Head of Project Management Office (PMO) - Insurance & Investments

About the role

The Head of Project Management Office (PMO) establishes, leads and manages the organization's PMO to govern, coordinate, monitor and deliver strategic projects and programs across insurance and investment operations. The role centralizes oversight of project portfolios, standardizes project management methods, monitors delivery performance, manages project risks and aligns project execution with business priorities. It works closely with executive leadership, program directors, project managers and business unit heads.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and improve the PMO strategy, structure and governance, including methodologies, policies, approval processes, stage gates and reporting standards
• Oversee the project portfolio, track schedules, budgets, milestones and deliverables, and prepare consolidated portfolio reports and dashboards
• Oversee PMO governance for insurance projects (product development, underwriting, claims, policy administration, distribution) and investment projects (portfolio reporting, client servicing, wealth management)
• Implement project management standards (PMI, PRINCE2, Agile, Waterfall or hybrid), including charters, risk registers, plans and change control
• Coordinate project budgeting, financial tracking and resource planning, and support cost-benefit analysis
• Maintain risk and issue registers, coordinate mitigation plans and monitor dependencies and critical issues
• Build project dashboards, track KPIs and benefits realization, and report regularly to senior stakeholders
• Coordinate with sponsors, program managers, vendors and consultants, and run governance meetings and steering committee reviews
• Lead and develop PMO analysts, project coordinators, project controls specialists and governance professionals, and guide project managers

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Finance, Engineering, IT or a related field; MBA or Master's preferred
• 10-15+ years in project, program, project controls or portfolio management, with at least 5 years in a senior PMO leadership or project governance role
• Experience in insurance, reinsurance, banking, investment management, asset management, wealth management or financial services preferred
• Proven experience establishing, managing or improving an enterprise PMO

Required skills

• Project management methodologies: PMI, PRINCE2, Agile, Waterfall and hybrid approaches
• Project budgeting, resource planning, risk management, governance and executive reporting
• Tools such as Microsoft Project, Jira, Smartsheet or Monday.com
• Preferred certifications: PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, Agile or Scrum