Delivery Lead

Description

Strategic Delivery Translation & Alignment

• Translate the overarching organisational or divisional strategy into a clearly defined, prioritised, and executable delivery of projects and initiatives.
• Continuously challenge and validate that all delivery and execution components remain strategically relevant, stopping initiatives that no longer serve the strategic objectives.
• Proactively structure and prioritise the project portfolio to maximise value delivery, moving from an order-taker to a strategic influencer role.
• Maintain and evolve the integrated portfolio roadmap throughout its lifecycle, ensuring it reflects strategic goals, funding cycles, and capacity constraints.

Portfolio Planning & Roadmap Management

• Develop and maintain the high-level integrated portfolio plan, defining the sequence and priority of project delivery (first, second, etc.).
• Balance the portfolio mixes to include strategic transformation projects, operational/technical projects, and business-as-usual work packages.
• Apply defined criteria (e.g., strategic themes, benefit size) to rationalise and select initiatives for inclusion in the portfolio roadmap.
• Act as the single point of truth for portfolio visibility, providing clear context on what is being delivered, when, and by whom.

Benefits Realisation & Value Delivery Ownership

• Define and own the targeted business benefits and value extraction metrics for the entire portfolio, ensuring a clear link to strategic objectives (e.g., market share growth).
• Monitor and report on benefit realisation and return on investment, treating these outcomes as non-negotiable measures of success.
• Shift focus from managing a budget size to delivering and quantifying a specific value (e.g., revenue generated, cost savings).
• Prioritise value delivery over rigid schedule adherence, focusing on whether initiatives "move the needle" on strategic goals.

Financial ControlandBudget Governance

• Manage and execute the portfolio within its pre-approved total budget, ensuring spend does not exceed forecast.
• Make mandate-driven financial decisions, including reallocating funds between projects within the portfolio, provided the total portfolio budget variance remains within a defined tolerance.
• Exercise authority over scope inclusions/exclusions and the structuring of work packages to optimise value within financial constraints.
• Escalate financial decisions that exceed stipulated mandate tolerances through the appropriate governance channels.

Delivery Oversight and Execution Assurance

• Provide overarching execution assurance for the portfolio, ensuring all projects are on track for delivery.
• Oversee direct reports (e.g., Solution/Delivery Managers and Analysts) who manage the day-to-day execution of projects.
• Ensure all projects within the portfolio are delivered according to established standards for budget, quality, and schedule.
• Govern the delivery process to confirm alignment with the agreed project management methodology and governance procedures.

Portfolio Governance and Decision Authority

• Enforce the established governance processes and methodology for the portfolio management lifecycle.
• Exercise decision-making authority within mandate tolerances to stop projects or changes from proceeding to production if they do not meet governance or strategic criteria.
• Make structured decisions regarding the inclusion, exclusion, and prioritisation of work within the portfolio.
• Facilitate governance forums and provide transparent reporting on portfolio status, risks, and performance.

Strategic Initiative Curation and Rationalisation

• Actively rationalise the number of active portfolios and initiatives to ensure strategic focus and resource optimisation.
• Continuously assess the portfolio to identify and recommend the cessation of projects that are redundant, off-strategy, or no longer viable.
• Apply a thematic or strategic construct lens to curate a coherent and impactful portfolio of work.
• Manage the capacity requirements for portfolio delivery, ensuring resource alignment with strategic priorities.

Capability Development and Methodology Contribution

• Contribute to the evolution and optimisation of the organisation's portfolio, programme, and project management methodologies.
• Support the integration of related disciplines (e.g., business analysis, process engineering) into a cohesive delivery framework.
• Provide input to align portfolio management processes with organisational standards and the specific operating environment.
• Foster a culture of delivery excellence and continuous improvement within the Delivery & Execution team.

Requirements

Minimum Work Experience Required

• 8-10 years of experience in portfolio/projects, programme, or project management within a corporate environment.
• Proven experience in translating business strategy into a prioritised portfolio of projects.
• Demonstrated experience in benefits realisation, financial governance, and stakeholder management for a large investment portfolio.
• Experience in a hybrid delivery environment (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, PRINCE2) is expected.

Minimum Education Required

• A degree in Business, Commerce, or a related field is required.
• Formal certifications in portfolio or programme management or project management (e.g., PRINCE2, PMP) are advantageous.