Portfolio Manager Jobs
Business change and transformation has to be thoroughly planned, organized and monitored during execution if they are to be successful and efficient. A team needs to be put together, and progress needs to be regularly reported to the board. In many companies the portfolio manager is the person with these responsibilities. They oversee several workstreams or perhaps an entire company’s ongoing programmes, depending on its size.
The portfolio manager is also a line manager of the team putting the programme into action, including its analysts. How or she is in regular contact with these practitioners and acts as the channel of communication between the process staff and the board. Because he or she is in charge of several workstreams, they also need to monitor how they influence and interact with each other. The job carries a good deal of responsibility as the head of process.
The skills required
Portfolio managers are highly experienced business change and transformation professionals, and companies need to see a solid track record of delivery of multiple simultaneous workstreams to qualify for the position. You need a methodical and logical mindset too, as you are overseeing workstreams that could be distant geographically or in terms of physical similarities, where confusion can sink portfolio managers who are not on top of things.
Experience of managing portfolios in the same sector as the job advertised will be a distinct advantage, as differences between sectors can make a huge difference to how a project is managed. While most companies demand experience in a management role, others recognize that managers have to start somewhere and are looking for experienced deputies, senior staff and other such positions so they can absorb them into their own company structures.
Portfolio Manager Jobs in Wakefield
Wakefield is a city just south of Leeds that comprises the five towns of Pontefract, Castleford, Normanton, Featherstone and Knottingley, as well as other minor towns. With a population of around 325,000, it’s a moderately sized city that is overshadowed by its northern neighbour and Sheffield, which is 20 miles (31 km) to the south. Wakefield is well connected by rail and road, with the M62 and the M1 passing by its north and west respectively.
The city and its constituent towns boomed during the Industrial Revolution when vast seams of coal were discovered beneath them. The area dug hundreds of mines and this remained the key industry in the area until the 1980s when they were closed down one by one. The last remaining one is Kellingley Colliery, located at Knottingley, just east of Pontefract.
The city remains industrial, however, although the days of heavy industry are largely gone. The city’s excellent communications and central location have made it an ideal place to site warehouses, factories and distribution centres, so Portfolio Manager jobs regularly appear in the Wakefield area. There are also regeneration projects going on in the city designed to diversify and stimulate the economy, and this looks set to bring further growth to an area that has had to reinvent itself completely in thirty years.
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Find Portfolio Manager Jobs with Cast UK
Cast UK is a specialist in the field of business change and transformation recruitment, and because we only deal with management and executive level jobs, we have a focus that keeps companies coming back to us when they need experienced portfolio managers.
We were founded in Manchester and now have offices in London and Birmingham, but our reach is much wider – every day we are helping candidates find their perfect jobs in fantastic companies the length and breadth of the UK. If you’re looking to make the change, call us today on 0333 121 3345.
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