Global PMO Lead

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, which manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Global PMO Lead based in United Kingdom.

The Global PMO Lead will establish and lead a global Program Management Office, ensuring that the organisation’s most important cross-functional initiatives are delivered effectively across regions and business units. This hands-on leadership role combines direct ownership of complex strategic programs with the development of a scalable, practical PMO operating model. You will work closely with senior executives and functional leaders to translate business priorities into clear execution plans, improve visibility, and address risks before they affect delivery. You will also build and develop a team of program managers who act as trusted execution partners rather than administrative coordinators. In a fast-growing, international environment, you will bring structure to ambiguity while keeping processes lightweight and adaptable. Your work will directly strengthen accountability, resource allocation, and the organisation’s ability to deliver its highest-impact priorities.

Accountabilities

• Lead high-priority, cross-functional programs from ambiguous initial requirements through planning, coordination, and successful delivery.

• Translate strategic priorities into actionable plans with clear sponsors, owners, milestones, dependencies, timelines, and success criteria.

• Partner with senior leadership to identify and prioritise a focused portfolio of high-impact initiatives.

• Provide executive teams with a consolidated, accurate overview of program progress, milestones, risks, resource constraints, and decisions required.

• Identify and address blockers, unclear ownership, handoff issues, and cross-functional dependencies, escalating risks when necessary.

• Establish a lightweight, globally consistent PMO operating model covering prioritisation, planning, execution, reporting, and escalation.

• Adapt processes to different regional and functional needs while building on existing weekly, monthly, and quarterly operating rhythms.

• Coordinate competing priorities and resource constraints across the program portfolio, helping leaders make informed trade-offs.

• Recruit, manage, and develop a team of program managers, ensuring every major initiative has clear execution ownership.

• Build a service-oriented PMO that supports functional and regional leaders without becoming an additional approval layer or decision-making bottleneck.

• Improve delivery predictability while reducing duplicated work and unnecessary coordination overhead.

Requirements:

• Proven experience personally leading multiple high-priority, cross-functional initiatives from ambiguous requirements through successful delivery.

• Experience building, scaling, or significantly improving a PMO or enterprise program management function.

• Background managing programs across multiple countries, business units, or distributed organisations.

• Demonstrated ability to work directly with C-level executives and functional leaders to establish priorities, resolve conflicts, and drive execution without relying on direct authority.

• Experience managing competing initiatives, portfolio-level priorities, and limited resources.

• Previous experience managing, coaching, and developing program managers or comparable cross-functional execution teams.

• Strong capabilities in program tracking, executive reporting, accountability frameworks, and delivery performance improvement.

• Ability to operate effectively in fast-growing organisations with evolving structures, shifting priorities, and significant ambiguity.

• Comfortable moving between strategic portfolio oversight and hands-on program execution.

• Nice to have: Experience in hardware, manufacturing, defence, government technology, or other complex delivery environments.

• Nice to have: A professional services background or experience working in large, complex enterprises with substantial cross-functional dependencies.

Benefits:

• Fully remote working arrangement.

• Full-time employment.

• Opportunity to build and lead a global PMO function with direct exposure to senior executives and strategic initiatives.

• International working environment spanning multiple regions and business units.