Senior Portfolio Manager

About us

The company

This role is in our Springer Nature Technology division - a diverse group of over 700 people across our main locations in Germany, India, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Visit group.springernature.com to learn more about who we are and what we do.

The department

Join the Portfolio & Governance Office of our CIO, where our mantra is simple yet powerful: “Do the right things. Do things right.” Our team is dedicated to building a strategic, consistent, and transparent approach to how information and technology empower our entire enterprise. We focus on two essential objectives: fostering a unified vision for IT across the organisation and ensuring our IT organisation consistently delivers value through efficiency and clarity. If you are passionate about driving meaningful change at the intersection of technology, information, and business strategy, we would love for you to be part of our mission.

The team

Join our Portfolio & Project Office (PPO) within the Portfolio & Governance Office, where we provide the essential backbone for strategic alignment and effective project execution across the organisation. This team is responsible for ensuring that our project portfolio not only meets the organisation’s immediate needs but also aligns with long-term business goals. With a focus on portfolio governance, demand management, and business outcome measurement, our team plays a central role in resource optimisation, risk management, and continuous improvement across initiatives.

In the team, you will you will help shape impactful projects from concept to execution, implementing frameworks that foster transparency, enhance decision-making, and prioritise value creation. This is a team where collaboration, innovation, and accountability come together, fostering a culture where every project aligns with our core objectives and strategic vision. By joining the PPO, you will work at the intersection of technology and business strategy, shaping initiatives that deliver tangible outcomes and propel the organisation forward.

About the job

Job summary

Portfolio & Project Office - Your Opportunity to Shape Strategic Impact

Join our Portfolio & Project Office at Springer Nature Technology, where we provide the essential backbone for strategic alignment and effective project execution across the organisation. As part of our team, you will have the chance to drive impactful projects from concept to execution and help orchestrate the health of our wider portfolio, implementing frameworks that foster transparency, enhance decision-making, and prioritise value creation.

If you are ready to embrace challenges and contribute to an evolving, high-performing project environment, we welcome you to apply and be part of a team committed to excellence in delivering strategic value across the enterprise.

As a Senior IT Portfolio Manager, you will lead the strategic management of the organisation’s IT project portfolio, ensuring alignment with business goals and maximising the return on technology investments. This role involves overseeing the end-to-end lifecycle of IT projects, from portfolio planning and prioritisation to execution and performance measurement. You will be responsible for evaluating project proposals, managing resource allocation, and conducting regular portfolio reviews to ensure optimal use of resources and risk mitigation.

You will enable our technology division at all levels to make data-driven decisions and foster collaboration across departments. With a focus on continuous improvement, you will play a crucial role in refining governance standards and reporting processes to drive transparency and accountability.

In this role, you are a strategic partner to SN Technology leadership, balancing day-to-day project management with a strategic vision to optimise the organisation’s portfolio in line with corporate objectives. This role’s contributions across corporate cycles are essential to achieving alignment between IT investments and overall business goals.

Key responsibilities

Portfolio management & governance

• Continuously evaluate, prioritise and manage IT project proposals to align with organisational goals, ensuring each project meets strategic objectives and delivers value.

• Oversee resource allocation across the portfolio, balancing project needs with capacity and coordinating across teams to optimise resource utilisation and manage constraints.

• Maintain visibility of project portfolio progress, risks and outcomes, tracking performance and adjusting plans to meet changing priorities.

Risk and issue management

• Identify, assess and mitigate risks across the project portfolio, providing regular updates on risk status and mitigation plans.

• Address emerging issues proactively, using strategic insights to minimise impact and facilitate solutions.

Data-driven analysis & reporting

• Analyse project data to produce performance insights, including financial metrics, resource utilisation and project outcomes, to inform decision-making and optimise portfolio value. 

• Develop and refine portfolio reporting frameworks to ensure consistent and transparent communication of progress to senior leadership.

