AVP Portfolio Management Office

We are Athene. At Athene, we are driven to do more. We are a leading retirement services company that issues, reinsures and acquires retirement savings products designed for the increasing number of individuals and institutions seeking to fund retirement needs. We see every day as a new opportunity to measure ourselves against the best - and then we don't stop until we've set the bar even higher. We're ready to help you achieve more.

Purpose:

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Enterprise Project Management will direct the planning and execution of a $50M+ annual portfolio of projects, encompassing both technology and business change initiatives. Athene’s project portfolio typically delivers three to five highly complex cross functional strategic programs and over fifty business unit level projects annually.
The AVP of Enterprise Project Management will champion disciplined delivery practices utilizing proven methodologies and controls. They will drive continuous resource planning to ensure adequate capacity is available to deliver on strategic objectives. The person in this role will oversee portfolio delivery, budget management, forecasting, and portfolio reporting to executive management.
The AVP of Enterprise Project Management will report to the SVP of Information Technology and have a team of 15 – 20 project professionals, including dotted line roles. Opportunity for this role to advance to VP level with the appropriate leadership and results.
PERFORMANCE METRICS:
•Provides timely and accurate Portfolio information: gated process, forecasts, roadmaps, risks, benefit realization, and resource gaps
•Offers reports and metrics to ensure projects deliver within defined EPMO fundamental metrics: time (schedule), resources, and costs (budget and actual)
•Provides accurate and timely resource metrics (forecast, demand, allocations, and capacity) to achieve defined EPMO metrics
•Achieves a positive culture measured by team/department feedback
•Demonstrates an influential relationship measured by feedback from business and IT resource managers
•Increases the skill maturity according to plan and metrics defined within Centers of Excellence
•Aids in identifying interdependencies, risks and issues between assigned projects and programs within the EPMO portfolio

Accountabilities:

• Facilitates the development of multi-year strategic plan within the Project Portfolio; including road maps and priority discussions, resource demand and capacity, etc. that align with Athene's strategic goals and program/project objectives. 
• Chairs monthly Portfolio Approval Committee meetings. Prepares and committee meeting materials and coordinates attendance of project owners requesting stage-gate spend approvals.
• Partners with business and IT stakeholders via Portfolio Resource meetings, Program / Portfolio Steering Group meetings, Portfolio Approval Committee meetings, and other venues. This will include facilitation or participation, developing and sharing key messages throughout IT and across Athene's lines of business to communicate and explain the portfolio process and project life cycle
• Leads continuous improvement of the PMO processes and artifacts to further strengthen Athene's delivery of incremental business value.
• Maintains authority and oversight of the portfolio (all projects) to facilitate prioritization/decisions, sequencing, thorough scope management, ensure business and IT resource alignment; develop accurate portfolio forecasts compared to budget and approved funding project process
• Analyses portfolio scenarios and resource forecasts, demand, and capacity to drive decisions regarding the allocation of resources in accordance to the priorities of the overall portfolio
  • Assists with project scoping and sequencing to improve predictability of outcomes and milestones
  • Proactively challenge project managers and resource leaders on initiatives to maximize the utilization of resources
  • Escalate relevant issues via the most appropriate channel
  • Ensure compliance with financial planning and budgeting requirements
• Owns project methodology as the authority for how projects are delivered at Athene, ensuring a healthy balance of project controls with agility and incremental delivery.
• Leads the Project Management Community of Practice to mature the overall project management discipline; provide thought leadership, incorporate external best practices, and develop curricula for continuous learning/coaching
• Actively on-boards and mentors PM staff, as well as resource leaders on delivering and enhancing project management practice 
• Aligns and promote IT budget discipline and management of expenses and benefits from project, enhancements and Lights on

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent of education and work experience
• PMP designation preferred
• 7+ years related experience in project management and delivering complex, cross-functional work streams
• 2+ years related experience in enterprise portfolio and resource planning    
• 3+ years’ experience in direct team leadership & personnel management
• 2+ years IT delivery experience
• Retirement Services (annuity) experience preferred.
• Practical experience with Project and Portfolio Management (PPM) solutions.
• Strong knowledge of project management, requirements elicitation processes, and methodology (SDLC)
• Strong understanding of the principles of financial forecasting, planning and scheduling
• Working knowledge of proven Change Management techniques with strong communication and stakeholder management skills across all levels of the organization
• Experienced with MS products (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Familiar with communication & collaboration software tools (Share Point, Confluence)

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