Head of Portfolio

**Head of Portfolio & Business Change Delivery (Interim)**
- Here, at schuh we are embarking on some exciting changes with our IT systems. We are looking for experienced IT leaders to help us - taking the best of what we have, and transforming our IT landscape to make us fit for the future.
- **THE PERSON**:

- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills with technical and non-technical audiences
- Able to inspire and lead an established team through significant change
- Experience of building and managing teams to manage, control and deliver technology and business change projects and programmes
- Experience of leading IT/business unit engagement (Business Relationship Management) and business analysis teams
- Experienced leader within IT and/or business change function
- Experience of transformation of people, process and technology
- Able to partner across multiple teams, whilst still delivering required change
- Experience of operating within similar scale business, ideally within retail industry
- Experience of designing, implementing and operating structured project delivery methodologies (PRINCE2, APM etc)

**MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES**:
**Business Relationship Management**
- Develop appropriate business relationship management capabilities to establish and develop a positive and engaging relationship between the IT function and all business units
- Define and operate effective IT and business change demand management processes, working with IT leadership team and key stakeholders
- Establish and develop business analysis capabilities, practices and associated standards so that business and IT change is better understood and quantified earlier in demand cycle, and change is targeted to deliver maximum benefits

**Portfolio Management**
- Create appropriate structure and processes to ensure that IT and business change projects and programmes are effectively planned, governed and delivered
- Establish a PMO capability to provide portfolio reporting and co-ordination, including financial visibility
- Develop professional standards and capabilities in project management and business analysis to improve quality of outcomes in IT and business change
- Establish, develop and embed business change management practices
- Ensure that effective quality is delivered by implementing quality management processes and standards so that business cases are understood and delivered against

**Transformation**
- Develop and implement practices, processes and capabilities in project and portfolio management, business engagement and business analysis to effectively manage changes across the IT landscape as it undergoes transformation
- Define, implement and operation a solution delivery lifecycle for all IT changes with appropriate engagement, governance and control across the IT function and with non-technical stakeholders from business units
- Work collaboratively with the IT leadership team to ensure project and solution delivery processes and governance are aligned to IT support and IT change management processes
- Establish and operate transformation office to co-ordinate and manage delivery of the IT transformation across the IT leadership team and wider organisation
- Support recruitment of longer-term successor in role

**IT Leadership & Management**
- Play active role within IT leadership team to improve capability maturity and drive transformation
- Engage and inspire own team and wider IT function throughout the transformation
- Plan resource needs to deliver the agreed change portfolio
- Source and recruit required IT and change resources
- Support IT Procurement (including supplier management & governance)
- Play active role in identification and management of IT risks (including cyber security)
- Create, and support operation of, personal development plans and activities for members of the IT team

**OUR PURPOSE**:

- We love footwear more than most, but we know that some things are more important. Sure, we’re all about shoes and sneakers but we’re also all about the people wearing them; our teams, our customers and our wider community. Our Purpose Pillars are the cornerstones of what we do. We want to continually educate ourselves, fuel change, lend our inclusive platform to diverse voices and actively make a stand against discrimination.
Sustainability. LGBT+. Racial Equality. Mental Wellness. Disability Equality. Fostering Diverse Talent.

About the location
- Neilson Square is the home of our original warehouse and distribution centre, as well as many head office functions. Situated in Livingston, our site is in-between Edinburgh and Glasgow and very easily reached by car and public transport.