Portfolio and GovernanceMinistry of Justice

23636

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

Job Title

Portfolio and Governance Manager

Department

Strategy and Corporate Services

Team

Risk, Governance and Portfolio Assurance

Job Grade

HEO

Number of Posts    1

Reports to

SEO Risk and Accountability Manager

Job Purpose

To support the development of the Parole Board's Portfolio Office by providing practical portfolio, governance and assurance support across the organisation. The postholder will help colleagues apply clear project and programme management expectations, use proportionate tools and templates, and ensure projects and programmes are governed effectively and subject to appropriate oversight, constructive challenge and escalation.

The role will help develop and maintain portfolio management arrangements, support business planning, performance reporting and benefits realisation, coordinate governance and assurance activity, and build organisational capability by giving colleagues the skills, tools and confidence to manage projects and programmes consistently. The postholder will use data and insight to test whether projects and programmes are being governed effectively, identify gaps or risks in controls and reporting, and support timely challenge, escalation and corrective action where needed. They will help ensure senior leaders have reliable information on progress, risks, dependencies, benefits, affordability and organisational capacity, supporting prioritisation, resilience and decision-making across the portfolio.

Scope of duties and responsibilities:

• Work collaboratively with project and programme leads to establish clear governance, delivery plans, reporting arrangements and proportionate project documentation.
• Develop and maintain practical project and programme management frameworks, expectations, templates, tools and guidance, ensuring they are proportionate, easy to use and appropriate to the organisation's needs.
• Provide practical advice, coaching, guidance and hands-on support to colleagues so they have the skills, confidence and tools to manage projects and programmes consistently.
• Provide assurance that programmes and projects are governed effectively, with clear decision-making routes, roles and responsibilities, risk management, milestones, dependencies and reporting arrangements.
• Review portfolio information with strong attention to detail, identifying where governance, controls, reporting or delivery confidence may be weak, incomplete or off track, and escalating issues through agreed routes where needed.
• Provide clear reporting and assurance to the Portfolio Board and senior leaders, supporting timely decisions, prioritisation, escalation and corrective action.
• Support project initiation, governance review and lessons learned sessions to strengthen effective governance and continuous organisational improvement.
• Work proactively with teams across the organisation to improve the quality, consistency and completeness of portfolio data and reporting.
• Support project and programme leads to develop proportionate business cases, identify resource and funding requirements, and report against agreed budgets, benefits and value for money commitments.
• Use and analyse portfolio data to support governance, assurance, reporting and evaluation, working with relevant performance and data colleagues to measure progress, benefits, risks, dependencies, capacity and organisational resilience.

Person Specification

We are looking for someone who is organised, proactive and governance-minded, with strong attention to detail and the confidence to work constructively with colleagues across the organisation. You do not need to have been a project manager or data specialist, but you should be comfortable helping others bring structure to their work, use clear tools and templates, and provide reliable information for decision-making. You will enjoy bringing clarity to complex information, spotting gaps or risks, and providing constructive challenge in a way that builds trust and supports better outcomes.

Essential

• Experience of supporting projects, programmes, governance work, reporting, assurance activity or organisational change.
• A strong governance mindset, with the ability to understand expectations, follow processes and help others apply them consistently and proportionately.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to identify gaps, inconsistencies or poor-quality information and take appropriate action to improve it.
• A proactive approach, with the confidence to follow up actions, identify risks early and support timely escalation where needed.
• Ability to build positive relationships, provide practical support and constructively challenge stakeholders using evidence and sound judgement.
• Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities independently, knowing when to seek guidance or escalate.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present information clearly and draw out key messages from data, reports or other evidence.

When applying, you should use your statement of suitability to show how your experience meets the essential criteria. We welcome examples from a range of backgrounds, including governance, business support, project or programme support, operational delivery, risk, assurance, reporting, administration or organisational improvement.

Desirable

• Experience of project, programme or portfolio management support.
• Experience of developing or improving processes, guidance, templates or reporting frameworks.
• Experience of governance, assurance, risk, audit, business planning, performance reporting or benefits realisation.
• Confidence using Microsoft 365 applications, including Excel, PowerPoint, Teams or SharePoint.
• Interest in digital tools, automation or AI solutions that support organisational effectiveness.

Behaviours

We will assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service (Lead Behaviour)
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Accessibility

The Parole Board is a disability confident recruiter. Accessibility requests will be carefully considered and, where reasonable, actioned.

Whilst the Parole Board office is principally located in London, and, for the purposes of organisational management and administration, it is not required to conduct business in Welsh. However, the Parole Board welcomes applications from candidates who speak Welsh and English as part of its commitment to treat both languages on a basis of equality in the conduct of public business and administration of justice in Wales, as far as is both appropriate and reasonable, and to reflect the community it serves.

Office requirements

This role is hybrid. You will be required to spend 20% of your time in person contact. For some SLT meetings as well as team away days, you will be required to attend in person in London.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience at sift stage.

At interview stage you will be assessed against Behaviours and Strengths.