Director, Portfolio Performance & PMO

Cushman & Wakefield • Chicago, IL

8d

About The Position

The Director, Portfolio Performance & PMO provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for portfolio governance, performance management, PMO operations, reporting and analytics, workforce strategy, continuous improvement, and organizational effectiveness across client account portfolios. The role is a strategic business partner to client stakeholders and Cushman & Wakefield leadership, driving operational excellence, portfolio delivery performance, client satisfaction, financial accountability, and long-term account success.

The Director is accountable for the governance, visibility, performance, and scalability of a complex portfolio of projects and programs, ensuring alignment with client objectives, contractual commitments, operational priorities, and business growth strategies. The role leads PMO operations and serves as executive owner of portfolio performance, PMO maturity, delivery excellence, business intelligence, organizational development, risk management, and operational transformation across the client account. The Director partners with account leadership to improve financial performance, optimize resource utilization, mitigate operational risk, strengthen client relationships, and support strategic growth through project delivery and governance practices.

The position requires up to 25% travel. A bachelor's degree in a related field and substantial project, portfolio, PMO, operational leadership, and people leadership experience are required. A master's degree and relevant professional certifications are preferred. Compensation is $148,750 to $175,000. Eligible employees may enroll in benefit programs that generally include health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending and health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance, and paid and unpaid time away from work.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Finance, or a related field.
• At least 12 years of project management, portfolio management, PMO leadership, operational leadership, or program delivery experience.
• At least 10 years of leadership experience within corporate real estate, capital project delivery, professional services, consulting, or financial services environments.
• Demonstrated success leading enterprise portfolios, PMO organizations, business transformation initiatives, and cross-functional teams.
• Experience presenting to executive leadership, C-suite stakeholders, and client organizations.
• Advanced knowledge of PMO governance, project controls, portfolio management, business intelligence, risk management, financial oversight, organizational effectiveness, and strategic planning.
• Advanced proficiency with Power BI, Microsoft Excel, portfolio management platforms, reporting systems, and business intelligence tools.
• Ability to travel up to 25%.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree.
• PMP, PgMP, Lean Six Sigma, PMI-ACP, or equivalent professional certification.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to strategic planning, business priorities, growth initiatives, and operational decision-making.
• Partner with client leadership and stakeholders to align project delivery strategies with business objectives and priorities.
• Advise client and account leadership on portfolio performance, organizational capability, and operational risks.
• Support account growth through operational excellence, service expansion, delivery innovation, and client value creation.
• Drive account-wide initiatives to improve client satisfaction, delivery effectiveness, financial outcomes, and organizational performance.
• Participate in executive business reviews, strategic planning, client governance meetings, and account performance reviews.
• Lead all PMO functions supporting the client project portfolio.
• Establish, maintain, and improve governance frameworks, methodologies, policies, procedures, standards, and best practices.
• Ensure compliance with contractual obligations, service-level commitments, client requirements, corporate policies, and regulatory standards.
• Oversee portfolio governance reviews, steering committees, operational reviews, and executive reporting forums.
• Promote consistency in project delivery, controls, documentation, reporting, and performance management across regions and business lines.
• Sponsor PMO maturity initiatives, governance enhancements, and operational transformation programs; serve as the primary authority for PMO standards, portfolio controls, reporting methodologies, and governance requirements.
• Establish performance targets, accountability measures, and operational success metrics.
• Monitor project delivery, portfolio health, milestones, financial indicators, resource utilization, aging metrics, and client commitments.
• Lead portfolio reviews to identify performance gaps, risks, trends, and improvement opportunities.
• Drive executive corrective actions and resolution of issues affecting underperforming projects, programs, and processes.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for portfolio risks, governance concerns, and client-facing operational issues.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies and ensure portfolio data quality, accurate reporting, and timely governance execution.
• Represent senior PMO and portfolio operations to client stakeholders and build executive relationships across client organizations.
• Lead client governance reviews, operational performance meetings, audits, and executive reporting sessions.
• Recommend actions concerning portfolio health, resource planning, operational risks, financial performance, and project priorities.
• Work with clients to identify service enhancements, process improvements, efficiencies, and portfolio optimization opportunities.
• Communicate project performance, initiatives, risks, and operational results transparently to stakeholders.
• Oversee portfolio reporting, analytics, KPI development, dashboards, forecasting tools, and business intelligence capabilities.
• Lead the development and maintenance of operational dashboards, forecasting models, and portfolio reporting systems.
• Ensure reporting consistency, accountability, and accuracy across delivery teams; champion data governance to improve visibility and decision-making.
• Use analytics to identify trends, opportunities, performance challenges, and resource constraints; present executive insights and recommendations.
• Advance predictive analytics, automation, and performance management capabilities.
• Oversee portfolio financial performance, forecasting, productivity metrics, staffing models, and operational efficiency.
• Partner with account leadership on financial objectives, profitability targets, and account performance.
• Monitor financial indicators and identify ways to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and maximize value delivery.
• Support budget planning, workload forecasting, workforce optimization, and resource allocation across the account.
• Work with delivery leaders to improve forecasting accuracy, financial compliance, and resource utilization.
• Develop long-term workforce strategies aligned with portfolio demand, business requirements, and anticipated account growth.
• Lead initiatives that improve operational efficiency, delivery performance, client satisfaction, and organizational effectiveness.
• Develop and implement standardized workflows, tools, templates, and best practices.
• Identify opportunities to streamline processes, eliminate inefficiencies, reduce risk, and improve scalability.
• Establish performance benchmarks and operational maturity targets; promote accountability, innovation, collaboration, and delivery excellence.
• Drive adoption of industry best practices across portfolio management and PMO functions.
• Develop and execute a PMO transformation roadmap aligned with client and company strategic objectives.
• Lead automation initiatives, AI-enabled solutions, digital workflows, analytics platforms, and emerging technology implementation.
• Enhance portfolio management systems, reporting tools, governance processes, and operational workflows.
• Identify technology opportunities to improve project delivery, portfolio visibility, client experience, and business outcomes.
• Establish PMO capabilities that support scalability, future growth, and operational maturity.
• Lead, mentor, and develop PMO personnel, including Project Coordinators, Program Support resources, Reporting Specialists, and Data Analytics teams.
• Establish performance expectations, development plans, succession strategies, and organizational objectives.
• Oversee workforce planning, organizational design, staffing models, and talent development initiatives.
• Build organizational capability through coaching, professional development, mentoring, and leadership development programs.
• Foster accountability, innovation, client service, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, retention, and career advancement programs.

Benefits

• Eligible employees may enroll in health insurance, vision insurance, and dental insurance programs.
• Flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts.
• Retirement savings plans.
• Life and disability insurance programs.
• Paid and unpaid time away from work.
• Competitive pay.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director