PMO Brand Lead

About the role

The successful delivery of the Partnership strategy is critical to the continued success of the Partnership. To enable this, and recognising the need to organise ourselves in the most efficient and effective way to deliver the Partnership Plan, last year we introduced a new Transformation Office operating as part of a “hub and spoke” model connected into our Lines of Business.
The Transformation Office (“hub”) will provide overarching portfolio management of the Partnership’s Change Portfolio, along with additional capabilities in resourcing and delivery methodologies and tooling, into one team.
Connected to the Transformation Office are four Transformation Squads (“spokes”), who will operate in each Line of Business (John Lewis and Waitrose) plus support pan-Partnership activity and John Lewis Money. The spokes are led by our Heads of Brand Transformation and will enable us to get close to the brand plans and support the achievement of their business goals.

The PMO Brand Lead role (of which there are three - one covering each of John Lewis, Waitrose and pan-Partnership) will play a critical part in each of the spokes, working closely with the relevant Head of Brand Transformation. We have one vacancy covering the John Lewis brand, which will put you at the forefront of ensuring delivery for John Lewis and providing the link between the John Lewis transformation plan and our overall Partnership plan.
With the operating model being relatively new and continuing to evolve, this job provides a brilliant opportunity for the right person to shape the role and how the team operates, and requires an individual who is able to deal with significant ambiguity and be highly responsive in a fast-paced environment.

At a glance

This is a hybrid working role, therefore your time will primarily be split between working from home and the London/ Head Office. However, there will also be an expectation to visit other locations as the need arises.

The salary range for this role is set at £68,500 - £128,000. We are looking for candidates within the salary range of up to £100,000.

This position is Permanent, there are three positions within the organisation reflecting the three “brands” (Waitrose, John Lewis & Pan Partnership), of which one is left to be filled - to cover the John Lewis brand.

Key Responsibilities

1. You will be accountable for providing accurate information and insight, including early-warning indicators, on the progress and health of the delivery of the Brand portfolio to the Brand Leadership Team and beyond. This will be supported, in collaboration with the PMO Lead, by the leadership and assurance you provide to the PMO teams delivering across the Brand portfolio to ensure effective ways of working.

2. You will be responsible for the management, at Brand level, of the portfolio plan, portfolio governance forums, risk & issue management and effective portfolio change control, including trade-offs and tracking of financial risks and opportunities. You will make recommendations on interventions to the Head of Brand Transformation to maximise the chances of successful delivery and the realisation of benefits.

3. You will be responsible for ensuring that the brand portfolio plan and approach to portfolio management links effectively with the Transformation Office and with your counterparts in the other brands, looking for opportunities to drive consistency and efficiency wherever possible.

4. As part of this role you will also work with the overall PMO Lead to develop the PMO sub profession, providing advice and insight into the running and evolution of the overall team.

5. In order to do this, it will be critical for you to constructively challenge, agitate and have a relentless approach to high standards; act quickly and decisively; deal with significant ambiguity, and drive an empowered and empowering culture.

Essential skills you’ll need

• Extensive experience as a Portfolio or PMO Manager working across a large, multi-disciplinary portfolio of work.
• Working with senior stakeholders to build constructive, trusted relationships.
• Evidencing exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal, including the ability to analyse and present complex delivery information and insight.
• Managing portfolio finances (costs and benefits) and demonstrating commercial acumen.
• Resilience and the ability to deal with significant ambiguity.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment requiring high levels of responsiveness.
• Use of industry-leading tool(s) for portfolio, programme, project and product management.
• Team Leadership.

Desirable skills you may also have

• Enterprise level PMO or Portfolio Management qualification(s), e.g. P3O, MoP, AIPMO, MSP.
• Excellent understanding of different delivery methods including programmes, projects and product-based delivery and the implications / approaches to managing this as part of a wider hybrid portfolio.
• Use of Planview PPM tool and / or Jira for portfolio, programme, project and product management.
• Leading and delivering Enterprise level performance analysis, reporting, MI and dashboards.

About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.