IT Portfolio Manager

TN United Kingdom; London; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000

Job description

The IT Portfolio Manager is responsible for overseeing the management, maintenance, and optimisation of the organisation’s business-critical software applications, ensuring they align with business objectives, operate effectively, and provide value to stakeholders.

In this role, the IT Portfolio Manager will lead a team of application specialists, fostering collaboration with both internal and external partners to implement system enhancements and deliver robust, high-quality solutions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Application Management: Oversee the lifecycle of business applications, including implementation, configuration and maintenance. Ensure applications meet business requirements and are aligned with organisational and client goals.
2. Team Leadership: Manage and mentor the Business Systems team, providing guidance and support to enhance team performance. Foster a collaborative team environment that encourages innovation and problem-solving.
3. Business Support: Act as the primary point of contact for business systems related queries and issues. Partner with business stakeholders to identify requirements, and deliver solutions.
4. Performance Optimisation: Monitor application performance and availability, ensuring systems operate effectively and meet SLA/SLTs. Coordinate regular system upgrades, patches, and enhancements for business-critical applications with minimal disruption to business operations.
5. Vendor and Partner Management: Manage relationships with third-party vendors, ensuring service delivery meets contractual obligations. Oversee software licensing renewals.
6. Projects and Innovation: Delivery of Business Systems related projects, including integrations, migrations, and system implementations. Stay updated on industry trends and emerging technologies to identify opportunities for improvement.
7. Risk and Compliance: Ensure applications comply with relevant regulations, standards, and organisational policies. This will include data retention and deletion policies. Collaborate with other IT functions to maintain robust disaster recovery and business continuity plans for business-critical applications. Conduct annual audit cycle, for Asta’s ISAE 3402 SOC Type II.

Key Personal Skills Required

1. Application Management Expertise: Proven experience in overseeing the full lifecycle of business-critical applications, ensuring optimal performance, reliability, and alignment with organisational needs.
2. Requirements Gathering and System Analysis: Skilled in understanding and translating business requirements into application configurations and enhancements, ensuring solutions meet operational demands effectively.
3. Lloyd’s Insurance Market Insight: Comprehensive understanding of Lloyd’s processes, regulatory frameworks, and industry-specific terminology, enabling effective support for related applications.
4. Technical Proficiency: Strong knowledge of IT systems, data workflows, and software development life cycles (SDLC), with the ability to bridge technical and business requirements.
5. Team Leadership: Demonstrated capability to lead, mentor, and inspire teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment.
6. Effective Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, adept at engaging with stakeholders across all levels of the organisation.
7. Problem-Solving Abilities: Advanced analytical and critical-thinking skills to identify and resolve challenges, delivering technical solutions that align with business objectives.

Key Technical Skills/Knowledge/Professional Qualifications Required:

1. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
2. Proven experience in IT applications management or a similar role, with a track record of delivering high-quality outcomes.
3. Knowledge of Lloyd’s insurance systems and platforms, including underwriting, claims processing, and other Lloyd’s insurance operations to effectively onboard and support Lloyd’s syndicates to Asta. This will naturally include detailed understanding of Lloyd’s insurance processes.
4. A good understanding of the Lloyd’s Market initiatives and projects (Blueprint 2 etc.)
5. Strong knowledge of enterprise applications, system integration, and database management. Familiarity with IT service management frameworks and Agile project management.
6. Project management knowledge, including Agile Scrum and Kanban.