Director of PMO – Insurance & Investments

thehivecareers.co

About The Position

The Director of Project Management Office (PMO) establishes, leads, and manages the organization's PMO, overseeing governance, planning, execution, monitoring, and delivery of strategic and operational projects. The role oversees the portfolio across insurance, investment, corporate operations, technology, digital transformation, and business development functions, ensuring projects meet approved timelines, budgets, quality standards, and organizational objectives. It drives project management excellence, strengthens governance, improves delivery performance, and ensures outcomes support business growth, operational efficiency, regulatory compliance, and customer experience. The Director defines PMO strategy, policies, methodologies, standards, and governance frameworks; oversees project prioritization and portfolio performance; and guides project planning, execution, financial and resource management, risk management, compliance, quality assurance, and executive reporting. The role also oversees insurance, investment, and technology-enabled transformation projects, while leading PMO staff and building project management capability across the organization.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Finance, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
Minimum 10–15 years of progressive experience in project management, program management, or portfolio management.
At least 5 years in a senior PMO leadership or Director-level position.
Proven experience establishing, managing, or transforming a Project Management Office.
Experience overseeing complex, enterprise-wide projects and cross-functional initiatives.
Experience managing large project portfolios, budgets, resources, and multiple project teams.
Exposure to digital transformation, technology implementation, business process improvement, and organizational change initiatives.
Core competencies in strategic project and portfolio management, PMO governance and operational leadership, financial planning and budget management, risk assessment and problem-solving, executive communication and stakeholder management, change management and business transformation, leadership and team development, decision-making, and project management systems and reporting tools.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA), Project Management, Finance, or a relevant discipline.
Background in insurance, banking, financial services, investment management, or related industries.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
PRINCE2 Practitioner certification.
Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) certification.
Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP) certification.
Agile or Scrum certifications.
Lean Six Sigma certification.

Responsibilities

Establish, develop, and lead the organization's Project Management Office.
Define PMO strategy, policies, methodologies, standards, governance frameworks, and standardized project processes, tools, templates, and reporting structures.
Establish project approval processes, stage gates, escalation procedures, and accountability frameworks; promote project management best practices and alignment with corporate strategy.
Oversee the project portfolio and assess proposals, business cases, feasibility studies, and investment requirements; prioritize projects by business value, financial impact, risk, and resource availability.
Monitor project dependencies, interdepartmental coordination, portfolio-level risks, performance, and expected business benefits; advise senior management on project prioritization and resource allocation.
Oversee project planning, scheduling, budgeting, and execution, ensuring project managers develop plans, milestones, deliverables, and resource requirements.
Monitor project progress, identify delays and performance gaps, drive corrective actions and escalations, and ensure projects meet approved scope, budget, timelines, and quality standards.
Coordinate cross-functional teams and oversee projects involving insurance operations, underwriting, claims, policy administration, distribution, investment operations, financial products, portfolio reporting, and client services, where applicable.
Support regulatory, compliance, risk management, and internal control initiatives; oversee product development, market expansion, operational improvement, and business integration projects.
Oversee technology-enabled transformation projects, including core insurance systems, CRM, ERP, digital platforms, and automation; coordinate business, technology, IT, and operations teams and monitor vendor performance, budgets, timelines, and quality.
Support digitalization, process automation, data management, and operational efficiency initiatives, ensuring technology projects deliver measurable business outcomes.
Develop and monitor project budgets, forecasts, expenditure reports, resource utilization, costs, and financial variances; recommend cost controls and assess financial risks, ROI, and benefits realization.
Coordinate with Finance and Procurement on project funding, contracts, and vendor payments.
Establish project risk management frameworks and escalation mechanisms; identify and monitor risks, issues, dependencies, and delivery constraints.
Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, internal policies, and governance standards; monitor quality, maintain project documentation and audit trails, and coordinate with Risk, Compliance, Legal, and Internal Audit.
Develop project dashboards, management reports, portfolio metrics, and KPIs; present project status, risks, budgets, and delivery updates to executive leadership.
Lead project reviews and portfolio governance sessions, provide visibility into delays and resource constraints, monitor project manager accountability, and recommend delivery and organizational improvements.
Lead and develop project managers, PMO analysts, and project support professionals; build relationships with executives, department heads, sponsors, and vendors.
Facilitate cross-functional communication and develop project management capabilities through training, coaching, and performance management; promote ownership, collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement.