Portfolio Manager

We’d all like amazing work to do, and real work-life balance. That’s waiting for you at Sainsbury’s. Think about the scale it takes to feed the nation. The level of data, transactions and variety involved. Then you’ll realise this is a modern software engineering environment, because it has to be. We’ve made significant investment in the standards and principles that shape how we work. We iterate, learn, experiment and champion ways of working such as Agile, Scrum and XP. So you can look forward to exciting opportunities across everything from AI to reusable tech.

As Portfolio Manager, you will work within the Supply Chain & Logistics Tech teams, partnering closely with Heads of Delivery and colleagues across Delivery, Engineering, Product, Service and Architecture. You will coordinate portfolio governance across Supply Chain & Logistics, ensuring risks, dependencies and opportunities are clearly understood to support informed trade-offs and decisions. You will also work closely with the Business Portfolio team to define robust governance and maintain audit readiness.

What you need to do:

• Lead and maintain the approach on programme governance documentation including the collation of updates and distribution to key stakeholders providing a reference point for queries
• Lead the team to maintain the programme plan across 5 year horizon, complete risk, opportunity and interdependency reviews
• Lead the execution of compliance audits with follow up and action with engagement of key stakeholders
• Continually review and manage assumptions, risks and issues with Project Leads and change partner leads in support of positive outcomes, supporting facilitation of problem solving across teams as appropriate
• Work closely with the project, change, design, strategy and tech teams to ensure all plans link together to a cohesive roadmap to deliver our generation plans
• Accountable for regular updates with Project Leads and producing required status reports for Steering and Working Groups, ensuring that actions are captured and managed. Stakeholder management and engagement skills will be key
• Providing Portfolio process expertise as required and coaching project managers to adopt procedures and in the use of approved templates and processes, working to enhance them as required in line with wider group changes/compliance requirements
• Build strong stakeholder relationships allowing you to engage and manage your relationships positively, seeking & responding to ongoing feedback from impacted stakeholders
• Positively impacting the Transformation culture with a curiosity to learn and change at pace, connecting cross programme impacts as they emerge flagging issues, opportunities or interdependencies to the team

What you need to know:

• Highly experienced knowledge of project governance and the various project management tool used across a wide range of disciplines.
• Good understanding of programme methodologies and experience working in agile/hybrid programmes
• Good understanding of risk and issues management and its application to projects
• Excellent written communication and presentation skills and ability to use Microsoft Word, Excel & PowerPoint to a high degree of competence
• Experience at engaging senior leadership stakeholders, simplifying and lifting out the key areas of focus from the technical detail

Desirable:

• Relevant Portfolio / Project qualification
• Experience working on technical, systems implementation programmes
• Knowledge & understanding of the end to end Supply Chain & Logistics process, operating standards, policies & procedures
• Aware of company techniques for establishing and managing budgets and general principles of financial control

Essential Criteria:

• Tooling – Agile and Waterfall Methodology, Jira and Confluence SME
• Portfolio Transformation experience
• Audit Readiness awareness
• Robust Governance Framework knowledge

What you need to show:

• Works with the relevant team to ensure that everyones needs are known and ensures customer outcomes are at the forefront of decision making
• Flexibility to meet business requirements
• Takes time to really understand processes, engages with colleagues to check understanding and then works to implement change to make things simpler
• Takes every opportunity to engage with our customers to build their trust in what we are doing now and plan to do in the future
• Communicates with colleagues in an engaging and inspiring way
• Self-awareness and an understanding of your impact, so that all stakeholders know what we need to do and why it needs to be done.
• Inspires those around them to be the best they can be, taking time to get to know, encourage and support them
• Self-starter, with the ability to engage and motivate Team & internal/external stakeholders

What decisions I can make including budget:

• Appropriate decisions within the program/individual project remit
• Supports approval of Phase Gates, PIR’s in line with project size/governance rules
• Agree appropriate governance structure, templates, processes and forums for Transformation programme

Directly or indirectly manages:

• Managing a team of upto 3 Portfolio Leads

We are committed to being a truly inclusive retailer so you’ll be welcomed whoever you are and wherever you work. Around here, there’s always the chance to try something new — whether that’s as part of an evolving team or somewhere else across the business - and we take development seriously and promise to support you. We also recognise and celebrate colleagues when they go the extra mile and, where possible, offer flexible working. When you join our team, we’ll also offer you an amazing range of benefits. Here are some of them:

Starting off with colleague discount, you'll be able to save 10% on your shopping online and instore at Sainsbury's, Argos, TU and Habitat, and we regularly increase the discount to 15% at points during the year. We've also got you covered for your future with our pensions scheme and life cover. You'll also be able to share in our success as you may be eligible for a performance-related bonus of up to 20% of salary, depending on how we perform.

Your wellbeing is important to us too. You'll receive an annual holiday allowance, and you can buy up to an additional week's holiday, and we provide private healthcare. We also offer other benefits that will help your money go further such as season ticket loans, interest free car loan of up to £10k, cycle to work scheme, health cash plans, salary advance (where you can access some of your pay before pay day) as well access to a great range of discounts from hundreds of other retailers. And if you ever need it there is also an Employee Assistance Programme.

Moments that matter are as important to us as they are to you which is why we give up to 26 weeks’ pay for maternity or adoption leave and up to 4 weeks’ pay for paternity leave.

Please see www.sainsburys.jobs for a range of our benefits (note, length of service and eligibility criteria may apply).