Financial management with IT Finance Business Partners

• Collaborate closely with the IT Finance Business Partner to ensure accurate financial operations, processes and reporting for the entire IT portfolio, including investments in Run-Grow-Transform initiatives.

• Develop transparent oversight of cost structures and total cost of ownership (TCO) for products and services, and work with technology expert teams to implement a FinOps approach to optimise cloud cost management, ensuring the portfolio’s financial sustainability aligns with business goals.

Responsibilities within annual corporate cycles

Financial forecasting and budget planning

• Work with IT Finance to evaluate funding requirements, prioritise investments, and adjust budgets quarterly to support evolving strategic priorities.

Strategy review and mid-term planning

• Support the strategic review cycle by assessing portfolio alignment with long-term goals and recommending adjustments to maximise ROI.

Annual planning & prioritisation

• Lead portfolio planning by coordinating with business units to review, prioritise and optimise resources for both new projects and ongoing initiatives.

Corporate meetings & reporting obligations

• Present financial and operational portfolio performance, making strategic recommendations for resource adjustments and alignment with business goals.

• Actively participate in committees to align portfolio performance with strategic priorities and address key dependencies.

• Prepare reports that include key financial metrics such as TCO, cloud spending and resource allocation, ensuring transparent and actionable insights.

By working closely with IT Finance, this role ensures comprehensive financial and operational oversight, from the project level to the broader strategic portfolio, supporting the organisation’s vision for sustainable growth and value delivery.

About you

Your experience

Extensive portfolio and project management experience

• Extensive experience in project portfolio management (PPM), ideally within an IT or technology-driven environment, with a strong track record of successfully overseeing large, complex project portfolios that align with organisational strategy.

• Proven experience managing a diverse portfolio, including Run-Grow-Transform initiatives, demonstrating expertise in prioritising projects based on strategic objectives and business value.

Financial management expertise with IT focus

• Significant experience working closely with finance teams or directly managing project finances, including budget forecasting, cost control and resource allocation.

• Beneficial but not essential: prior experience implementing or collaborating on a FinOps approach to manage cloud-based service costs, including insights into total cost of ownership and financial metrics specific to technology portfolios.

Stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration

• Strong history of collaboration with IT and business stakeholders, demonstrating an ability to understand and align with business needs while ensuring project outcomes deliver value.

• Experience engaging with senior leaders and steering committees, preparing impactful reports and presenting portfolio performance insights in strategic discussions.

Risk management and governance

• Demonstrated experience in assessing and managing risk across multiple projects, with an emphasis on proactive issue resolution and risk mitigation.

• Expertise in establishing governance frameworks and standards that support consistency, transparency and accountability across the portfolio.

Your qualifications

You bring a blend of technical expertise, financial acumen and strategic foresight, ensuring the IT portfolio operates effectively and adds measurable value across the enterprise.

Education and certifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Information Technology, Business, Finance or a related field.

• Certifications such as PMP, PfMP, PMI-ACP or Certified ScrumMaster may be helpful, but equivalent experience is equally valued.

Business acumen and strategic insight

• Demonstrated ability to connect IT portfolio decisions with organisational objectives, ensuring projects deliver strategic value and align with business priorities.

• Strong business acumen for understanding and interpreting the broader market context, effectively translating technical initiatives into measurable business outcomes.

Communication and storytelling expertise 

• Ability to communicate clearly in English with a range of audiences 

• Ability to craft compelling narratives around project outcomes and portfolio insights that resonate across audiences. 

• Powerful storytelling skills and experience delivering presentations to executive leadership. 

Analytical and strategic thinking skills 

• Strong analytical abilities to manage and interpret complex financial and operational data to drive strategic portfolio decisions. 

• A proven ability to align portfolio decisions with long-term organisational strategy, ensuring maximum return on investment and alignment with business goals. 

Tool experience 

• Familiarity with PPM tools and platforms is desirable but not essential. 

• Knowledge of cloud financial management tools, including FinOps principles, is desirable. 

Communication and leadership skills 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills to convey complex portfolio insights to both technical and non-technical audiences. 

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