices.

  • Ensure effective risk, issue, incident and change management.

• People Leadership & Talent Development

  • Lead, coach and mentor Delivery Managers, Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Technical Leads and client-facing delivery professionals.

  • Build high-performing teams focused on accountability, innovation and customer success.

  • Conduct performance reviews and career development discussions.

  • Develop succession plans and identify future leaders.

  • Drive employee engagement, retention and workforce planning.

  • Partner with Competency Leaders to develop technical capability.

  • Promote continuous learning, certifications and adoption of modern software engineering practices.

• Financial & Portfolio Management

  • Own portfolio revenue, profitability and gross margin.

  • Manage forecasting, resource planning and utilisation.

  • Monitor financial performance and ensure commercial sustainability.

  • Maintain accurate portfolio reporting and governance.

  • Present portfolio performance to executive leadership.

• Essential

  • Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Commerce or a related discipline or equivalent industry experience.

• Beneficial

  • Postgraduate qualification (MBA, MCom, MSc, or equivalent) is advantageous.

  • Relevant professional certifications such as Agile, Scrum, ITIL, SAFe, PMP/Prince2, Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP), or Account Management are advantageous.

• 10+ years' experience in Software Engineering, Professional Services or Technology Consulting.

• Minimum 5 years managing enterprise client portfolios.

• Experience leading multidisciplinary software delivery teams.

• Proven executive stakeholder management experience.

• Strong commercial, financial and operational management capability.

• Experience managing large-scale software engineering or managed service engagements.

• Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

• Agile (Scrum), PMBOK/Prince II, Hybrid Project Delivery Method

• DevSecOps

• Cloud Platforms

• Managed Services

• ITIL

• Application Modernisation

• AI-enabled Software Engineering

• Strategic Leadership

• Executive Presence

• Commercial Acumen

• Financial Management

• Operational Excellence

• Customer Success

• People Leadership

• Coaching & Mentoring

• Delivery Governance

• Risk Management

• Negotiation & Influencing

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Decision Making

• Emotional Intelligence

• Commercial

  • Revenue Growth

  • Gross Margin

  • Portfolio Profitability

  • Forecast Accuracy

  • Pipeline Growth

• Client

  • Customer Satisfaction (CSAT)

  • Client Retention

  • Executive Relationship Health

  • Renewal Rate

• Delivery

  • SLA Achievement

  • Delivery Predictability

  • Escalation Resolution

  • Quality Metrics

• People

  • Employee Engagement

  • Staff Retention

  • Succession Readiness

  • Training & Certification Completion

  • Team Capability Growth

• Operational

  • Resource Utilisation

  • Governance Compliance

  • Continuous Improvement

  • Risk Management

The ideal candidate is an experienced technology leader who combines strong commercial acumen with exceptional client relationship management and operational leadership. They have a proven ability to lead multidisciplinary software engineering teams, develop client partnerships, grow portfolios, and deliver measurable business outcomes. They are equally comfortable engaging with C-suite executives, leading delivery governance, coaching teams, and identifying new business opportunities.

Why work for us?

Want to work for an organization that solves complex real-world problems with innovative software solutions? At iOCO, we believe anything is possible with modern technology, software, and development expertise. We are continuously pushing the boundaries of innovative solutions across multiple industries using an array of technologies.?

You will be part of a consultancy, working with some of the most knowledgeable minds in the industry on interesting solutions across different business domains.?

Our culture of continuous learning will ensure that you will have all the opportunities, tools, and support to hone and grow your craft.?

By joining IOCO you will have an open invitation to developer inspiring forums. A place where you will be able to connect and learn from and with your peers by sharing ideas, experiences, practices, and solutions.?

iOCO is an equal opportunity employer with an obligation to achieve its own unique EE objectives in the context of Employment Equity targets. Therefore, our employment strategy gives primary preference to previously disadvantaged individuals or groups.