Director, Agile Portfolio Office

Job Summary: We are seeking a visionary and experienced Director of Agile Portfolio Office to lead the transformation and continuous improvement of our project, program, and delivery management practices. The ideal candidate will be responsible for establishing and overseeing the Agile Portfolio Office (APO), driving strategic alignment, enhancing communication and collaboration, and fostering a culture of agility and innovation across the organization.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute the strategic vision for the APO, aligning it with the organization's overall goals and objectives. Ensure the APO supports the company's purpose of helping people thrive at work and its vision of transforming workplaces through inspiring recognition and culture-building experiences.
• Agile Transformation: Lead the transformation of the organization's project management practices to agile methodologies, ensuring a smooth transition and adoption across all teams. Promote and support Agile methodologies to improve responsiveness, flexibility, and continuous improvement within the organization.
• Portfolio Management: Oversee the management of the project portfolio, ensuring that projects are aligned with strategic priorities, resources are effectively allocated, and risks are managed. Utilize data and metrics to inform decisions, track progress, and measure success.
• Team Leadership: Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of delivery managers, portfolio managers, and project managers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration. Define and reinforce clear roles and responsibilities to reduce friction, burnout, and gaps, ensuring accountability and efficiency.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with senior leadership, business units, and key stakeholders to ensure alignment and support for agile initiatives and portfolio management practices. Improve communication of project progress, risks, and blockers to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Performance Metrics: Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness and impact of agile practices and portfolio management. Track key metrics such as delivery predictability, resource utilization, and stakeholder satisfaction.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance agile practices, tools, and processes, ensuring the organization remains at the forefront of agile methodologies. Foster a culture of continuous improvement by regularly reviewing and refining processes, encouraging feedback, and implementing best practices.
• Change Management: Lead change management efforts to ensure successful adoption of agile practices and portfolio management processes across the organization. Develop and implement a comprehensive communication plan to inform all stakeholders about the APO's objectives, benefits, and changes.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
• Proven experience in leading agile transformations and managing project portfolios in a large organization.
• 10+ years of experience working with software development teams.
• Strong understanding of traditional and project management and agile methodologies, including Waterfall, Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with senior leadership and key stakeholders.
• Experience in change management and driving organizational change.
• Experience managing complex projects spanning multiple teams and disciplines.
• Experience with project management and issue management tools (e.g., Atlassian).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Agile certifications (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster, SAFe Agilist) and PMP certifications are a plus.
• Technical proficiency in software development practices preferred.