Portfolio Manager

Halifax, NS

Hybrid (2 days a week in office)

We have partnered with a Canadian-based marketing agency that is part of an independent Network of Agencies strategically located across the world to provide global reach and capabilities who are seeking an experienced Portfolio Manager.

As Portfolio Manager you will be part of the Strategic Projects Group servicing our clients on programme and project delivery. You will take ownership of a portfolio of strategic programmes and projects. You will be accountable for a team of Project and Programme managers that will successfully deliver these initiatives, ensuring a consistent approach to best practices and ways of working.

You will act as a key point of contact for all Portfolio matters, and will ensure that stakeholders up to executive level have the information they need for informed decision-making. Visibility of project statuses across the Portfolio will be provided by you and your team. You will collaborate with clients and stakeholders to deliver impactful outcomes across the portfolio to realise business benefits.

You will partner with the relevant leadership team contributing to their success in delivery of the Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). You will demonstrate a growth mindset and will be willing to take on new challenges.

This role requires an experienced Portfolio Manager with a depth of experience in implementing strategy delivery, and creating a high performing team.

You are comfortable collaborating with, and managing teams in various locations, time zones and overseeing several concurrent programmes. You will be an excellent communicator, experienced leader, and have the confidence to challenge stakeholders where necessary. team.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Portfolio Management & Alignment
• Work closely with leadership to define and execute the portfolio strategy.
• Oversee portfolio delivery, ensuring that programs and projects are aligned with client needs, business objectives, and the broader organizational vision.
• Align portfolio delivery with enterprise-level goals, business needs, and customer priorities.
• Be accountable for producing and maintaining a Portfolio Roadmap that clearly shows in-flight and planned activities; and available capacity at team level.
• Facilitate decision-making and prioritization to ensure the most strategic initiatives are being executed according to agreed objectives
• Lead the delivery of key strategic programs within the portfolio, ensuring successful execution and value realization for the organization
• Ensure cross portfolio dependencies and risks are understood, communicated and managed
• Proactively challenge stakeholders to ensure all initiatives in the portfolio remain in line with business goals
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communication
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all portfolio-related communications, ensuring senior stakeholders are kept informed of developments, risks, and dependencies.
• Lead regular portfolio reviews with internal and external stakeholders (where relevant), providing clear updates on key developments and ensuring the alignment of stakeholder expectations.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders, advising and influencing key decisions across the organization.
• Ensure clients and stakeholders are aware of ways of working within project management and serve as a source of education on our project management frameworks and best practices
• Governance, Risk & Performance Oversight
• Establish and enforce governance standards for portfolio, program, and project activities.
• Oversee RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) management across the portfolio.
• Monitor portfolio performance using KPIs/metrics and take action as necessary to optimize outcomes.
• Provide portfolio reporting on projects and programme status, highlighting interdependencies and shared risk
• Team Leadership & Continuous Improvement
• Manage and coach project and program managers to ensure successful delivery within the portfolio.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, identifying and implementing efficiencies and enhancements to portfolio management practices.
• Ensure the team has the capacity and skills required to meet the portfolio demands, promoting learning and development.
• Set and drive team OKR’s in line with organizational goals and individual development
• Drive innovation in project management through continuously updating frameworks to account for organizational changes as well as industry best practice

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant programme and project management experience, ideally with 2+ years as a portfolio manager
• Strong leadership skills, with a focus on ensuring cross portfolio understanding and delivery
• Experience in change management initiatives and conflict resolution
• Personable character and exceptional communicator – ability to communicate at the highest level (Written, Spoken and Presentation), provide empathetic feedback, challenge and influence others.
• Line management experience leading and coaching a team of Project and Programme Managers.
• Very strong stakeholder management skills. Credible and persuasive, with a focus on collaboration and influence
• Proven ability to proactively manage time effectively, to switch context and be adaptable to change.
• Ability to learn quickly, work independently and in a team setting
• Highly organised and skilled at coordinating efforts between multiple teams across multiple time zones
• Ability to build strong relationships across the business, with clients, project teams, and 3rd party vendors
• Exceptional project management skills, extremely organized
• Experience working with both Agile and Waterfall methodologies
• Experience working with 3rd party vendors
• Strategic and creative thinking is valued
• Project Management qualification required (PMI/Prince 2/ITL)
• Fluent in English
• Willingness to travel on an ad hoc basis – as required

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a growing agency based in Halifax!

The company offers a competitive annual salary, group term life insurance, medical and dental benefits and long-term disability coverage, RRSP contributions, wellness allowance and much more!

If this sounds like the ideal position for you then apply today!

Our client is committed to fostering a workplace that prioritizes inclusion, respect, and equal opportunity for all. We encourage applications from women, Indigenous peoples, racialized individuals, people with disabilities, those of diverse sexual orientations or gender identities, individuals from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, newcomers, and those who can contribute to the richness of our community through their unique perspectives and lived experiences. We value diversity and believe it enhances the growth and success of our organization. All qualified applicants are welcome to apply; however, preference may be given to Canadian citizens and permanent residents.