Cape Town: PMO Manager posted by iOCO Digital Pty Lty

Role Overview

The Project Portfolio Manager is responsible for overseeing end-to-end portfolio management processes across a complex portfolio of initiatives. The role ensures effective governance, delivery oversight, and optimal resource utilisation, while providing leadership with clear, reliable insight to support strategic decision-making.

This is a high-impact role suited to a professional experienced in driving portfolio efficiency and value realisation balancing capacity, cost, and delivery outcomes to optimise portfolio performance across multiple programmes and initiatives.

Key Responsibilities Portfolio Process Management

• Contribute to portfolio planning, prioritisation, and strategic alignment to ensure coherence across initiatives.

• Support resource allocation and capacity management to ensure optimal utilisation of organisational capability.

• Assist in managing portfolio financials, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost performance tracking.

• Support portfolio governance through structured stage-gate reviews and delivery health assessments, enabled through automation and reporting.

• Coordinate portfolio-level risk, dependency, and benefits realisation tracking.

Portfolio Performance & Insights

• Contribute to the ongoing development and improvement of a portfolio management framework covering delivery health, financial efficiency, and value outcomes.

• Produce consolidated portfolio views and analysis using enterprise tools such as JIRA and Power BI.

• Enable forward-looking assessments to identify delivery constraints, emerging risks, and optimisation opportunities.

Data Analytics & Interpretation

• Translate complex portfolio datasets into clear trends, insights, and KPIs that support planning and execution decisions.

• Apply predictive and diagnostic analytics to assess portfolio maturity, resource utilisation, and benefits realisation.

• Promote a data-driven approach to portfolio performance management by embedding insights into regular governance forums.

Data Quality & Governance

• Establish and maintain strong data quality standards across portfolio management systems.

• Ensure consistency and integrity of data used in delivery, financial, and governance reporting.

• Collaborate with IT and Operations teams to improve the efficiency, reliability, and automation of portfolio data pipelines.

Strategic Stakeholder Engagement

• Act as a trusted partner to senior leaders by translating complex portfolio data into clear, actionable insights.

• Provide portfolio-level recommendations to executive and leadership forums.

• Coach project and PMO teams on portfolio maturity, governance practices, and data-driven decision-making.

Continuous Improvement & Automation

• Streamline portfolio management processes through automation, integration, and standardisation.

• Drive continuous improvement by adopting new tools, methodologies, and performance measurement approaches.

• Champion improvements that enhance portfolio transparency, governance effectiveness, and delivery agility.

Key Success Criteria

• Transparent and effective portfolio management across planning, resourcing, governance, and financial tracking.

• Measurable improvements in delivery efficiency, predictability, and value realisation.

• Increased leadership confidence in portfolio data quality, reporting, and governance.

• Evidence of insights driving improved prioritisation and informed decision-making.

Skills & Competencies

• Advanced proficiency in JIRA, Power BI, Tableau, Excel, and data transformation tools such as SQL or Python.

• Strong understanding of portfolio financial management, resource planning, and benefits tracking.

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to connect data to business outcomes.

• Strong communication and visualisation skills for executive-level audiences.

• Comfortable operating in a complex, matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders.

• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on scalable portfolio practices.

Qualifications & Experience Essential

• 46 years experience in portfolio management, PMO operations, or enterprise project governance.

• Proven experience managing portfolio financials, resource allocation, and delivery performance metrics.

• Experience implementing, operating, or enhancing portfolio management frameworks.

Preferred

• Bachelors degree in Business Analytics, Information Systems, Finance, or a related field.

• Certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, PMI-PBA, or equivalent.

• Experience with enterprise portfolio or PPM tools (e.g. JIRA, Power BI, or similar).

Personal Attributes

• Highly analytical and detail-oriented.

• Confident communicator able to influence senior stakeholders.

• Motivated by quality, consistency, and measurable business impact.

• Self-starter with strong ownership, accountability, and follow-through.