Director of PMO - Insurance & Investments

About the role

The Director of Project Management Office (PMO) establishes, leads and manages the organization's PMO to ensure effective governance, planning, execution, monitoring and delivery of strategic and operational projects. The role oversees the project portfolio across insurance, investment, corporate operations, technology, digital transformation and business development, keeping projects within approved timelines, budgets, quality standards and objectives.

Key responsibilities

• Define PMO strategy, policies, methodologies, standards and governance frameworks, and implement standardized processes, tools, templates and reporting structures.
• Oversee the project portfolio, evaluate proposals and business cases, prioritize projects by value, risk and resources, and track portfolio performance.
• Oversee planning, scheduling, budgeting and execution of strategic projects, and coordinate cross-functional teams.
• Oversee insurance projects (underwriting, claims, policy administration, distribution) and investment projects (financial products, portfolio reporting, client services).
• Oversee technology and digital transformation projects such as core systems, CRM, ERP and automation, coordinating with IT and operations.
• Develop and monitor project budgets, financial forecasts and expenditure reports, and coordinate with Finance and Procurement on funding, contracts and vendor payments.
• Establish risk management frameworks, ensure regulatory and compliance adherence, and maintain project documentation and audit trails.
• Develop project dashboards and reports, present status to executive leadership, and lead project review meetings and portfolio governance sessions.
• Lead and develop project managers, PMO analysts and support staff, and build relationships with executives, sponsors and vendors.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Finance, Engineering, IT or a related field; MBA preferred.
• Minimum 10-15 years of progressive experience in project, program or portfolio management, including at least 5 years in a senior PMO leadership or Director-level position.
• Proven experience establishing, managing or transforming a PMO, and overseeing complex, enterprise-wide projects.
• Experience with large project portfolios, budgets, resources and multiple project teams; background in insurance, banking, financial services or investment management highly desirable.
• Exposure to digital transformation, technology implementation, business process improvement and organizational change.

Required skills

• Strategic project and portfolio management and PMO governance and operational leadership.
• Financial planning and budget management, risk assessment and problem-solving.
• Executive communication, stakeholder management, change management and leadership.
• Preferred certifications: PMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, MSP, PfMP, Agile/Scrum, Lean Six Sigma.