PMO Lead - EMEA & APAC

Why we're hiring:

WPP is at the forefront of the marketing and advertising industry's largest transformation. Our Global CIO is leading a significant evolution of our Enterprise Technology capabilities, bringing together over 2,500 technology professionals into an integrated global team. This team will play a crucial role in enabling the ongoing transformation of our agencies and functions. 

*This is a 14 month fixed term contract*

What you'll be doing:

• Lead the Portfolio Management Office (PMO) for the region, governing the effective change management of the global WPP Media IT portfolio
• Implement the PMO's vision, strategy, and objectives, aligning them with the overall WPP Enterprise Technology and WPP Media business goals.
• Build and embed a culture of continuous improvement and the learning journeys needed to build capability and technical expertise in the team.
• Establish clear roles and responsibilities within the region’s PMO team.
• Manage and co-ordinate PMO activity for the region.
• Promote knowledge sharing and collaboration within the project management community.
• Manage all aspects of the portfolio, including tracking project activities against business cases, budgets, and timelines.
• Identify opportunities to develop, evolve and simplify Portfolio Governance processes, tools, and documentation to ensure consistent and effective project execution.
• Collaborate with a diverse, multi-disciplinary global team to understand business needs and how they contribute to the IT project portfolio for the Media Cluster/WPP Media.
• Provide regular reporting, roadmaps and insights on portfolio performance within the region to senior management within Media CIO and S&T teams
• Ensure projects adhere to established governance frameworks and compliance requirements.
• Continuous improvement of governance processes and procedures across the team and inputs into the overall framework.
• Focus on continually evolving best practices, tools, and standards for PMO, ensuring universal adoption across the global WPP Media IT portfolio.
• Identify and implement opportunities to streamline processes, improve efficiency, and reduce project risks.
• Implement the adoption of standardized project management methodologies and tools.
• Work with budget holders to plan GroupM Technology and Enterprise Technology budgets for projects
• Create a robust reporting and forecasting process for the region’s project portfolio
• Create regular reporting to identify trends and potential risks in the regions’ project portfolio 
• Effectively manage stakeholders in a complex, multi-CIO global business environment.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across the WPP group.
• Communicate project status, risks, and issues effectively to stakeholders at all levels for the region.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior management on portfolio management matters.

What you'll need:

• Solid understanding of theory and best practices that exist around portfolio governance, programme and project management
• Extensive portfolio management and governance experience
• Must have experience of working in complex organisations, in geographically diverse teams across multiple time zones
• Ability to effectively stakeholder manage in a complex multi-CIO global business
• Ability to build and maintain relationships by engaging and working inclusively to establish credibility, solve problems, build consensus, and achieve objectives
• Excellent verbal and written communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Strong business analysis skills; comfortable with financials
• Strong Excel and Powerpoint skills
• Good at communicating with people; able to articulate or convey complex data well
• Quick to learn and adaptable to changing priorities, with the ability to reshape, reconfigure and realign solutions to meet challenging deadlines without jeopardising the successful delivery of the team’s objectives
• Ability to challenge to clarify understanding.
• Being accountable and keeping promises.
• Able to build a highly effective PMO team.
• Positive attitude and reasonably comfortable with uncertainty, risks and change.
• Works independently.
• Ability to provide structure to chaos.
• Ability to build trust and credibility.
• Ability to communicate & influence at all levels.
• Being able to motivate others.
• Manages “by example”.

Who you are: