Consulting Director, Agile Portfolio Management

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JOB DESCRIPTION:
We are seeking an Agile Portfolio Management (APM) Consulting Director (internal full-time role) who will align strategy and execution by applying Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to Agile portfolio governance for one or more portfolios. As the APM Consulting Director, a strategic leader within and across portfolios, you will be responsible for influencing stakeholders toward the SAFe mindset and behaviors. The APM Consulting Director also supports establishment of strategy and investment funding, and owns their ongoing maintenance and reporting, managing relationships and acting as liaison between one or more portfolios, client organizations, and other stakeholders from roadmap through benefits realization.
As an individual contributor, you will collaborate with business, portfolio, and program leaders to manage spending, audit and compliance, forecasting expenses, and measurement for one or more portfolios. Additionally, the ideal candidate will ensure efforts within portfolio(s) are defined, tracked, and communicated in a consistent and effective manner aligned with Governance standards.
This is a full-time internal opportunity that will work in a hybrid capacity (2-3 days per week) from our offices in Chicago, IL.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Performs a combination of duties in accordance with departmental guidelines:
• Promote scaled agility within the team, ensuring adherence to Lean Agile Portfolio Management using the SAFe model for desired outcomes.
• Establish and enforce governance standards, facilitating and consolidating key processes like estimation, forecasting, and planning to enhance the overall delivery model.
• Partner with business and technical leaders in assigned portfolios, offering thought leadership and support to understand and address operational needs.
• Coordinate and communicate performance and compliance across programs, portfolio leadership, executives, and C-suite leaders.
• Oversee portfolio-level outcomes, initiative lifecycles, and communicate overall portfolio performance, including financials and decision indicators.
• Provide leadership and mentoring on Agile portfolio management best practices, ensuring clarity on responsibilities, authorities, and accountability for all portfolio staff.
• Facilitate portfolio ceremonies, including Portfolio Sync, Participatory Budgeting, and Strategic Portfolio Review.
• Stay informed on trends within Agile Delivery, emerging technologies/tools, and the Insurance Industry.
• Coordinate across value streams and programs to manage dependencies and resolve cross-portfolio impediments.
• Collaborate with the Portfolio Lead to define and implement Agile execution patterns, portfolio performance metrics, spend, and continuous improvement.
May perform additional duties as assigned.
Reporting Relationship
Typically Reports to PMO Delivery Manager, Director or Above
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities
• In-depth knowledge of business unit's functions and systems Extensive experience managing across sets of complex programs and functions to create and maintain portfolio-level standards and outcomes, with budgets in excess of $25 million per year
• Proven experience coaching and mentoring staff in a matrixed organization and providing performance feedback.
• Proven ability to lead and motivate others in accomplishing goals
• Proven experience successfully managing a portfolio of business and technical resources to ensure alignment Ability to exercise professional judgement and assume responsibility for decisions which have an impact on people, quality of service, and costs
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to work effectively with peers, clients, technical leadership, and subordinates in cross functional teams
• Ability to present and contextualize information and data that can be consumed by senior leaders and C-Suite executives
• Strong experience and understanding of financial management and accounting principles and practice, including Forecasting, Accruals, Reconciliation, Amortization, and Capitalization
• Understands complex financial concepts and has ability to generate data driven insights to support decision making Proficient knowledge of Agile/DevOps/Program Management Lifecycle Methodologies & Standards
• Experience understanding, interpreting and executing on an enterprise's financial, technical, and business contexts Senior-level knowledge of technology compliance requirements and financial management practices
Education & Experience
• Bachelor's or Master's Degree with Master's Degree (preferred), in Computer Science, Information Technology, business, or equivalent work experience.
• Typically, a minimum of 10 years' experience managing information systems portfolios or multiple information systems programs
• Typically, a minimum of five years' experience in an agile / scrum environment with large enterprise standards PMP and/or SAFe LPM certifications preferred but not required with related hands on delivery experience
• Knowledge and experience using Jira, Confluence, Planview, LucidSpark/Mural and the Microsoft Office suite
• Typically, a minimum of 10 years' experience in managing portfolio, product and project financial management and accounting principles, including Forecasting, Accruals, Reconciliation, Amortization, and Capitalization
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CNA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact [email protected] .