Director, Portfolio Performance & PMO

Cushman & Wakefield•Chicago, IL

16h•$148,750 - $175,000

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, advancing operational excellence, 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 position serves as the executive owner of portfolio performance, PMO maturity, delivery excellence, business intelligence, organizational development, risk management, and operational transformation across the client account. It also partners with account leadership to improve financial performance, optimize resource utilization, mitigate operational risk, strengthen client relationships, and support strategic growth through effective project delivery and governance practices. The role leads PMO functions and personnel, establishes portfolio governance and performance standards, oversees client and executive engagement, and drives reporting, analytics, financial and workforce planning, continuous improvement, and technology-enabled transformation. The position requires up to 25% travel.

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 in 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.

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 that improve client satisfaction, delivery effectiveness, financial outcomes, and organizational performance.
Participate in executive business reviews, strategic planning sessions, client governance meetings, and account performance reviews.
Lead all PMO functions supporting the client project portfolio.
Establish and continuously 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; set 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; direct corrective actions and issue resolution.
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, reporting accuracy, and timely governance execution.
Represent PMO and portfolio operations with client stakeholders, build executive relationships, and lead client governance reviews, operational performance meetings, audits, and reporting sessions.
Recommend portfolio, resource, risk, financial, and project-priority strategies; identify service enhancements, process improvements, efficiencies, and optimization opportunities.
Communicate project performance, strategic initiatives, risks, and operational results transparently to stakeholders.
Oversee portfolio reporting, analytics, KPI development, dashboards, forecasting tools, and business intelligence capabilities.
Develop and maintain operational dashboards, forecasting models, and portfolio reporting systems; ensure consistency, accountability, and accuracy across delivery teams.
Champion data governance and use analytics to identify trends, opportunities, performance challenges, and resource constraints.
Present executive-level insights and recommendations and 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; identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and maximize value.
Support budget planning, workload forecasting, workforce optimization, and resource allocation; improve forecasting accuracy, financial compliance, and resource utilization with delivery leaders.
Develop long-term workforce strategies aligned with portfolio demand, business requirements, and anticipated growth.
Lead operational improvement initiatives and implement standardized workflows, tools, templates, and best practices.
Identify process-streamlining, efficiency, risk-reduction, and scalability opportunities; establish performance benchmarks and operational maturity targets.
Promote accountability, innovation, collaboration, delivery excellence, and adoption of industry best practices.
Develop and execute a PMO transformation roadmap aligned with client and company strategic objectives.
Lead automation, AI-enabled solutions, digital workflows, analytics platforms, and emerging technology implementations.
Enhance portfolio management systems, reporting tools, governance processes, and operational workflows; use technology to improve delivery, 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.
Travel up to 25%.