Portfolio Management Office Business Information Analyst

Location London or Milton Keynes, with at least 2 days a week in office

Reporting to Portfolio Management Office Team Lead

Band 3.1

Salary £51,395 to £58,500

Working hours Full time

Contract type/duration Permanent

Closing date 24th October 2023

Who Are We?   

Connected Places Catapult is the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and places. We provide impartial ‘innovation as a service’ for public bodies, businesses, and infrastructure providers to catalyse step-change improvements in the way people live, work and travel. We connect businesses and public sector leaders to cutting-edge research to spark innovation and grow new markets.    

Purpose of the role

We have a vacancy for a newly created role of Portfolio Management Office (PMO) Analyst to lead on providing actionable insights to the business. We are looking for a dynamic, data-focused analyst who is highly adept at using Microsoft's data products and has experience of providing analysis and foresighting of portfolio performance and resource management to all levels of a business, specifically senior leadership levels.   

The role will require collaboration with colleagues in all areas of the Catapult, and regular contact with our leadership team. This role will be responsible for collating, combining, and manipulating data sets to identify trends and provide qualified insights from all Connected Places Catapult projects and programmes. The management information owned by this role will be vital to supporting the information flows and decision making at all levels, including our Corporate Leadership Team.

Key Responsibilities

Portfolio Analysis: Conduct in-depth analysis of the project and programme portfolio, evaluating the alignment of projects with the organization's strategic objectives. This includes:

• assessing the value, risks, and benefits of our work,
• analysing resource demand and capacity,
• assimilating, manipulating and analysing financial data, risks, issues, dependencies, schedules to provide key portfolio insights,
• providing scenario and options analyses to support key business decisions.

• Data Management: Facilitate the verification of key management information, proactively locate and address any discrepancies in the data supplied, and support project managers and sponsors in resolving them to ensure portfolio datasets, analysis, and insights can be considered to be a single source of truth.
• Risk Assessment: Identify trends amongst project and programme risks and issues, within and between accounts and types of projects. Provide insights to  Portfolio Board and senior leadership that facilitate management of portfolio risks and Issues
• Reporting and Communication: Build insight rich reports and present key portfolio analysis to advise senior leadership or strategic stakeholders to challenge the status quo, tailoring for each audience. These may include dashboards, scorecards, options analysis, and other visual aids. Advise senior leaders.  Challenge the status quo. 
• Performance Monitoring: Continuously monitor portfolio performance to track and identify trends, making recommendations as needed to key stakeholders, including senior leadership.
• Process Improvement: Identify areas where PPM management processes can be improved and contribute to the development, piloting, and implementation of process enhancements.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Lead on providing and communicating trends and actionable insights to project managers, business units, and other stakeholders, championing a collaborative approach to project and programme management.

• Supporting the PMO Lead and PMO Team with ad hoc tasks when required.

Requirements

Required skills and experience

Essential:

• An experienced PMO Analyst, ideally with experience of working with teams doing research, development or innovation.
• A project or programme management qualification such as PRINCE2, AMP, or MSP.
• Proficiency in data management and analysis tools and project management tools, specifically Microsoft Dynamics and Power BI.

• A data analysis qualification or training, such as Power BI, SQL, BCS or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of project and programme management principles, methodologies, and tools.
• Demonstrable experience of providing analysis and interpretation of data on portfolio performance, risks, and opportunities to diverse stakeholders.  

• Experienced in providing analytical reports and insights to senior leaders, and  collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• A keen eye for detail to ensure data accuracy and make informed decisions.
• Knowledge of risk assessment, mitigation strategies, and compliance with industry good practice.
• Strong organisational skills to manage multiple projects and tasks simultaneously.
• Experience working collaboratively with cross-functional teams, project managers, and stakeholders.

Desirable:

• P3O qualification at practitioner level.
• An undergraduate degree in a relevant field such as business, project management, or data science.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday entitlement for everyone, with pro-rata calculations for part-time employees, along with a Christmas shutdown period for additional days off.
• Competitive pension, up to 10% company contribution to help you save for your future.
• Two paid days of volunteering leave per year (pro-rata for part-time employees) to support charitable activities.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providing 24/7 confidential work/life support services to you and your immediate family members.
• Cycle to Work Scheme with bike racks and showers available, encouraging a healthy and sustainable commute.
• Cash Health Plan, offering reimbursement for a wide range of essential and everyday healthcare expenses, promoting your well-being.
• Payroll Giving scheme, allowing regular charitable contributions from pre-tax income, maximizing the impact of your donations.
• Discounts and offers from a wide variety of retailers, enhancing your purchasing power and providing savings opportunities.

Employment here is based solely upon individual merit and qualifications directly related to professional competence. We strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, colour, religion, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy status, sex, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, mental or physical disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by law. We also make all reasonable accommodations to meet our obligations under laws protecting the rights of the disabled.

#LI-HYBRID