Strategic IT Project Portfolio and Risk Manager

For an Italian global cruise line we are looking for an Strategic IT Project Portfolio and Risk Manager.

In this role, you will support the lifecycle of a large portfolio, leading project-level reviews, optimizing standards, identifying areas for improvement, reporting analyses, and training staff members. You should not only be comfortable talking with high-level business leaders about individual portfolios, but also help us define KPIs and create a roadmap for companywide operations.

This is a new position, within the Global IT Governance organization, expected to work with internal business partners (ie Sales, Finance, Marketing), and IT stakeholders (IT Heads, PMOs, PMs) to clearly define and drive project scope, benefits, timeline, change management.

**Key Responsibilities**
- Manage the portfolio of multiple multi-year multi-million projects, at all stages of their lifecycle (from initiation to implementation), and support the decision makers to approve all phases of the projects by implementing the Project Life-cycle Methodology;
- Align projects, programs and operations with strategic objectives, investing resources in the right work to deliver the expected value;
- Offer a clear path to prioritization that allows project managers to create flexible timetables, review and approve the individual program and project charters, requirements, scope, schedule;
- Identify the optimal grouping of projects that maximize the risk-adjusted portfolio value at a given budgetary level;
- Optimize the sequencing and timing of approved projects based on resource constraints and dependencies;
- Evaluating existing opportunities against the portfolio;
- Ensure proactive issue & risk management, to predict and propose solution to solve potential problems, review progress towards operational goals, manage budgets, and address stakeholder concerns, allowing project managers to then follow up with precision execution;
- Develop portfolio performance metrics and gather various elements of project performance data, and routinely track and report progress and health against those metrics, to the project team, stakeholders and leadership;
- Plan and facilitate monthly, quarterly, annual key IT Portfolio status overviews and deep dive sessions;
- Team up with the Global IT Demand Manager to lead the project intake, and drive the IT Units in scope and requirements gathering, option analysis and design of end-to-end business processes & business solutions;
- Develop, socialize and operationalize Portfolio and Risk Management and Project Governance frameworks, processes and enabling technologies;
- Design and establish a World-class PMO operating model, ensuring strong guardrail management, well-understood, effective PMO processes, and delivery of useful metrics to relevant stakeholders, providing updates and clear guidance based on quality data;
- Coach and provide guidance to Project (IT PM) and Program (IT PMO) managers in the definition and the management of their projects. Participate in the recruitment of Project and Programme managers.

**Requirements**:

- Bachelor of Science degree in Management Information Systems (MIS), Engineering (any), Information Technology, or a related field;
- PfMP/ISO 21500/COBIT/LEAN practitioner qualification or equivalent;
- Fluent English, any other European language in an advantage;
- 5+ years of experience in leadership roles related to complex and international IT Project Portfolio and Risk Management (IT PPM, RM) implementations, preferably with an experience in management consulting;
- 10+ years of experience in IT PMO roles, managing multiple multi-year multi-million projects in parallel as part of programme of work, and organizing, planning, and executing large-scale projects from vision through implementation, involving internal personnel, contractors, and vendors;
- Extensive knowledge in IT PPM and RM tools, and their integration with MS Project Office 365, is a strong plus;
- Deep understanding and involvement of the team’s strategy and priorities, and becoming a thought leader with in the team;
- Exceptional communication and collaboration skills necessary for interacting with key stakeholders at all levels across the company to manage, inform, and influence outcomes;
- Ability to combine aggressive initiative, with professional discipline and demeanor to accomplish difficult tasks through other people;
- Good attitude in developing strong relationship with business stakeholders and vendors.