Lead PMO Consultant (h/f)

PMO Lead

£600-650pd Inside IR35

Hybrid working 3-4 days on site, London

Initial 6 month project.

emagine is a high-end professional services consultancy and solutions firm specialising in providing business and technology services to the financial services sector. We power progress, solve challenges, and deliver real results through tailored high-end consulting services and solutions.

We have created a culture of openness and integrity by building genuine and strong relationships and partnerships, enabling us to be uncompromising in our dedication to delivering the optimal service for our clients. Our commitment is not just towards our clients - we aim to foster a positive and equitable working environment with our consultants and colleagues, which stems from our core values: Confident, Dedicated, Responsible, Genuine.

We are seeking an experienced PMO Lead to design, establish, and embed a PMO function from the ground up within a fast-paced, complex organisation operating in a trading/operationally intensive environment.

This is a greenfield role: there is currently a minimal PMO structure. The successful Consultant will thrive on ambiguity, enjoy driving behavioural change, and have the credibility to influence senior stakeholders while rolling up their sleeves to build practical PMO foundations.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a PMO function from scratch, including governance frameworks, delivery standards, and controls.

• Define, formalise, and continuously improve the project life cycle, methodologies, and ways of working.

• Establish transparency across delivery through clear reporting, dashboards, and governance forums.

• Ensure projects comply with agreed standards while remaining pragmatic and value-focused.

• Provide senior-level oversight across technology and change initiatives.

• Track delivery progress, risks, dependencies, and issues across the portfolio.

• Introduce and maintain core PMO artefacts (eg RAID logs, plans, status reports, stakeholder matrices, communication plans).

• Drive consistency where delivery is currently fragmented and Excel-driven.

• Introduce capacity planning, resource allocation, and demand management.

• Establish financial tracking and budget governance (with scalability as the portfolio evolves).

• Support leadership with clear insight into delivery health, constraints, and trade-offs.

• Partner with senior leadership, business units, and technology teams to align delivery with strategic goals.

• Influence stakeholders who may not be accustomed to structured PMO governance.

• Embed accountability and ownership across delivery teams.

• Act as a trusted advisor, balancing empathy with assertiveness to drive behavioural change.

Change & Behavioural Focus

This role goes beyond process design. Success depends on:

• Embedding new ways of working, not just defining them.

• Socialising PMO concepts and value across diverse teams and working styles.

• Handling resistance constructively - adapting approach when stakeholders don't change first time.

• Gaining senior sponsorship and bringing leadership on the journey.

• Translating structure into outcomes without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

Skills & Experience

• 5+ years' experience in PMO leadership, portfolio management, or complex change delivery.

• Proven experience designing, implementing, and improving PMO functions or delivery life cycles.

• Strong background in regulated, structured, or high-risk environments (eg trading, financial services, commodities, or similar).

• Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at senior levels.

• High emotional intelligence - able to balance empathy with firmness.

• Comfortable working through ambiguity and driving change without formal authority.

What We're Looking For

• Someone who loves the challenge of transformation and change management.

• A practical PMO leader who can build artefacts and shift behaviours.

• A communicator who can articulate value, manage resistance, and bring people with them.

• A leader who can design today, implement tomorrow, and improve continuously.

Interested?

At emagine, we are committed to building an international and diverse team by embracing our different backgrounds.

If you are up to the challenge and would like to find out more, get in touch with us immediately, our internal recruitment team is always keen to hear from dynamic individuals that are looking to further their career and explore their full potential.

emagine is an equal opportunity employer, and employment practices are based strictly on merit. It is the policy of the Company to give equal opportunity in employment regardless of sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, religion or ethnic origin