Internal Redeployment Only - Head of Digital Portfolio bei Cardiff University

Please note that this job is open only to current members of staff of Cardiff University who are eligible for redeployment.

Internal Redeployment Only - Head of Digital Portfolio

Cardiff University is seeking a Digital Portfolio Lead to head the implementation of its ambitious digital plan that will significantly enhance the university's research capabilities, operational efficiency, and educational delivery.

Us
We want to make Cardiff University an institution that is respected the world over. Our vision is to be a world-leading, research-excellent, educationally outstanding university, driven by creativity and curiosity, which fulfils its social, cultural and economic obligations to Cardiff, Wales, the UK and the world. Our ambitious strategy to 2035 (Our Future Together) will enable the university to co-create and share new knowledge, to deliver a better world for future generations. We aim to rank consistently in the top 100 universities in the world and the top 20 in the UK.

Opportunity
The Digital Portfolio Lead will spearhead the strategic planning, development, and implementation of all University digital initiatives comprising the University Digital plan that aims to enhance the university's research capabilities, operational efficiency, and educational delivery. This role is pivotal in driving the adoption of innovative technologies (including a modern data platform, automation, and Artificial Intelligence) and fostering a culture of digital excellence across the institution. The Digital Portfolio Lead will have oversight for the multi-million-pound digital change portfolio, collaborating with academic and administrative leaders to identify opportunities for digital innovation, streamline processes, and ensure the university is at the forefront of research and education in the digital age. 
 
The role holder will be responsible for the overall management of the University’s digital portfolio of change to co-ordinate the effective and efficient operation of the portfolio management practices and provide support to stakeholders ensuring they receive timely information in order for them to give guidance to the overall strategic direction of the change. 
 
In order to achieve this the role holder will be expected to: 

• Manage a range of programmes and projects within the Digital portfolio of change ensuring their sequencing is in line with an agreed set of priorities and they deliver the agreed strategic aims and goals. 
• Own the high-level portfolio plans, documenting the portfolio benefits, risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies. 
• Work with senior stakeholders to champion the Digital portfolio, demonstrating a strong domain knowledge to ensure credibility and develop understanding, ownership, and involvement facilitating feedback into the portfolio of change governance structures. 
• Develop and maintain the portfolio delivery and benefits framework. 
• Work closely with IT Business Partners to ensure the change portfolio is integrated with the strategic and delivery plans of the University, its Colleges and Professional Services.  
• Work closely with the University PMO to ensure the cost benefit profiles for the Digital portfolio of change are maintained and accurate ensure the Portfolio Communications are co-ordinated and appropriate to the wider University context. 

What we offer
Cardiff University can offer many attractive benefits to its employees, including a competitive salary, 37 days annual leave per annum and a generous pension scheme. More information on what we can offer can be found at https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/jobs/what-we-can-offer.

The post is full-time and open-ended.

Salary from £72,998 - £74,458 per annum (Grade 9).  Appointments to Cardiff University are expected to be at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.

Closing date: Thursday, 30 October 2025

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Key Duties 

• Operate at a strategic level, provide leadership for a multi-million-pound portfolio of change, support the Executive and Delivery Sponsors in the governance of the portfolio, realise transformative benefits for the university, and make independent decisions that significantly influence service delivery across the University, ensuring alignment of the change portfolio with institutional priorities and long-term goals. 

• Establish the change portfolio into a roadmap of change activities, working closely with the UEB sponsor and key stakeholders to ensure there is a holistic view across change portfolios, and that change is focused on delivering the strategic KPI’s, associated strategic goals and objectives. 

• Lead long-term strategic planning initiatives, collaborating across change portfolios and including portfolio prioritisation exercises, that shape the future direction of the University, ensuring that change portfolio activities are aligned with institutional ambitions and have a broad, transformative impact. 

• Lead on the preparation and implementation of the change portfolios communication and stakeholder management plans, providing expert professional advice and support that enables stakeholders to understand and govern actions, building credibility and buy in to the change agenda. 

Operational/Strategic Management

• Manage a range of strategically important programmes and projects of all sizes and complexity across business change, IT development and procurement to build the necessary capabilities in the correct sequence to ensure the delivery of the desired benefits for the portfolio. 

• Responsible for setting and maintaining the overall standards and quality of service for the change portfolio, ensuring consistency and excellence across all programmes and projects.  Prepare and deliver portfolio dashboards to relevant governance bodies and stakeholders.  

• Lead formation of business cases for investment within the portfolios scope, ensuring that they are consistent across the portfolio of change, coordinated and support the overall portfolio of change benefits. 

• Ensure that dependencies are effectively managed within the change portfolio and where appropriate escalated and coordinated across the other change portfolios.  Resolve complex and unprecedented challenges impacting the change portfolio, applying strategic insight and judgement to assess implications and ensure effective decision-making. 

• Ensures the effective closure and transition of programmes and projects from the portfolio to Business as Usual. 

Finance and Resource Management 

• Establish, monitor and review the multi-million-pound change portfolio financials on a cost basis, completing the financial impact analysis on the portfolio regarding any significant changes.  

• Establish, develop and maintain the change portfolio benefits framework highlighting the benefits forecasts and ensures double counting is minimised with the necessary controls and tacking mechanisms being established. 

Team Development and motivation of others

• Manage (directly or via matrix management) individuals and teams, ensuring clarity of role and alignment of performance objectives with those of the programme/project within the portfolio with which they are associated. 

• Complete tasks normally associated with junior colleagues to meet operational demands. Undertake duties associated with a more senior role for developmental purposes 

• Develop and role-model effective communication and establish good working relationships, leading by example to eliminate potential internal barriers, enhance collegiality and develop best practice 

• Lead and manage recruitment, performance management and appraisal, ensuring effective staff performance, and encouraging and facilitating training and development where required. 

• Support and guide team members in welfare issues, escalating as necessary to specialist support areas 

Risk Management and Compliance

• Ensure delivery of the change portfolio establishes the necessary portfolio approach and processes to manage risk, resolve issues and ensures the delivery that portfolio activity is successfully delivered and appropriately timed.  Ensures lessons are learned from the programmes and projects within their portfolio are identified and communicated more widely across all the change activity. 

• Ensure University governance and University procurement policies and procedures are adhered to. 

Collaboration and engagement with others 

• Work closely with IT Business Partners to ensure the change portfolio is integrated with the strategic and delivery plans of the University, its Colleges and Professional Services.  

• Proactively manage and understand the interdependencies between the change portfolio and teams across the University, fostering collaboration, breaking down silos, and building effective cross-functional relationships that support the delivery of the portfolio objectives. 

• Actively participate in strategic planning networks relevant to the change portfolio, taking a leadership role in establishing and guiding cross-University networks that support the delivery of change.  

• Develop relationships with suppliers and partners at executive level both within the UK and internationally, influencing developments to the benefit of the University. 

General Duties 

• Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to the role and which will enhance performance. 

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties 

• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity 

• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role. 
   

  As an employee of Cardiff University the post holder will: 

   •            Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in respect of equality and diversity, data protection, copyright and licensing, security, financial and other University policies, procedures and codes as appropriate. 

   •            Take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself and of other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions at work in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, EC directives and the University’s Safety, Health and Environment Policies and procedures and to cooperate with the University on any legal duties placed on it as the employer. 

1. A degree or equivalent experience / professional qualifications/ project management qualification (e.g. Prince2, MSP, MoP). 

2. Proven ability in the leadership, management and successful delivery of large-scale Digital Transformation in a large multifaceted organisation with significant levels of investment ideally within a Portfolio of Change. 

3. Extensive experience of managing a portfolio of multiple complex programmes and projects with differing areas of scope at various stages of their lifecycle, demonstrating the ability to coordinate and control the portfolio within defined timescales, budgets and resources, prioritising and scheduling conflicting tasks to deliver outputs within structured risk, issue and change management frameworks.. 

4. Demonstrable leadership and mentoring skills with the knowledge of how to build and maintain effective teams across direct reports and in a matrix management environment. 

5. Excellent Senior stakeholder management skills with the ability to communicate at all levels, employ differing communication techniques to support assimilation of information. demonstrating the sensitivities required to balance and resolve issues, define priorities and ensure understanding and buy in to the Portfolio and its objectives. 

6. Proven experience in shaping strategy and operating models through active participation and leadership of programme teams. 

7. Strong analytical skills with proven experience of assessing and optimising digital processes. 

8. Knowledge of current procurement regulations and associated processes. 
   
   Desirable Criteria

1. Domain knowledge of transformational digital/IT portfolios of change, ideally within a Higher Education setting. 

2. Demonstrable leadership experience within the Higher Education Sector. 

3. Additional Management qualifications in ITIL, or similar coupled with evidence of a continual professional development 

4. Welsh Speaker.