Capital Portfolio Planning and Initiation Lead

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more than 2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the governments office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK His Majestys Government we are leading significant transformational programmes such as the Government Hubs Programme, Whitehall Campus Programme and Net Zero Programme. We are also delivering cost- effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

The Investment Directorate leads on Capital property portfolio investment on behalf of the GPA. The Capital Portfolio Planning & Initiation Lead will create and maintain a portfolio road map and an up to date list of projects and investments to feed into the portfolio prioritisation. They lead on a regular prioritising, and presenting this information for decision making in a clear format highlighting risks and advantages of options. The role completes the Investment directorate steps of the project initiation process, working with Capital Projects directorate. They participate in the Spending Review process as required.

Key Responsibilities

Project Pipeline - Works within the Investment directorate and other business areas to identify and categorise new projects for a decision on inclusion in the portfolio and provide regular updates on the pipeline to the Portfolio Board. Collect information to enable portfolio prioritisation and initiation processes and leads on effective project initiation by collaborating with Capital Projects and GPA front door.

Governance and reporting - Supports a clear governance framework and reporting system aligned with portfolio best practice. Support coordination of reporting from projects/portfolio plans and analyses performance at the portfolio level for review by governance bodies.

Business cases and assurance - Supports and inputs into the production of business cases, ensuring that business case production remains aligned with portfolio planning and wider property considerations.

People and leadership - Communicates and builds commitment to a shared vision and sense of purpose. Supports GPA in portfolio pipeline decision making and leads in their area of expertise.

Planning, scheduling and resourcing - Maintains the portfolio delivery map and critical path to monitor project progress, working with the Capital Projects directorate. Provides input into Spending Review decision making. Identifies and tracks interdependencies across change projects. Recommends the allocation of financial and other resources across initiatives to optimise the organisations return on investment. Develops strategies to address resource gaps.

Risk and opportunity management - Identifies and monitors portfolio risks, threats and opportunities, and plans and implements responses to them.

Stakeholder management - Maps stakeholder interest and influences to set priorities for engagement and communication. Communicates regularly and gathers input on issues such as communication methods. Engages in discussions to resolve issues and differences between stakeholders and challenge assumptions.

Benefits management - Works as part of the wider team of experts to support the business in developing data-driven mechanisms for measuring benefits and ensures this is incorporated into the portfolio prioritisation decision making.

Digital and data - Oversees governance and management of the data standard across the portfolio of projects and property. Uses digital tools to analyse data to support allocation of resources efficiently across projects, ensuring optimal use of personnel, budget, and time.

This role will suit an individual with a background in portfolio planning, or in a complex project or portfolio environment. As funding is subject to Spending Reviews, the individual must be comfortable working in an ambiguous environment.

The individual should have some team/matrix management and leadership experience and be able to engage a variety of stakeholders at any level of seniority, and to credibly engage and put across a well supported argument of portfolio priority projects.

They should have a good level of competence in all aspects of portfolio planning and prioritisation as well as a working level of business cases and the associated processes, including multi-criteria decision analysis, estimating/forecasting, investment appraisal and benefits.

Essential criteria:

• Experience of working in a complex project environment and understanding of complex project information
• Experience in portfolio prioritisation against strategic objectives and working with uncertainty
• Experience in portfolio planning, utilising prioritisation techniques such as multi-criteria decision analysis
• Working knowledge or experience of business cases and the associated processes, including estimating/forecasting, investment appraisal and benefits.
• Some experience of team or matrix management
• Excellent communication and engagement skills

Desirable criteria:

• Working in a property or construction environment

Essential criteria:

The successful candidate must have at least one of the following:

• Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner
• Management of Portfolios Practitioner
• Managing Successful Programmes Advanced Practitioner
• APM Chartered Project Professional
• Project Leadership Programme
• Managing Projects and Leading Workstreams