Project Portfolio Lead

About the role

Iridium is seeking an experienced Project Portfolio Lead to shape and deliver complex, cross-functional initiatives that translate program strategy into measurable business outcomes. In this role, you will lead the planning, prioritization, governance, and performance management of the organization’s project portfolio, ensuring the right work is selected, sequenced, and executed to maximize business value.

Responsibilities

• Translate organizational strategy into a balanced, actionable portfolio of projects and programs
• Ensure initiatives are aligned to strategic goals, business priorities, and value drivers
• Support leadership in defining portfolio roadmaps and investment priorities
• Lead portfolio intake, evaluation, and prioritization processes
• Facilitate trade-off decisions based on value, cost, risk, and resource capacity
• Drive annual and quarterly portfolio planning cycles
• Establish and enforce portfolio governance frameworks, standards, and stage-gate processes
• Lead portfolio review meetings and decision forums
• Ensure transparency, accountability, and consistency across all initiatives
• Define and track portfolio-level KPIs, including project execution status and benefits realization
• Develop executive dashboards and reporting to support decision-making
• Identify risks, dependencies, and systemic issues, and drive mitigation strategies
• Partner with executives, business leaders, and project/program managers across functions
• Act as a trusted advisor on portfolio health, risks, and opportunities
• Facilitate alignment and resolve conflicts across competing priorities
• Collaborate with the resource management lead and functional leaders to ensure effective allocation of resources
• Monitor capacity constraints and recommend adjustments to optimize delivery
• Drive maturity of portfolio management practices, tools, and methodologies
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness
• Champion a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Project Management, Finance, or related field
• 10+ years of professional experience, preferably with 5+ years’ progressive experience in the Project Management field (i.e., project scheduling, project controls, enterprise project planning, etc.)
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey products, deliverables, analyses, and/or issues to stakeholders and leadership teams
• Possess an analytical mindset, with the ability to understand a situation or problem and think critically to make decisions and come up with out-of-the-box solutions
• Proactive in providing feedback and be enthusiastic in sharing your knowledge with others
• Capable of prioritizing your own tasks and potentially the tasks of others while making sure deadlines are met

Qualifications

• Experience with enterprise PMO / EPMO portfolio management tools such as Planview, Clarity, Planisware, ServiceNow SPM, or comparable platforms
• Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM) and performance tracking methodologies
• Experience building portfolio dashboards and reporting frameworks

Skills

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
• Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) certification

Benefits

• Base Pay Range: $130,000 - $175,000 USD
• Employee benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage; 401(k) retirement plan options; paid time off and paid holidays; paid parental leave; and other discounts and perks.

Pay

Base salary is only one part of our compensation package for this role. You may also be eligible for company stock and annual bonus.

Schedule

This position primarily works in an office setting and is largely sedentary with the majority of the position working with a computer. The role typically requires the use of basic office equipment such as a phone, video, computer, keyboard, mouse, and printer.

Additional Information

This job description outlines the general nature and level of work for this role and is not a comprehensive list of duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Employees may be assigned additional responsibilities as needed.

We believe in-person connection drives innovation, strengthens mentorship, and builds culture, while flexibility enables employees to do their best work. Under Iridium’s Hybrid Work Policy, employees are expected to work at least three days per week (approximately 60%) in an Iridium office to support collaboration, relationship-building, and professional growth.

Additional Information

This position directly performs under, supports, or is exposed to a U.S. government contract. To comply with the requirements of that U.S. government contract, applicants for this position must be U.S. citizens Be able to travel up to 10% Work Environment: This position primarily works in an office setting and is largely sedentary with the majority of the position working with a computer. The role typically requires the use of basic office equipment such as a phone, video, computer, keyboard, mouse, and printer.