Governance Lead - Digital Grid Management

AspenTech•Medina, MN

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Governance Lead drives governance, operational discipline, and delivery excellence across AspenTech’s Professional Services organization, supporting its Digital Grid Management team. The role partners with project managers, delivery leaders, finance, and executive stakeholders to establish governance standards, monitor portfolio performance, identify risks, and promote consistent, effective project execution. The Governance Lead advises leadership by providing organizational performance visibility, encouraging accountability, and supporting informed business decisions. The position calls for sound judgment in challenging project assumptions, evaluating priorities, and recommending executive intervention for high-complexity or strategically critical engagements. The role establishes and improves portfolio governance practices; reviews portfolio alignment, project health, resource utilization, financial performance, risks, and delivery metrics; and facilitates governance and executive review forums. It applies differentiated oversight based on project risk and complexity, assesses portfolio priorities and capacity, and recommends corrective actions and resource allocation. It also supports controls, compliance, audit readiness, risk mitigation, and governance of material changes, claims, customer commitments, and regulatory or cybersecurity-related obligations. The Governance Lead develops executive dashboards, KPIs, reports, and data-driven portfolio insights, using performance indicators and scenario analysis to identify emerging risks. The role collaborates with internal and customer stakeholders, supports delivery recovery and escalation, improves project controls and governance processes, and coaches project and delivery leaders in disciplined, evidence-based management of complex programs. This is a hybrid role based in Medina, Minnesota, with employees expected to work in the office four days per week and remotely one day per week, unless an approved exception applies. AspenTech requires authorization to work in the United States and does not provide sponsorship for this position. The salary range is $136,000–$170,000, with eligibility for bonus or variable incentive pay.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Project Management, Finance, or a related field.
At least 7 years of experience in project governance, PMO, portfolio management, program management, or related operational leadership roles.
Experience supporting complex technical project portfolios and cross-functional teams.
Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret and communicate business performance.
Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders without direct authority.
Excellent communication, facilitation, and presentation skills.
Proficiency with project management, reporting, and portfolio management tools.
Demonstrated responsibility for governance or leadership of high-complexity, multi-year, multi-stakeholder technical programs involving material financial, contractual, schedule, and delivery risk.
Working mastery of integrated project controls, including requirements and change control, critical-path scheduling, cost and margin forecasting, risk quantification, and contractual or commercial escalation.
Evidence of executive-level decision support, constructive challenge, negotiation, conflict resolution, and successful intervention in distressed or strategically critical projects.
Ability to assess portfolio strategic alignment, prioritization, interdependencies, benefits realization, and organizational capacity, beyond individual project compliance.
Legally authorized to work in the United States; sponsorship is not available.

Nice To Haves

Experience in the utility, energy, engineering, or technology services industry.
PgMP, PfMP, or PMI-PMOCP certification, or demonstrated equivalent portfolio-management capability, including portfolio strategic alignment, governance, performance, risk, and communications management.
Experience with financial forecasting, project controls, and resource planning.
Knowledge of governance frameworks, risk management, and operational excellence methodologies.
Master’s degree, MBA, or related field.

Responsibilities

Establish, maintain, and continuously improve governance frameworks, standards, and processes across the project portfolio.
Lead portfolio governance reviews to assess alignment with organizational priorities and strategic objectives.
Monitor project health, resource utilization, financial performance, risks, and delivery metrics.
Promote consistency in project execution, documentation, reporting, and escalation processes.
Facilitate governance forums, operating reviews, and executive steering committee meetings.
Apply risk- and complexity-based governance, with differentiated oversight and escalation thresholds for complex, visible, or contractually sensitive projects.
Evaluate portfolio priorities, capacity, dependencies, and trade-offs; recommend corrective actions and resource reallocations.
Identify, assess, and track project, operational, and business risks; drive mitigation plans with leaders.
Ensure adherence to internal controls, policies, and governance requirements; support audit readiness and compliance initiatives.
Challenge project baselines and controls, including scope, requirements, critical-path schedules, cost forecasts, contingencies, technical performance, and contractual milestones.
Oversee governance of material changes, claims, customer commitments, and regulatory or cybersecurity-related delivery obligations, involving accountable experts as needed.
Develop executive dashboards, KPIs, performance metrics, governance reports, and presentations.
Analyze portfolio trends and provide actionable, data-driven recommendations to improve execution, profitability, and customer outcomes.
Use leading and lagging indicators, forecast accuracy, milestone confidence, earned-value or equivalent measures, and scenario analysis to identify emerging risks.
Partner with delivery leaders, project managers, engineering leaders, and business stakeholders to drive accountability and execution.
Support communication of governance expectations and organizational priorities; facilitate cross-functional alignment and help resolve conflicts or escalations.
Advise the Sr. Director, Governance Practice and engage with senior customer sponsors and internal executives on delivery recovery, commercial exposure, strategic trade-offs, and cross-functional decisions.
Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency, project controls, and governance effectiveness; drive adoption of best practices, tools, and standardized methodologies.
Support organizational change initiatives and foster accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
Coach delivery leaders and project managers on governance maturity, evidence-based decision-making, and disciplined management of complex programs.