Principal D&A Portfolio & Operations (E6117)

IEEE•Piscataway, NJ

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Principal, D&A Portfolio & Operations is a senior leader within the Data & Analytics organization, accountable for the health, alignment, and execution of the entire D&A portfolio as well as the operational backbone that keeps the organization running. Reporting directly to the Chief Data Officer (CDO), this role drives portfolio-level management across all D&A workstreams while simultaneously orchestrating the day-to-day operations of the function — ensuring teams are aligned to their roadmaps, resourced appropriately, and delivering against enterprise priorities. This role oversees all contractors and project management staff within D&A, makes leadership decisions on resourcing and project matters, and represents the office of the CDO in engagements with peer IT organizations and business stakeholders. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable managing a complex multi-team portfolio and driving the operational rhythms — staff meetings, executive summaries, planning cycles — that hold a high-performing D&A organization together.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience degree in data/analytics-oriented field, or equivalent experience
7-10 years 10+ years of progressive experience in data & analytics, IT operations, portfolio or program management, or a related discipline
4-7 years 5+ years in a senior leadership role managing cross-functional teams, contractors, or matrixed staff.
7-10 years Demonstrated experience leading portfolio management and/or operating in a Chief of Staff or operational leadership capacity within a technology organization.
7-10 years Strong understanding of data & analytics functions including data engineering, business intelligence, data governance, and advanced analytics.
7-10 years Proven ability to make independent leadership decisions on personnel, vendor, and project matters.
7-10 years Excellent executive communication skills — both written (executive summaries, briefings) and verbal (facilitating leadership meetings, representing the office of the CDO).
7-10 years Experience managing vendor and contractor relationships at scale.
7-10 years Strong organizational and prioritization skills with a bias toward action and accountability.
7-10 years Familiarity with Agile, SAFe, or hybrid delivery methodologies.
7-10 years Hands-on experience with portfolio management tools (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow, Planview, Clarity).
Strong data, AI / data science and technological knowledge, covering recent topics such as data governance, data domains, AI models and techniques, platform, cloud, API, microservices, DevOps, engineering, data security/privacy, BI and analytics
Strong leadership experience in enterprise or cross-functional role
Strong change management leadership; influencing skills with suppliers and customers
Can make tradeoffs in data exchange, usage, partnering, investment based on a risk-back model
Knowledge of start-ups sphere and AI market dynamics
Analytical ability to develop and implement new concepts and tools
Broad network in data and analytics community
Effective leader across direct and indirect report structures
High level of personal maturity and natural authority
Ability to deal with decision making processes
Excellent teamwork and ability to galvanize and inspire team
Strong communication and persuasion skills
Charismatic people leader, embracing a culture of trust
Entrepreneurial and proactive "can do attitude”
Good measure of creativity and social competence
High energy levels, stress resistance and cultural openness

Nice To Haves

Master's or other advanced degree
PMP, PgMP, or similar project/program management certification.
Experience in a large enterprise IT environment.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end visibility and governance of the D&A portfolio, ensuring all initiatives are aligned to strategy, properly sequenced, and delivering measurable value.
Monitor team roadmaps across analytics, data engineering, data governance, and other D&A functions, identifying risks, dependencies, and misalignments early.
Establish and maintain portfolio-level KPIs, health metrics, and reporting that give the CDO and leadership team clear line of sight into delivery and performance.
Drive intake, prioritization, and resource allocation decisions across the portfolio in partnership with the CDO and Director peers.
Ensure cross-team alignment so workstreams are coordinated, dependencies are managed, and teams are reinforcing rather than duplicating each other’s efforts.
Serve as the operational leader for the D&A organization on behalf of the CDO, ensuring teams have what they need to deliver and removing blockers as they arise.
Oversee and manage all contractors and project management staff within the D&A organization.
Make leadership decisions regarding resourcing, vendor engagement, and project execution in partnership with the CDO.
Plan, facilitate, and drive outcomes from D&A staff meetings, leadership forums, planning sessions, and operating reviews.
Own the development and delivery of D&A Executive Summaries and leadership communications for senior stakeholders.
Represent the CDO and the D&A Director team in interactions with other IT organizations, business partners, and enterprise governance bodies.
Serve as a trusted liaison between D&A leadership and the broader IT organization, ensuring commitments are clearly understood and met on both sides.
Build strong working relationships with peer Directors inside D&A and across IT to facilitate collaboration and resolve cross-functional issues.
Define and continuously improve how the D&A organization plans, prioritizes, communicates, and delivers work.
Standardize project intake, status reporting, escalation, and portfolio review processes across D&A teams.
Champion a culture of transparency, accountability, follow-through, and continuous improvement.