Specialist IT Portfolio Management Lead

ABOUT US

Tate & Lyle is on a journey of change, inspired by our purpose of Transforming Lives through the Science of Food. Today, we are a global leader in sweetening, texture and fortification products that remove calories and add fibre. Customers use our innovations to create healthier, tastier food and drink for billions of consumers. Across the world, we are unlocking the curiosity and courage in our people – to foster a truly experimental culture and create a tech-enabled, more agile, risk-ready operation. Join us to play your part in growing our business and its positive impact on communities, society and the planet.

Tate & Lyle Global Shared Services Centre in Łódź is the principal location for handling the business support activities and processes for Tate & Lyle, both transactional as well as value-added business partnering support. Starting operations in 2011 with less than 50 people, we now have over 350 employees supporting operations globally. We have 30 teams operating in Łódź to provide service in the areas of Finance, Customer Service, Procurement, HR/People Services, and IS/IT

About this role:

The IT Portfolio Management Lead will play a critical role in managing and optimizing the organization’s IT portfolio, overseeing the governance, prioritization, and performance to ensure alignment with business strategy and objectives, maximize enterprise value delivery, and enhance efficiency. This role will work closely with senior IT and business leaders to evaluate project proposals, monitor portfolio health, optimize resource allocation, and support informed decision-making across the IT landscape, with a focus on strategic value, affordability, capacity, dependency management, delivery risk mitigation and compliance.

The role holder brings specialist knowledge to unlock complex challenges, to deliver high impact solutions, and to guide teams on best practices and innovations.  

Accountabilities:

Portfolio Strategy and Governance:

• Work with the IT Leadership to develop a clear vision and set long-term goals for the IT portfolio that align with the organization's overall business objectives.

• Align IT projects and investments with the organization’s strategic goals and priorities, with a focus on value creation, affordability and resource planning, taking into account dependencies across IT and business operations (including technology complexities and the capacity of the business).

• Define and monitor portfolio metrics, performance indicators, and success criteria.

Portfolio Management:

• Lead the development, maintenance and execution of IT portfolio management processes, standards, and governance frameworks, in alignment with the overall Tate & Lyle Project Management methodology.

• Collaborate with business and IT leaders to assess, prioritize, and balance the project portfolio in alignment with strategic objectives, capacity, resource availability, and risk assessment.

• Manage the intake, evaluation, and approval processes for new IT initiatives and project requests.

• Facilitate regular portfolio reviews with executives and stakeholders to ensure portfolio health and performance.

• Facilitate regular project reviews with stakeholders and project leads with a focus on delivery risk mitigation and compliance.

• Maintain a comprehensive and transparent view of the IT portfolio, including project status, budget, risk, benefits, and dependencies, and ensure effective communication of portfolio decisions across stakeholders.

• Analyse project and program data to identify actionable insights, trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

Resource and Financial Management:

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to allocate and optimize resources across projects and programs to maximize return on investment.

• Manage the IT portfolio budget, monitor expenditures, and ensure financial accountability.

• Support business case development, benefit realization tracking, and value measurement of IT initiatives.

• Provide investment appraisal support.

• Identify opportunities for cost optimization and value enhancement within the portfolio.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Communicate portfolio performance, risks, and opportunities to senior leadership.

• Act as a mentor for junior members of the IT team, fostering knowledge sharing, and technical development to promote excellence and innovation.

Risk and Issue Management:

• Identify, evaluate, and mitigate risks associated with the IT portfolio.

• Establish contingency plans and ensure proactive issue resolution.

• Document and maintain comprehensive records within the discipline for future reference and team training.

Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.

• Strong understanding of portfolio management tools (e.g., PPM software), process, methodologies and best practices.

• Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.

• Strong communication skills to persuade and influence stakeholders. The role needs to adapt styles, interpret and explain information to different audiences inside and outside the organisation who are not familiar with the subject matter.

• Proven experience in successfully engaging and managing relationships with stakeholders at various levels of the organization.

• Experience in monitoring and evaluating the performance of IT projects and initiatives.

• Financial Acumen: Understanding of budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis to manage the portfolio's financial health.

• Proactive approach to addressing challenges and driving continuous improvement. Resolve complex or unusual issues requiring original thought, research, new approaches and analytical techniques.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.

• Provide advice and guidance based on technical knowledge, research and analysis within own discipline, which positively impacts the performance of the team.

• Responsible for achieving personal targets, which can impact the overall success of the team.

• May oversee project delivery, including managing project timelines, budgets and resources to ensure successful completion.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

As a business operating in 50 countries worldwide, we offer a global rewards package to all employees alongside a range of country-specific benefits. In addition to the flexible working policy, hybrid working model & competitive salary we offer:

• Extensive development opportunities and programs (vertical & horizontal promotions, foreign assignments, projects, broad range of internal & external training)

• Private medical care, including dental care

• MyBenefit Platform, including Multisport

• Lunch subsidy

• Work from home benefits package

• Languages assistance program

• Personal trainer

• Life Insurance

• LinkedIn Learning Platform access

• Employee Assistance Program (an online platform to support your well-being) and Mental Wellness University

• Possibility to participate in various programs & projects, including activities in Charity Team, First Aid Team, Emergency Team, Active Team and Eco Team

• Last but not least: Work in a welcoming, stimulating, and energetic environment where you can unleash your potential

At Tate & Lyle, we are committed to all our employees being seen, heard, and valued and thus, we value the contributions of people with unique backgrounds, identities, and experiences.

Tate & Lyle is an equal opportunity employer, committed to the strength of an inclusive workforce.