AVP, Project Management Practice Lead

About the Role

The AVP/EPMO - Project Management Practice Lead is responsible for leading and maturing the enterprise project management practice. This role defines and governs standards, tools, and methodologies to ensure consistent, high-quality project delivery across the enterprise portfolio. The Practice Lead provides subject matter expertise in program and project management to support the successful planning, execution, and delivery of strategic initiatives.

The role reports directly to the SVP, Enterprise Project Management, supporting portfolio governance, intake processes, resource capacity planning, and performance reporting. It establishes best practices, coaches project managers, monitors portfolio health, supports prioritization processes, and ensures alignment to enterprise governance standards. The role also identifies risks, improves delivery effectiveness, and drives continuous improvement across the project management discipline.

Responsibilities

• Define, implement, and continuously improve enterprise project management methodologies, standards, tools, and templates.
• Maintain project management playbooks and standard operating procedures; ensure consistent adoption and compliance through governance, audits, and health checks.
• Support administration of the enterprise project intake “front door,” including intake coordination and initial screening.
• Assist the SVP in facilitating portfolio prioritization and planning processes; apply and enforce governance frameworks, including stage-gate and lifecycle requirements.
• Support the development and maintenance of portfolio structures, including programs and project hierarchies.
• Establish and manage project health metrics, including schedule, budget, scope, risks, and benefits realization.
• Monitor and report on portfolio performance, resource capacity, and constraints; maintain high-quality portfolio data, including project status, financials, and metadata.
• Communicate portfolio insights and performance trends to stakeholders and leadership.
• Administer and support project management systems, including PPM tools and reporting platforms.
• Provide hands-on support to project managers in applying tools, templates, and methodologies; gather user feedback and drive enhancements.
• Provide training, onboarding, and guidance on project management methodologies, tools, and standards.
• Serve as a mentor and coach to project managers; help teams overcome delivery challenges and promote best practice sharing and lessons learned.
• Conduct project health checks, readiness assessments, and audits; identify and escalate risks, issues, and deviations from standards.
• Support remediation of at-risk projects and programs; drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance delivery performance and outcomes.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Ten (10) or more years of project or program management experience with increasing levels of complexity.
• Demonstrated leadership in establishing standards, coaching, and influencing delivery practices.
• Strong knowledge of project management methodologies and full project lifecycle disciplines.
• Experience with portfolio reporting, metrics, and resource capacity management.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience working with project management tools, including PPM systems, MS Project, and dashboards.
• Ability to operate across technology, transformation, and process improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree (ideal).
• PMP or equivalent certification (ideal).
• PROSCI Practitioner Certification (ideal).
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent (ideal).
• Seven (7) or more years of experience in financial services, insurance, or consulting services (ideal).
• Experience supporting enterprise-level PMO or portfolio management functions (ideal).