Digital Strategy & Portfolio Manager

We are seeking a Digital Strategy & Portfolio Manager to join the Finance Change & Transformation Team, providing strong strategy and programme management discipline across a complex portfolio of digital, data and business change activity. 

The Synergy programme is one of governments largest transformation initiatives, replacing core HR, finance, procurement and payroll processes and improving the digital experience for users across Defra and its organisations. This role will support Senior Finance Leaders and central finance digital & data teams to develop credible implementation plans, provide expertise on how to best achieve digital & data outcomes through excellent planning, change and dependency management and prepare for adoption of the Synergy solution from 2028. 

This is a unique opportunity to work at the heart of a major finance transformation, shaping how finance services are delivered across the Defra group. The roles will suit people with a track record of leading improvement, implementing end-to-end digital and data change, working in complex environments and bringing stakeholders together around a common way of working. 

As Digital Strategy & Portfolio Manager, you will lead the mobilisation to deliver on a new Finance Digital & Data Strategy, ensuring activities and workstreams are focused on measurable outcomes and the portfolio has clear effective governance, risk management, stakeholder engagement and change management.

The key workstreams of the strategy cover: a new digital delivery framework, data foundations, data analytics & reporting, skills & capability, and digital experience & adoption. 

• Establish and then lead the day-to-day running of the digital & data portfolio, with ownership and accountability for delivering agreed outcomes within time, cost, and quality constraints. 

• Build strong working relationships with key stakeholders (internal and external) to support delivery and ensure what is delivered meets user needs. 

• Act as the central coordination point across stakeholders, driving alignment, accountability and informed decision-making. 

• Develop and maintain robust delivery plans, and relevant risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies. 

• Establish robust project controls to keep the project on track and develop appropriate stakeholder reporting to track progress and inform decision making.  

• Manage the budget to track project spend, and identifying expected benefits and assessing whether they will be realised.  

• Role model commitment to personal development, promoting individual and team performance through support, guidance, and coaching, also being an active member of the Defra Project Delivery Profession Community. 

• Provide delivery support for specific digital products, including readiness, communications, training, transition to BAU, risk management and issue resolution. 

Recommended qualifications (or equivalent): 

• PRINCE2 Practitioner  

• Agile Project Management Practitioner  

• APM Project Management Qualification  

• APM Chartered Project Professional 

• Project Leadership Programme 

• PMI Project Management Professional 

• Leading and Managing Project Workstreams