Director, IT Portfolio & PMO

Graco•Minneapolis, MN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Graco manufactures and markets premium equipment to move, measure, control, dispense and spray a wide variety of fluid and powder materials. This role is currently based at our Minneapolis office and will transition to our new headquarters in Dayton, MN, in 2027. The Director, IT Portfolio position is accountable for connecting IT strategy to execution through effective portfolio and investment management. This position ensures that IT work is prioritized, funded and sequenced in alignment with enterprise strategy and priorities. The individual in this position provides visibility into the full portfolio of work, facilitates trade-offs and investment decisions, and drives cross-functional integration across initiatives. The focus of the position is to strengthen how IT operates as a portfolio—balancing demand, capacity and investment; managing dependencies across initiatives; and improving consistency and effectiveness of execution and change across the enterprise.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of experience leading complex, cross-functional portfolios, programs or enterprise initiatives
Proven experience establishing or leading an enterprise PMO, including portfolio and investment governance
Strong capability in portfolio and investment management, including prioritization, capacity planning, and trade-off decision-making
Experience operating across business and IT, translating strategy into an executable body of work
Demonstrated ability to drive alignment and integration across multiple functions and initiatives
Strong financial acumen, with the ability to link investments to outcomes and value realization
Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and navigate competing priorities
Experience establishing governance, operating rhythms, and execution discipline at scale
Comfort operating in ambiguity and driving structure where processes are not yet defined
Proficiency with portfolio and delivery tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Jira)
Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States. This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., H-1B, TN, F-1 OPT).

Nice To Haves

PMP, SAFe or similar certifications preferred
Experience operating in manufacturing or operations-driven environments
Experience managing portfolios that include major enterprise platforms (e.g., Oracle, SAP, Salesforce)

Responsibilities

Own and actively manage the IT portfolio, ensuring work is aligned, prioritized, and funded in line with enterprise strategy
Lead portfolio intake, prioritization, and trade-off decisions across initiatives
Balance demand, capacity, and investment to optimize resource allocation and delivery outcomes
Provide transparency into portfolio health, performance, risks, and investment effectiveness
Drive integration across initiatives, ensuring alignment of roadmaps, dependencies, and sequencing
Coordinate execution of enterprise programs, enabling clear ownership and delivery discipline
Surface and manage cross-initiative risks, constraints and interdependencies to mitigate schedule and budget impacts
Improve consistency and predictability of execution across the portfolio through repeatable delivery standards and tooling
Establish and maintain enterprise standards for portfolio governance, execution and reporting cadence
Design, improve and enable structured decision-making processes, including prioritization, funding and progress tracking
Ensure clear visibility into work status, issues, and outcomes for the CIO and senior leadership on a regular basis
Continuously improve the operating rhythm, processes and execution discipline across IT
Partner with IT leadership and Finance to align portfolio investment plans with annual budgeting, forecasting and multi-year capital planning cycles
Ensure change impacts are understood, planned and integrated across initiatives to reduce organizational disruption and accelerate adoption
Strengthen the alignment between delivery outcomes and measurable business value, working closely with business leaders
Define and track measures of success tied to portfolio outcomes and strategic objectives, including benefits realization tracking post-implementation
Drive disciplined follow-through on commitments to improve realization of intended benefits across the portfolio
Lead, mentor, manage and staff a team of project and program managers, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and promoting a culture of excellence
Drive team performance by setting clear goals, providing ongoing feedback and facilitating professional growth opportunities.
Establish, manage, and be accountable for the annual IT PMO budget, ensuring effective allocation of resources and alignment with organizational strategic objectives.