Portfolio Manager

Company Description

Informa is a leading international events, digital services and academic knowledge group.

We're here to champion the specialist. Through hundreds of brands and a range of products and services, we connect businesses and professionals with the knowledge they need to learn more, know more and do more.

Across our divisions, we have a broad range of products and services, all of which are based on connecting people, knowledge and ideas. They include live and on-demand events, digital content and media, advanced research and research services, accredited training, digital marketing and audience development services, and digital lead and demand generation solutions.

Technology Solutions & Services (TSS) has responsibility for key enterprise technology disciplines that underpin day to day business operations including Strategy & Technology Change, Enterprise Architecture, Enterprise Technology, Customer Technology, Technology Operations, and Information Security.

Job Description

Role & Team Profile

The Technology Change Team (TCT) sits within the Global Technology function at Informa, known as Technology Services and Solutions (TS&S). The team’s mission is to support outcome-focused, and technology enabled change, through effective insights, assurance and advice.

We are seeking a Portfolio Manager to bolster our offering and deliver against this mission statement. The Portfolio Manager will report to the Head of Portfolio Management and will play a crucial role in steering Informa’s portfolio of technology change towards success. You will be entrusted with the oversight of a diverse array of projects and programmes, ensuring that each aligns with the strategic objectives and delivers optimal value. By implementing robust governance processes, you will maintain a holistic view of portfolio health, adeptly managing risks and dependencies. Your expertise in providing strategic, data driven insights will empower them and others to make informed decisions that enhance portfolio performance.

The Portfolio Manager will be instrumental in supporting the TCT shift from a stance of reactive demand management to one that prioritises strategic alignment and resource efficiency. This shift is key to providing increased assurance in the delivery of currently initiatives and in extracting maximum value from our investments.

Key Areas of Responsibility/Accountability/Duties

The TCT Portfolio Manager is expected to assume the following key responsibilities plus any other reasonable duties as required:

Portfolio Performance

• Develop and implement a comprehensive set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics to effectively measure project and programme performance across the technology portfolio.
• Support the maintenance of our digital reporting suite, and, where necessary, produce tailored reports summarising portfolio performance to senior stakeholders, highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

Risk & Assurance

• Conduct regular project and programme health checks and assessments across the portfolio, identifying potential issues and areas requiring interventions.
• Implement and maintain a robust risk management framework ensuring consistent identification, evaluation, and mitigation of risks across all technology projects.

Governance Champion

• Collaborate closely with the Governance Lead to ensure all technology initiatives adhere to established governance processes and standards.
• Support the preparation of technology assurance documentation for strategic technology investments going to the Capital Investment Committee.

Communication

• Point of contact to disseminate decisions related to technology strategy and prioritisation to business teams.
• Develop and deliver, clear, concise communications and presentations to support communication of these key messages. 

Knowledge Management

• Oversee the maintenance and improvement of a central knowledge sharing database, ensuring information is current, relevant, and easily accessible.
• Promote and implement knowledge management best practices across technology teams, fostering a culture of information sharing and collaboration.

TS&S lynchpin

• Act as the interface between business teams, and TS&S Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) during the triage and feasibility phase of new demand items.
• Facilitate efficient knowledge transfer and collaboration between TS&S SMEs and project teams to ensure accurate assessment of new technology demands

Financial reporting

• Collaborate with project and finance teams to develop and maintain accurate financial reports for the technology change portfolio.
• Analyse financial data to identify trends, variances, and opportunities for cost optimisation across technology projects.

Continuous improvement:

• Identify and implement opportunities to enhance Technology Change Team (TCT) processes, driving efficiency and effectiveness.
• Champion a culture of continuous improvement across technology teams, encouraging innovation and best practice adoption.

Resource & Capacity Planning

• Collaborate with resource owners to develop and maintain capacity plans for technology projects.
• Analyse resource utilisation data to identify opportunities for optimisation and recommend strategies to balance workload across the portfolio

Value Realisation

• Develop and implement frameworks for identifying, tracking, and measuring the benefits and value derived from technology change initiatives.
• Collaborate with business stakeholders to ensure alignment between technology investments and expected business outcomes.

2025 pipeline – annual planning:

• Support the annual planning process by gathering and analysing data on potential technology initiatives for the upcoming year.
• Assist in prioritising and aligning proposed technology work with the overall business strategy and objectives for 2025

Qualifications

• Extensive experience of working in a Portfolio Management Office supporting multiple initiatives.
• Experience chairing senior management meetings and governance forums.
• Extensive experience of supporting, running and improving portfolio/project governance activities.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and relationship building skills.
• Strong with data and information - experience with Management Information processes and compiling data to meet needs of different audiences.
• Experience in both agile and waterfall delivery methodologies.
• Knowledge or experience of Agile/Lean PMO practices will also be useful in suggesting new ways of enabling value and flow of delivery.
• Proficiency in SmartSheets and Microsoft Excel
• Change Management experience is highly desirable.
• Foundational PowerBI skillset is highly preferable.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Additional Information

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here’s some of what you can expect when you join us. But don’t just take our word for it – see what our colleagues have to say at https://lifeat.informa.com/

Our benefits include:

• Freedom & flexibility: colleagues rate us highly for the flexibility and trust they receive and most of us balance time in the office with time working remotely.
• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks.
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too.
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms, and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves.
• Time out: 25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after two years, plus a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year.
• A flexible range of personal benefits to choose from, plus company funded private medical cover.
• A ShareMatch scheme that allows you to become an Informa shareholder with free matching shares.
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, a healthy living subsidy, access to health apps and more.
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programmes.
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world.

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information.

Check out some of our Corporate Videos below to find out more about Informa:

• Life at Informa: https://vimeo.com/818874158
• Informa overview: https://vimeo.com/806052607
• Diversity & Inclusion at Informa: https://vimeo.com/786679923
• Colleague networks: https://vimeo.com/786687436
• Walk the World: https://vimeo.com/837933822
• GAP 2: https://vimeo.com/806058954

See how Informa handles your personal data when you apply for a job here: https://www.informa.com/talent/informa-applicant-privacy-notice/