Group IT PMO Director

WSS has been retained by Savills to appoint a Group IT PMO Director to establish and lead its Global Project Management Office within the office of the Group CIO.

This is a significant leadership appointment with a mandate to strengthen the governance, oversight and assurance of Savills’ most strategic, complex and business-critical change initiatives Globally.

As Savills continues to evolve its global technology organisation, this individual will establish the framework through which technology, digital, data, cybersecurity and business transformation programmes are prioritised, governed and assessed. The role will give executive leadership a clear understanding of investment performance, delivery confidence, risk and business outcomes across a complex international portfolio.

The Mandate

Acting as a trusted adviser to the Group CIO, the Group IT PMO Director will bring independent judgement, commercial discipline and constructive challenge to strategic investment and delivery decisions. The appointment offers the opportunity to shape the Group PMO’s mandate, operating model and relationships across regional and business teams. Success will require an influential leader who can establish proportionate governance, build confidence in portfolio information and secure action when programmes require intervention.

Key Responsibilities

• Establishing the Group PMO: Define its remit, operating model, decision rights and engagement with regional CIOs, business leaders and programme sponsors.
• Creating portfolio visibility: Maintain a consolidated view of strategic, high-value and high-risk initiatives, making investment, dependencies, resource constraints and delivery exposure clear.
• Strengthening governance and assurance: Introduce effective stage gates, programme reviews, health checks and quality controls, applying governance appropriate to the scale and complexity of each initiative.
• Supporting executive decisions: Produce concise, decision-oriented reporting for the Group CIO, executive leadership and, where required, the Board.
• Challenging delivery performance: Identify emerging concerns, test assumptions and recommend interventions or recovery plans before risks materially affect business outcomes.
• Maintaining commercial discipline: Review business cases, track benefits and assess whether investment remains aligned with strategic priorities and expected value.
• Building global alignment: Work across regional, subsidiary and local teams, alongside finance, risk, procurement, compliance and audit, to establish consistent oversight of Group-sponsored programmes.
• Holding delivery partners to account: Engage strategic suppliers where their performance materially affects programme outcomes.

Experience Required

We are seeking an established PMO, portfolio or transformation leader with substantial experience operating in a complex multinational organisation.

• Experience establishing or leading an enterprise PMO or portfolio function , with evidence of improving governance, executive visibility and delivery confidence.
• Oversight of complex, business-critical transformation portfolios spanning multiple countries, functions or business units, including significant technology-enabled change.
• Credibility with C-suite stakeholders , including the ability to present an independent assessment, challenge constructively and influence decisions across organisational boundaries.
• Strong commercial and financial judgement , covering investment appraisal, business case review, portfolio prioritisation, benefits tracking and value assessment.
• A track record of identifying delivery risk and securing corrective action , supported by sound analysis of programme health, dependencies, cost and forecast outcomes.
• Practical knowledge of agile, waterfall and hybrid delivery , with the judgement to apply controls that support effective delivery.
• Exceptional executive communication , translating complex or conflicting programme information into clear recommendations and decisions.

Experience within real estate, professional services, financial services, alternative assets or another complex international business would be relevant. Sector background will be considered alongside the scale of responsibility, organisational complexity and evidence of impact.

Leadership Profile

The successful individual will combine analytical rigour with the confidence and interpersonal judgement to work effectively across a global organisation. They will be commercially minded, collaborative and comfortable operating with incomplete information, while maintaining high standards of accuracy and integrity.

This role requires someone who can build trusted relationships while retaining the independence to challenge. Candidates should be able to demonstrate how their leadership has improved decisions, strengthened accountability and helped strategic investments achieve their intended outcomes.

Confidential

WSS is managing this appointment on a retained basis for Savills, all enquiries and applications will be handled in confidence. To express interest, please apply with your CV and a brief summary of your experience establishing or leading a global PMO, overseeing complex transformation portfolios and advising executive stakeholders. For a confidential discussion, please contact Anthony Jessup - Managing Partner | WSS, directly via LinkedIn.