Senior Manager, Portfolio Governance

Lumen Technologies • ,

3d • $132,232 - $193,940 • Remote

About The Position

Lumen is transforming how technology investments are planned, prioritized, governed, and delivered through a Product Operating Model organized around enterprise value streams. As the Senior Manager, Portfolio Governance, you will build and operationalize the governance framework that guides work from intake through value realization. This is a highly visible role within a newly formed and growing team, responsible for establishing and maintaining governance standards, operating cadences, decision frameworks, tool governance, and portfolio management practices across our Security, Technology, Engineering, Product, and Network (STEPN) organization. Working closely with Product, Finance, Lean Portfolio Management, and other cross-functional stakeholders, you will create the structure and discipline that enables consistent, transparent, and value-driven portfolio decisions. This role offers the opportunity to shape how the organization operates while building a scalable governance function for the future. This role owns the governance framework that enables portfolio decisions, including decision standards, stage-gate criteria, governance forums, decision rights, and decision records. The role does not make portfolio investment decisions.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in portfolio governance, portfolio operations, PMO leadership, program management, business operations, process governance, or a related discipline.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Technology, Operations, Project Management, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Experience designing and implementing governance frameworks, operational standards, stage gates, intake processes, decision rights, or portfolio management practices at enterprise scale.
• Experience operating within Agile, SAFe, or Lean Portfolio Management environments.
• Hands-on experience with portfolio and work management tools such as Jira, Clarity, Jira Product Discovery, or similar enterprise platforms.
• Strong project and portfolio management skills, including facilitation, meeting leadership, executive communications, reporting, presentations, and stakeholder management.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive adoption of standards without direct authority.
• Experience working in complex, matrixed organizations where priorities, processes, and responsibilities continue to evolve.
• Analytical ability to evaluate performance, identify process inefficiencies, and improve decision effectiveness through measurable outcomes.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting enterprise technology portfolios within a product operating model or value-stream-based organization.
• Previous leadership or people management experience, with the ability to grow into future leadership responsibilities.
• Experience partnering closely with Finance, Product, Technology, and Portfolio Management organizations.
• Experience establishing governance functions or operating models within newly formed teams.
• Knowledge of Lean Portfolio Management, portfolio planning, intake management, funding governance, and value realization practices.
• Portfolio governance, PMO, Agile, SAFe, Lean, or process improvement certifications.
• Experience within telecommunications, technology, software, or other large enterprise environments.
• Prior experience supporting enterprise-wide transformation initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain governance frameworks, standards, operating procedures, and decision-making processes that support the portfolio lifecycle from intake through value realization.
• Lead governance forums, stage-gate reviews, decision tracking, executive communications, and portfolio operating cadences to ensure work is decision-ready and consistently managed.
• Drive documentation, maintenance, and governance oversight across multiple portfolios within STEPN, ensuring transparency, consistency, and auditability.
• Partner closely with Finance, Product, Lean Portfolio Management, and technology stakeholders to align governance processes, reporting, and portfolio decision-making.
• Maintain governance tooling and data standards across platforms such as Jira and Clarity, ensuring reporting integrity, process adherence, and effective change control.
• Develop executive-ready presentations, governance readouts, agendas, decision records, and status communications for senior leadership.
• Monitor governance effectiveness through metrics, compliance tracking, decision cycle times, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Enable adoption through training, coaching, documentation, and stakeholder engagement to ensure governance processes are practical, scalable, and consistently applied.

Benefits

• Health, Life, Voluntary Lifestyle benefits and other perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing.
• Bonus structure (short-term incentives, long-term incentives and/or sales compensation)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree