Job Description

A new role in our Technology leadership, Head of Strategy and Portfolio is responsible for maintaining the overall technology strategy, roadmap and budget. They ensure alignment between strategic objectives and technology investments across all technology functions.

This includes facilitating and informing decision making, providing strategic advice on where funding and resources should be prioritised, managing portfolio governance and ensuring the portfolio is delivering against expected benefits.

They are also responsible for the delivery of projects outside of the product value workstreams and managing and developing project delivery capabilities for technology change.

As Head of Strategy and Portfolio, you will be responsible for:

Portfolio Management:

• Maintain the overarching technology portfolio roadmap.
• Ensure alignment between strategic objectives and technology investments across all technology functions.
• Attend and support the Chair of the Strategic Investment Committee to support the wider business on managing strategic investments.

Funding and Resource Allocation:

• Facilitate and inform discussions to prioritise funding and resources across BAU, Projects and Product in MO Technology.
• Co-ordinate between all Tech functions to maintain a consistent view on resourcing.
• Manage the annual departmental budgeting process and reforecasts aligned to the strategic objectives, supported by the wider IT SLT.

Governance:

• Chair and facilitate strategic governance forums, including those required to decide on portfolio level prioritisation, investment and resource allocation.
• Manage a portfolio governance process that facilitates and encourages change and innovation and does not slow the portfolio progress.

Benefits Management:

• Ensure the Product and Project teams manage their delivery toward strategic benefit expectations
• Aggregate benefits at portfolio level and use these to drive portfolio level analysis and decisions. Incorporate the benefit metrics into the development and review of the technology strategy.

Risk Management:

• Identify and assess potential strategic risks and challenges related to MO technology.
• Own the technology input into the company wide risk process.
• Work closely with broader security and risk teams to develop risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans to ensure business continuity.

Technology Supplier Management:

• Own the supplier strategy including guidelines on how and when suppliers should be used
• Work with Procurement and Tech leadership to ensure alignment to the strategy across Technology and understand implications and resolve any challenges it presents.

Budgeting, Supplier and Cost Control:

• Prepare and manage the Strategy and Portfolio department budget, controlling expenses, and optimising spending while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
• Manage department suppliers appropriately ensuring value for money and ensuring the timely delivery of services, aligning to the technology and company procurement and supplier strategy requirements.
• Manage and coordinate the delivery of the Technology departments Annual Operating Plan (AOP)

Project Delivery:

• Hold responsibility for successful delivery of Projects/Programmes that sit outside Product and BAU capabilities.
• Build out the MO Technology project manager and portfolio change specialist capabilities, maintaining a pool of specialists in MO who are available to deliver projects/programmes and support business change.

Team Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and inspire the Strategy and Portfolio team, ensuring team members have the necessary resources and support to excel in their roles.
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability and collaboration within the team and across departments.
• Define ways of working and standards for Strategy and Portfolio in MO technology.
• Work with key partners in the business to define ways of working and build up a consistent approach to Strategy and Portfolio where appropriate
• Build new capabilities where there are gaps in the existing organisation

About You

Minimum Criteria

• Proven experience in strategic planning, portfolio and project management, and business development in the technology industry.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and inspire a diverse team.
• A working understanding of financial planning and accounting processes in order to work effectively with Finance.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a data-driven approach to decision-making.
• Ability to communicate complex concepts effectively to diverse stakeholders, including executives, and technical teams.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to a rapidly changing business landscape and guide the organization through uncertainty.
• Exceptional business partnering, negotiation and relationship-building skills to foster partnerships and collaborations.
• Leadership qualities, including strategic thinking, influencing, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.
• A visionary and forward-thinking mindset, constantly seeking new opportunities for growth and innovation.

About The Company

Motability Operations is a unique organisation, virtually one of a kind. We combine a strong sense of purpose with a real commercial edge to ensure we provide the best possible worry-free mobility solutions to over 630,000 customers and their families across the UK. Customers exchange their higher rate mobility allowance to lease a range of affordable vehicles (cars, wheelchair accessible vehicles, scooters, and powered wheelchairs) with insurance, maintenance and breakdown assistance included. We are the largest car fleet operator in the UK (purchasing around 10% of all the new cars sold in the UK) and work with a network of around 5,000 car dealers and all the major manufacturers. We pride ourselves on delivering outstanding customer service, achieving an independently verified customer satisfaction rating of 9.8 out of 10.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do. They represent ambition, and we look for our people to live and breathe them every day:

• We find solutions
• We drive change
• We care

As a Motability Operations team member, the benefits you can expect are:

• Competitive reward package including an annual discretionary bonus
• 15% non-contributory pension (9% non-contributory pension during probation period)
• 28 days annual leave with option to purchase and sell days
• 1 day for volunteering
• Funded Private Medical Insurance cover
• Electric/Hybrid Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life assurance at 4 times your basic salary to give you a peace of mind that your loved ones will receive some financial help
• Funded health screening for over 50s
• Voluntary benefits: charitable giving, critical illness insurance, dental insurance, health and cancer screenings for you and your partner, discounted gym memberships and season ticket loans
• Employee Discount Scheme with an app to save on the go
• Free access to healthcare apps such as Peppy, Unmind, Aviva Digital GP and volunteering app on Hand for all employees
• Generous family leave policies

At Motability Operations, we believe in building a diverse workforce, where our people are empowered to attend work as their true selves, and we encourage people from all backgrounds to apply. We want to sustain a culture that nurtures, where employees are free to flourish and where they\'re rewarded equally, regardless of race, nationality or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, disability, or gender.

We pride ourselves on being an inclusive employer and as such, all our offices provide first rate disability access. With our hybrid working environment, we do our best to accommodate part-time and flexible working requests where possible, building on our culture of trust, empowerment, and flexibility.

Motability Operations