Director Head of PMO

Bancorp Bank, The•Wilmington, DE

15d•Onsite

About The Position

Leads the Project Management Office in planning, governing, and delivering enterprise-wide initiatives by establishing disciplined portfolio management, delivery standards, performance transparency, and risk controls that ensure predictable execution and alignment to organizational priorities. The Director Head of PMO is accountable for transforming the PMO into a strategic enterprise function that drives delivery excellence, executive confidence, and operational rigor across all initiatives.

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
10 years of progressive project and portfolio management experience, preferably within a regulated financial services environment, including at least 3 years in a leadership role.
Demonstrated experience establishing or transforming PMO governance, delivery standards, and portfolio controls.

Nice To Haves

Agile Project Management certification (ACP, CSM, PSM, or equivalent).
Advanced knowledge of Agile, hybrid, and waterfall delivery methodologies and their application in enterprise environments.
Experience transitioning organizations from informal or inconsistent delivery practices to disciplined, governed execution models.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and risk management skills with the ability to translate data into executive insight.
Excellent verbal, written, and executive-level communication skills.
Ability to operate effectively in a complex, fast-paced, and highly regulated environment with competing priorities and deadlines.
Proficiency with PMO tooling and Microsoft Office suite (Project, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook).
Up to 25% travel required.

Responsibilities

Manages the enterprise Project Management Office and is accountable for overall portfolio health, delivery performance, and execution discipline across all projects and initiatives.
Directs project management activities by defining, implementing, and enforcing standardized project lifecycle methodologies, tools, processes, and templates (Agile, hybrid, and waterfall as appropriate). Ensures consistent application of governance, documentation, and controls across the portfolio.
Owns enterprise project intake, prioritization, and capacity planning. Runs project prioritization forums and subcommittee meetings to ensure initiatives are aligned to strategic priorities, regulatory commitments, resource capacity, and delivery readiness. Maintains the authoritative master project portfolio.
Assigns initiatives to project managers based on complexity and capability. Actively monitors delivery progress, forecasts, dependencies, risks, and issues; intervenes as required to ensure commitments are met or escalated appropriately.
Leads operational PMO processes and services to maximize efficiency, accuracy, and transparency. Continuously improves PMO operating models, workflows, and controls to support delivery predictability and stakeholder confidence.
Ensures PMO standards include clear requirements for scope definition, milestone planning, risk identification, change management, and executive reporting. Facilitates training and ongoing education for internal and external teams on delivery expectations and lifecycle controls.
Serves as the final escalation point for delivery risks, missed commitments, governance breaches, and unresolved issues. Provides clear guidance and direction to ensure timely resolution or executive decision-making.
Directs operational quality, risk, and control activities by ensuring all projects are executed in accordance with established PMO standards, organizational policies, and applicable regulatory expectations. Ensures delivery risks are identified early, actively managed, and documented with appropriate mitigation plans.
Partners with Risk, Compliance, Technology, and Audit functions to ensure initiatives are defensible, traceable, and audit-ready, including proper documentation, approvals, and change controls.
Develops short-term and long-term strategies for the PMO in collaboration with executive leadership to improve delivery performance, scalability, and alignment with enterprise objectives.
Develops executive-level presentations, dashboards, and analytical reports that clearly communicate portfolio status, risks, trends, dependencies, and required decisions. Moves beyond status reporting to provide insight and recommendations.
Builds strong working relationships across business lines and corporate functions, serving as a trusted delivery advisor to business sponsors and senior leaders.
Represents the PMO in enterprise initiatives and cross-divisional efforts. Acts as a subject matter expert on delivery governance, portfolio management, and execution risk.
Manages the PMO’s most complex initiatives from initiation through benefits realization, while overseeing operational budgets, vendor usage, resource capacity, and day-to-day staff execution to ensure delivery standards and efficient deployment of funds and talent.
Establishes performance objectives for project managers tied to delivery outcomes, governance compliance, and stakeholder satisfaction, while fostering a disciplined, accountable culture through coaching, development, and timely performance management in accordance with HR policies.
Identifies and escalates persistent performance or capability risks within the PMO that could impact enterprise delivery or operational risk.
Performs other duties as assigned.
Manages team of employees by overseeing day-to-day operations.
Sets high performance standards and manages team performance in accordance with HR policies and procedures.
Creates a flexible and energized work environment, fostering an atmosphere that enables employee trust and engagement.
Inspires confidence and motivates others to perform at their best.
Develops staff while effectively addressing performance issues.