Head of Portfolio Management Office (PMO)
Employer: Arun District Council
Salary: £53,460-£59,804
Location: Arun Civic Centre, Littlehampton, West Sussex
Contract: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time
Hours: 37 hours per week.
DBS Check: No
Closing Date: 22/02/2026 at 23:59
Reference: ADC/26/330955
At Arun District Council, we are continuously working to improve wellbeing, housing, the environment and to regenerate the economy within the district. We care about making a difference to those who live, work, and visit Arun, and you could be that difference.
Overall job purpose:
Following a recent initiative to set-up a new portfolio management office we are now seeking a permanent Head of PMO to realise the on-going benefits by embedding and developing the new ways of working.
Based in the Resources directorate, this is a pivotal role in shaping the future of the district, and the council itself, by maintaining momentum and continuing to improve the governance and delivery of a wide range of projects, (from large capital projects to new ways of working) across the portfolio.
The Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) will have widespread impacts for the council, and this role will be critical in preparing for, navigating and delivering the changes and benefits required.
You will lead the development and delivery of our PMO and the Project & Programme Management (PPM) Framework, by ensuring all projects are strategically aligned to objectives and prioritised, such that they support our ambitions to deliver high-quality, accessible, efficient public services and our ambition to regenerate the Arun district.
You will need to stay ahead of emerging strategy, opportunities and issues to inform and advise the Corporate Leadership Team Portfolio Board (CLT PB) to support effective decision-making.
Working across stakeholders, departments, councillors and external partners, you’ll champion a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
You will need to ensure robust mandates and business cases are developed, reviewed, approved and updated as required, to ensure the council secures Value for Money (VfM) through PPM and financial framework compliance.
You will bring:
* resilience and strategic thinking, with proven experience of improving delivering in a complex portfolio environment
* a strong understanding of project, programme and portfolio management, especially governance theory and in practice
* excellent stakeholder engagement skills including the ability manage sensitive or political issues and deliver difficult messages constructively to support optimum decision-making and move complex projects forward.
* a passion for improving project delivery & continuous improvement
* experience of writing, reviewing and approving business cases (HMT, 5-Case Model)
* ability to influence and effect business change (processes) and culture change (mindset/buy-in)
Supporting the Finance team, you will need robust financial knowledge, to review and advise on the economic & financial cases of business cases in terms of completeness, affordability and viability.
If you are a portfolio or PMO professional, who can work both strategically and tactically then this could be the role for you.
We can offer hybrid working for this role where some of your week will be office based and some at home (UK based only).
We also operate a flexible working day where your hours can be worked between 7.30am and 7.00pm subject to service cover, however due to the nature of the role there may be occasions where you need to work outside of these hours.
For more information about joining the Resources Directorate the role profile is located at the bottom of this advert. It details the main duties of the job as well as the behaviours and competencies (evaluated at interview stage). Please provide a CV and short covering letter explaining why you are a good fit for this role.
We love to invest in our people, providing the opportunity for professional development andfulfilment. Work life balance is encouraged, and we enjoy a variety of flexible workingarrangements. Please see Why work for Arun for more information on what Arun offers their employees.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity status or disability.
For support with your application and CV writing, please visit Applying for a job with us. If you need further support with the application process, please contact Askhr, regarding alternative ways to apply.
If you would like to have an informal conversation prior to application, please contact Louise Odell, Programme Management Consultant on 07912 344101.
CLOSING DATE: 22 February 2026 23:59pm
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