Portfolio Management Product Owner

Job Introduction

Main Responsibilities 

The Portfolio Management System Owner will shape and drive the Project Management Office (PMO) tooling product roadmap, ensuring it evolves to meet the Bank’s portfolio management needs. They will manage the backlog, prioritise enhancements and create real value for users. By continuously optimising and refining the tooling, this role will help teams work more efficiently, support better decision-making, and embed best practices that make portfolio governance and reporting more effective and seamless.

This role will play a key part in driving and embedding PMO tooling, eg enterprise portfolio management software, collaboration and visualisation tooling, along with Bank specific tools. By leading effective change management and communication strategies. Building strong relationships with stakeholders will ensure the tools align with strategic objectives, while clear communication and training initiatives will support best practice adoption. By fostering an engaged user community and encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing, this role will maximise the value of PMO tools, accelerate adoption, and enhance user experience at scale.

• Drive the strategic evolution of PMO tooling, ensuring it continuously adapts to the organisation’s dynamic needs, remains aligned with strategic priorities, and maximises value across the portfolio
• Champion PMO tooling adoption by building strong stakeholder relationships, driving engagement, and ensuring seamless integration into portfolio operations to maximise return on investment and deliver measurable strategic impact
• Own and manage a transparent and value-driven backlog, prioritising feature enhancements, integrations, and fixes based on strategic alignment, business impact, and resource availability to optimise organisational outcomes
• Lead the change management and communication strategy for PMO tooling, ensuring enterprise-wide adoption, operational readiness, and seamless alignment with the organisation’s broader objectives
• Maintain and proactively communicate a clear, up-to-date roadmap that informs stakeholders of upcoming enhancements, ensures alignment with strategic goals, and fosters transparency in system evolution
• Establish and cultivate a high-impact user community by leading forums, workshops, and engagement initiatives that foster collaboration, embed best practices, and drive continuous improvement in PMO tooling utilisation
• Lead vendor product partnerships to maximise the value of PMO tooling, ensuring proactive collaboration, issue resolution, and prioritised enhancements that align with organisational goals and innovation opportunities
• Define and oversee adoption and performance metrics, analysing usage trends and feature engagement to identify opportunities, enhance user experience, and optimise the strategic impact of PMO tooling
• Operates in line with the Bank's Risk Management framework and relevant risk and compliance policies and procedures, ensuring appropriate and timely escalation of any concerns to their line manager. 

Ideal Candidate

Research (by Harvard University) shows that women are particularly likely to second guess themselves and not apply - so if you are worried you don't meet all the criteria, get in touch anyhow and let us do the worrying…

The role holder will have extensive experience in defining and executing a PMO tooling strategy, ensuring successful implementation within complex organisational environments. They must possess strong change management and communication skills, with a proven track record of embedding PMO tooling and enhancements across large user communities. With hands-on expertise in rolling out portfolio wide tools and driving adoption, they have led seamless integration into organisational processes, foster engagement, build capability, and ensure sustained usage.

• Demonstrated experience as a product owner, managing and prioritising backlogs, defining product roadmaps, and delivering value driven enhancements
• Proven experience within a Portfolio Management Office (PMO) environment, with a focus on system/product ownership
• Professional certification and experience across both Waterfall and Agile methodologies
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, solve problems, and take decisions
• Team Player. Enjoys collaborating with, learning from, and guiding others.
• Proven track record of influencing senior executives and facilitating alignment across complex, multi-stakeholder environments
• Skilled in managing time effectively, prioritising tasks and meeting deadlines
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Proactive, forward looking, flexible attitude with the ability to challenge constructively
• Strong attention to detail and an organised approach to work
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to analyse, and present complex issues clearly, in order to influence stakeholders at all levels
• Strong experience with tools to optimise delivery team performance such as enterprise portfolio management tools, JIRA, Confluence, Teams, SharePoint, Excel and Power Point.
• Problem-solving abilities and a results-oriented mindset, identifying issues and driving resolutions to conclusion with minimal management support
• Strong understanding of Change risk, governance and controls in a regulated environment

 Company Information 

Handelsbanken is a relationship bank with a decentralised way of working, a strong local presence thanks to a nationwide network of branches, and a long-term approach to customer relations. Each Handelsbanken branch operates as a local business enabling it to make decisions at a local level and provide a bespoke service. The focus is always on the need of the individual customer and not on the sale of specific products. 

We are embarking on an exciting Business Transformation journey. This transformation will significantly enhance our technology system systems, processes and services, bringing evolution to our ways of working. Join us in this transformative journey, where your dedication, adaptability and commitment will play a crucial role in shaping the future of banking for our valued customers. 

The Bank is deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practice into all of our activities. This is so that we are an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work that encourages everyone to apply, regardless of socio-economic background, age, disability, pregnancy and/or parental status, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), veteran status, marital and civil partnership status, religion or belief, sex, gender reassignment or sexual orientation. 

Check our Handelsbanken website for further information

At Handelsbanken, we deeply value our unique culture and values including trust in and respect for each individual. We take pride in nurturing a work environment where people flourish, and where they are empowered to take decisions in their areas of expertise. We take a long term perspective in everything we do and want each employee who joins us to build a long terms successful career with the Bank.  

What is in it for you?

• We have a wide range of learning and development available, empowering and enabling our colleagues to take ownership of their own development. 
• Competitive Salary and an extensive range of benefits is provided, including private medical insurance, income protection and life assurance
• A market-leading pension contribution of 15% paid by the bank, which can be invested in a wide range of funds (including ESG and Shariah funds)

Application next steps

Your journey with us begins once you have submitted your application. One of our Handelsbanken recruiters will be reviewing your details and will later organise a phone conversation if you match the role requirements. If there is a mutual fit, we will extend an invitation for you to participate in an interview.  

How can we support you to be your best self? Our Talent Acquisition team will be happy to provide support e.g. if you need additional time to prepare for an interview or you have any requirements for any part of the interview/hiring process – just let us know by email uk_talent@careers.handelsbanken.co.uk. 

This advert will be live for a minimum of two weeks. However, please note that after the two weeks, the closing date could change at any time depending on the number of responses received.

#LI-BH1 #LI-Hybrid