Mgr Strategic Project Portfolio

Job Information

Overall Purpose

• Reporting to the Director of Strategy the Strategic Project Portfolio Manager is responsible for developing, maintaining, and evolving the framework that governs the organization's strategic projects.
• Ensuring strategic alignment, the Strategic Project Portfolio Manager drives consistency in project execution, and enforces adherence to standards, providing a robust foundation for successfully delivering strategic initiatives. 
• Oversees establishing reporting mechanisms to inform senior leadership about progress, risks, and opportunities while ensuring projects deliver measurable value. 
• As the leader of the Strategic Project Portfolio Management Office (SPMO), the Strategic Project Portfolio Manager provides guidance and oversight to ensure project management methodologies, tools, and standards are consistently applied across all strategic initiatives.
   

Major Responsibilities

Strategic Alignment:

• Ensure Strategic Alignment: Facilitate portfolio reviews to ensure strategic projects align with organizational priorities, making adjustments to sustain focus on delivering strategic value.
• Establish Governance Frameworks: Develop, implement, and maintain governance frameworks that define roles, responsibilities, decision-making processes, and escalation pathways to ensure accountability, transparency, and consistency across all strategic projects.
• Develop Governance Policies: Create policies and procedures that cover project initiation, approval, prioritization, resource allocation, and closure to maintain alignment with organizational standards and objectives.
• Support Decision-Making: Provide senior leadership with actionable insights on portfolio performance, resource allocation, and strategic risks to support informed decision-making.
• Audit Compliance: Regularly review project adherence to governance frameworks, identifying and addressing deviations to mitigate risks and ensure compliance with organizational policies.

Portfolio Oversight: 

• Monitor Portfolio Health: Establish dashboards and reporting tools to continuously monitor project performance, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and identifying underperforming initiatives.
• Risk Identification and Mitigation: Develop and maintain risk management practices to proactively identify, assess, and address risks across the portfolio.
• Facilitate Resource Optimization: Oversee resource allocation across the portfolio, ensuring strategic priorities are supported effectively while addressing capacity constraints.

Reporting and Communication:

• Implement Reporting Mechanisms: Design and sustain reporting frameworks that provide senior leadership with accurate, timely, and actionable updates on project progress, risks, financial performance, and interdependencies.
• Promote Transparency: Ensure stakeholders have clear visibility into portfolio status and critical decisions, fostering trust and collaboration.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Act as a liaison between senior leadership, project managers, and cross-functional teams, fostering clear communication and alignment of expectations.

Project Management Standards: 

• Define Standardized Processes: Maintain project management standards, methodologies, workflows and tools, ensuring their consistent application across strategic initiatives.
• Promote Consistency: Oversee adherence to methodologies and processes across project teams, ensuring consistency and streamlined execution.
• Drive Continuous Improvement: Conduct regular reviews of project management practices to identify and implement process improvements, incorporating feedback from lessons learned and industry trends.
• Support Project Teams: Act as an advisory resource to project managers, providing guidance on applying governance standards and adhering to methodologies.
• Enhance Skills and Capabilities: Deliver training programs and resources to build organizational competencies in project and portfolio management.
• Maintain Tools and Resources: Develop and maintain a comprehensive project management toolkit (e.g., charters, work breakdown structures, templates) to support consistent project delivery.
• Monitor Trends: Stay informed about emerging technologies and industry trends to ensure the organization remains at the forefront of strategic project portfolio management.

Major Responsibilities (continued)

Employee Management, Coaching and Development: 

• Leadership: Provide leadership, mentorship, and support to Project Managers, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
• Team Development: Develop team member’s technical expertise and professional skills, ensuring they stay current with industry trends and project management best practices.
• Performance Evaluations: Conduct performance evaluations, set clear goals, and create development plans to help team members achieve their full potential.
• Collaboration: Promote collaboration within the team and across OPS directorates to achieve organizational objectives.

Major Responsibilities (continued)

Statement of Required Qualifications

Education and Experience

Four (4) year University degree in relevant field, preferably Business Administration, Management Sciences, Public Administration, Social Sciences, or related field
Experience and formal training combined may substitute for stipulated education requirements.
Minimum seven (7) years of in project portfolio management focused on strategy execution and delivering large-scale, strategic initiatives:
Minimum five (5) years of experience managing teams in a project portfolio environment including experience:

• Establishing SPMO framework, policies and procedures.
• Developing SPMO process and performance modeling, benchmarking and analysis.
• Project  portfolio resource planning, reporting, prioritization and budgeting.
• Managing the work of contractor and/or services providers.
• Expert level knowledge of Microsoft Project and Industry Leading / Enterprise PPM tool 
• Experience working with Senior and Executive Management as well as internal and external stakeholders. 
• Experience preparing professional reports for presentation to Senior Management / Board or Directors or an overseeing civilian body.

Language

English – fluency in oral, reading, and writing.

Certifications and Licences

• Project Management Professional (PMP) designation or equivalent 
• Professional Change Management designation (i.e. Prosci)
   

In service Training

The following mandatory training and education is provided to all civilian Managers of the OPS:

• Supervisor Health & Safety 
• Respectful Workplace 
• Violence in the Workplace.
• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).
• Road to Mental Health Readiness (R2MR)
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (Supervisor Course).
• Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE).

All employees of the OPS are expected to complete all additional and new mandatory training as prescribed by the Office of the Chief.
 

Job Knowledge

• Working knowledge of the Organization’s Mission, Vision, and Values.
• Advanced knowledge of how to strategically align project portfolios with organizational strategies to maximize value realization. In-depth project management expertise and understanding of the PMBOK framework and its application across traditional and Agile methodologies.
• Expertise in developing project portfolio governance frameworks, ensuring adherence to organizational standards and compliance requirements.
• Proficiency in risk assessment, benefits tracking, and using metrics to measure project success and organizational impact.
• Skilled in project management software (e.g., CA Clarity, ServiceNow) and data visualization tools to enhance portfolio tracking and reporting.
• Familiarity with the economic, social, legal, and governance environment affecting public safety and policing organizations, with specific knowledge of the Ottawa area.
   

OPS Competencies

Hours of Work

Effort and Working Conditions

• Work is performed in a standard office environment with minimal adverse physical working conditions.
• Travel between OPS work sites will be required

Desired Qualifications

• Oral, reading, and writing fluency in French or other languages.
• Master of Business Administration or related degree. 
• Program Management Professional (PgMP) designation from the Project Management Institute (PMI)