Head of Portfolio Management Office

In brief

Overview This role is for a Head of Portfolio Management Office (PMO) at Omnia, specifically leading the BME PMO. The BME PMO acts as the central point for proposing, approving, governing, delivering, and reporting BME's strategic initiatives and business-critical projects. The Head of PMO is responsible for ensuring projects have sound business cases, named sponsors, are prioritised against capacity, delivered to plan, and achieve promised benefits. The role provides Exco with a clear and accurate view of the entire project portfolio to inform decision-making regarding project initiation, acceleration, re-scoping, or termination. The PMO establishes the framework, discipline, project management capabilities, and independent oversight, while business sponsors and owners retain accountability for project success and benefit realisation. Over time, the BME PMO approach is expected to evolve into a model extendable to broader Omnia Group strategic initiatives when mandated. The PMO governs projects meeting specific entry criteria, such as value, capital spend, cross-functional or cross-country impact, or risk level, encompassing strategic initiatives, business-critical projects, and capital projects above an agreed threshold. Projects below the threshold are managed within functions using PMO standards and light reporting. What you will do * **Project governance framework:** Design, implement, and own the BME project governance framework, covering proposal, approval, prioritisation, initiation, review, and closure of projects. Define clear entry criteria for PMO-governed projects versus functionally managed ones. Run approval checkpoints at key stages (idea, business case, start of delivery, go-live, closure) with the business sponsor making decisions. Agree on time, cost, and scope limits with sponsors to escalate only true exceptions. Act as secretariat for the portfolio governance forum, ensuring decisions are recorded, actioned, and followed up. * **Portfolio planning and prioritisation:** Maintain an integrated register of all strategic and business-critical projects, linking each to a strategic objective or marking it as business-critical. Recommend to Exco which projects to start, sequence, accelerate, re-scope, or stop, based on value, risk, capacity, and dependencies. Plan and monitor the capacity of key people and functions across projects, flagging overload before delays occur. Align the portfolio with the annual business plan, budget cycle, and capital approval process. * **Project delivery:** Provide project management capability from the PMO team to deliver selected high-priority and cross-functional projects on behalf of the business sponsor. Ensure every project has a named sponsor, business owner, approved plan, budget, and benefit targets before work commences. Support business-led projects with standard tools, templates, and coaching. Lead, develop, and manage the performance of PMO project managers and analysts. * **Independent oversight and reporting:** Provide an independent view of project health, separate from delivery teams, and challenge optimistic or incomplete reporting. Produce a monthly portfolio report for Exco covering progress, spend, risks, issues, required decisions, and benefits. Give early warning of at-risk projects and recommend corrective action, including stopping projects that no longer justify continued investment. Collaborate with Enterprise Risk Management to ensure significant project and portfolio risks are reflected in the BME risk register. * **Benefits tracking:** Ensure benefits are defined in measurable terms with a named owner upon project approval. Track benefits with business owners and Finance after project closure, reporting realised versus planned benefits to Exco. Conduct post-project reviews and integrate lessons learned into the framework. * **Capability and culture:** Build project management capability across BME through standard methods, tools, training, and coaching for sponsors and project managers. Promote a culture of disciplined delivery, clear accountability, and honest reporting. Select, implement, and maintain portfolio management tools and reporting systems. * **Group extension:** Develop BME PMO methods, tools, and governance to a standard suitable for adoption by Omnia Group strategic initiatives. Work with Group Portfolio Management and Group Strategy, providing support for the roll-out of PMO ways of working, governance, and oversight to Group strategic initiatives outside BME, where mandated. Requirements (from the original advert) **Qualifications** * Degree in Commerce, Business Science, Economics, Engineering or Science. **Experience** * 15+ years' experience, including at least 5 years leading a PMO or portfolio of strategic and business projects, and 3+ years in mining, industrial or manufacturing environments. * Multi-country experience (Advantageous). * MBA or equivalent; recognised project or programme management certification; experience setting up or maturing a PMO (Advantageous). **Key Competencies** * Business Acumen * Conflict Management * Customer Focus * Functional technical skills * Innovation management * Integrity and Trust * Problem solving * Ability to lead under pressure * Critical thinking * Facilitating change Who should apply This role is ideal for a seasoned professional with extensive experience (15+ years) in portfolio and project management, including at least 5 years in a PMO leadership capacity, particularly within mining, industrial, or manufacturing sectors. The candidate should possess a strong academic background (degree in Commerce, Business Science, Economics, Engineering, or Science) and demonstrated expertise in designing and implementing project governance frameworks, strategic portfolio planning, and ensuring disciplined project delivery and benefit realisation. The successful applicant will be adept at providing independent oversight, reporting project health to executive leadership, and fostering a culture of accountability and effective project management across an organisation. They should be a critical thinker, capable of leading under pressure, facilitating change, and skilled in conflict management and problem-solving. Prior multi-country experience, an MBA or equivalent, and project/programme management certification are advantageous. Deadline Not specified Reference Original posting: https://www.myjobmag.co.za/job/head-of-portfolio-management-office-omnia-pty-ltd Source: myjobmag

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At a glance

• At least 15 years of experience.

• Project management

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