Flexible arrangements will be considered
Disclosure Level: Basic. This role involves no direct or indirect work with children.
Reports to: Director of Strategy
Location: Minimum requirement of 2 days in the office at 1 Westfield Avenue, London E20 1HZ.
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Portfolio Management Office (PMO) sits within the Strategy Directorate (also home to the Knowledge & Insight and Strategic Planning teams). It exists to help UNICEF UK deliver its strategic objectives through portfolio oversight, strategic delivery, governance, financial oversight, audit and assurance, and standardization. The PMO is the organizational centre of excellence for strategic portfolio management and delivery discipline, working across directorates to improve prioritization, visibility, governance, sequencing and accountability across strategic initiatives.
The PMO’s key responsibilities include:
* Portfolio Management: overseeing the strategic portfolio to support coordinated intake, prioritization, planning, reporting and dependency management.
* Strategic Delivery: providing expert guidance, delivery oversight, escalation and troubleshooting for a small number of agreed strategic initiatives.
* Audit and Assurance: improving confidence in project health, governance and control through audit and assurance processes.
* Financial Oversight & Benefits Management: improving visibility of investment, value, benefits and return across the portfolio.
* Standardization: defining and embedding best-practice approaches, tools, templates and delivery standards.
ABOUT THE ROLE
The Head of the Portfolio Management Office is a pivotal leadership role at UNICEF UK, responsible for providing strategic direction, governance and oversight across the PMO and its full remit. This role leads the development and running of the permanent PMO operating model, ensuring that UNICEF UK has a coherent, joint approach to strategic portfolio management, delivery governance, assurance, financial oversight and standardization. The Head of PMO is accountable for sustaining this centre of excellence, building a community of practice around portfolio management, delivery discipline, governance, benefits realization and 2 change. The Head is additionally accountable for the overall approach to change within the strategic portfolio at UNICEF UK ensuring that change is prioritized, sequenced and governed so that benefits are realized and changes are embedded into business-as-usual. The postholder will lead executive and director-level engagement on strategic priorities and portfolio decisions, ensuring that strategic initiatives remain aligned with organizational objectives, available capacity and agreed governance. The role will not only coordinate and chair the Commissioning Group but steer investment decisions, lead portfolio intake, prioritization, dependency mapping and reporting, and ensure that leaders receive the right information at the right time to make effective decisions. This post reports to the Director of Strategy.
What we will expect you to achieve
* Lead the vision, operating model and development of the PMO, ensuring it becomes a strong, effective business‑as‑usual function that supports strategic prioritization, oversight and accountability across the organization.
* Provide organization‑wide leadership of the strategic portfolio, ensuring there is a trusted, single view of all strategic initiatives and that portfolio activity aligns with strategic priorities, planning cycles and available capacity.
* Chair and coordinate the Commissioning Group, ensuring high‑quality information, robust challenge, effective prioritization and well‑governed investment decisions—including discussions to stop, pivot or re‑scope initiatives when needed.
* Lead portfolio intake, prioritization, dependency mapping, sequencing and reporting, ensuring leadership receives clear, action‑ready insight.
* Set and maintain strong governance and control, including clear escalation pathways, standards and expectations for how strategic initiatives are governed across their lifecycle.
* Hold accountability for audit and assurance outcomes, determining required actions, influencing senior stakeholders to make necessary changes, and ensuring follow‑through by accountable leads.
* Strengthen organizational capability in strategic delivery, governance and portfolio management through coaching, thoughtful challenge, expert leadership and visible sponsorship of good practice, and by championing disciplined delivery, transparency, meaningful measurement and continuous improvement across all Directorates.
* Lead and develop a high‑performing PMO team, fostering collaboration, strategic thinking and an institutional centre of excellence for portfolio management, delivery discipline and governance.
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