London South Bank University
Change Portfolio Manager
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Turning Passion into Purpose
London South Bank University Group is entering an exciting phase of strategic transformation and is recruiting two Change Portfolio Managers to join its newly established Strategic Change Office.
The Strategic Change Office
The Strategic Change Office exists to help Executive teams make better strategic decisions. Rather than simply tracking projects, we work across the organisation to bring clarity to complex change, helping Programme Sponsors define outcomes, identify dependencies, quantify investment requirements and build confidence in delivery. We enable Executive teams to make informed decisions about investment, sequencing, prioritisation and organisational capacity.
These roles provide a unique opportunity to influence how one of London's largest universities translates strategy into measurable outcomes.
Role Overview
Working across our strategic change programmes and projects, you will partner with Executive leaders, Sponsors and delivery teams to shape initiatives, facilitate workshops, challenge assumptions and ensure Executive Group has the evidence required to make confident investment and sequencing decisions.
You'll play a central role in developing an integrated portfolio view across the Group, identifying cross-organisational dependencies, assessing delivery confidence, supporting governance and, where required, providing hands-on programme leadership to strengthen delivery capability across major strategic initiatives.
This is not a traditional PMO role.
We're looking for people who enjoy bringing clarity to ambiguity, asking thoughtful questions, challenging constructively and helping organisations make better decisions whilst remaining capable of leading delivery when required.
About You
We're looking for people who are equally comfortable operating strategically and tactically.
You'll understand that effective portfolio management starts with understanding the work itself. You'll be someone who enjoys bringing structure to ambiguity and is comfortable moving between Executive discussions, strategic planning workshops and programme delivery.
You'll have a strong track record of delivering complex change programmes or projects and be equally comfortable stepping back to shape portfolios, governance and Executive decision-making.
You'll know when to challenge, when to coach and when to lead.
We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate experience in:
- Successfully delivering complex programmes and projects from initiation through to implementation.
- Working within Portfolio Management or Enterprise PMO environments.
- Facilitating workshops and bringing diverse stakeholder groups to consensus.
- Translating strategic objectives into deliverable programmes, projects and change initiatives.
- Identifying dependencies, sequencing, resource requirements, benefits and delivery risks across complex portfolios.
- Preparing Executive-level papers, dashboards and investment recommendations.
- Developing portfolio roadmaps, governance approaches and reporting that supports decision-making.
- Applying recognised programme and project management methodologies pragmatically rather than dogmatically.
- Building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders through credibility, sound judgement and delivery experience.
- Communicating with clarity, influencing without authority and working collaboratively across organisational boundaries.
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The ideal candidate will be degree educated (or possess equivalent professional experience) and demonstrate excellent analytical, facilitation and communication skills. Experience within Higher Education or similarly complex organisations would be advantageous but is not essential.
The Opportunity
The Strategic Change Office is at an exciting stage of its development.
Initially, these roles will combine strategic portfolio management with hands-on programme and project support, helping to strengthen delivery capability across the Group whilst supporting the development of our Strategic Change Office.
As the organisation matures, the emphasis will increasingly shift towards enterprise portfolio management, investment planning, benefits realisation, portfolio optimisation and Executive decision support.
This provides a rare opportunity to influence not only the successful delivery of strategic initiatives but also how strategic change is governed, prioritised and managed across LSBU Group.
You won't simply inherit an existing function; you'll help shape it.
What You'll Be Doing
Working alongside Executive leaders, Sponsors and colleagues across the Group, you will:
- Facilitate strategic workshops that mature initiatives from concept into investable propositions.
- Provide programme leadership and delivery support for strategically significant initiatives where additional capability is required.
- Develop integrated portfolio views across the University Group.
- Build dependency maps, sequencing roadmaps and portfolio delivery plans.
- Identify and challenge strategic risks, assumptions, constraints and opportunities.
- Support investment planning, resource forecasting and benefits realisation.
- Prepare Executive dashboards, Board papers and decision-support materials.
- Coach stakeholders in portfolio thinking, governance and delivery best practice.
- Contribute to the ongoing development of the Strategic Change Office, helping establish the operating model, governance framework and portfolio management capability across LSBU Group.
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What Success Looks Like
Within your first year you will have helped the Group to:
- Improve the maturity and quality of its strategic change programmes
- Increase confidence in Executive investment decisions.
- Create greater transparency around dependencies, sequencing, capacity and delivery confidence.
- Strengthen programme delivery across strategically important initiatives.
- Develop governance that enables delivery whilst reducing unnecessary administrative burden.
- Support a culture where strategic decisions are informed by evidence rather than assumption.
Benefits and How to Apply
As a leading Higher Education Institution LSBU offers staff a highly competitive benefits package including holiday entitlement starting at 26.5 days per annum, professional development opportunities and flexible working. Full details on the range of benefits we offer can be found here.
The person specification for this role alongside applicant guidance on what to submit within your application can be found within the candidate pack attached. Applications must be submitted via the "Apply Online" button below.
For an informal conversation ahead of applying please feel free to contact the hiring manager for this position, Leon Reynolds (Head of Strategic Change Office), leon.reynolds@lsbu.ac.uk
The closing date for applications is Sunday 6th September 2026 at 23:59
Interviews will be held in person at LSBU’s Southwark campus on 15th September 2026.
We are happy to talk flexible working and reasonable adjustments and aim to make our recruitment and selection process accessible to all, please contact us to discuss any support you need. The diversity of LSBU’s staff and students is a source of our strength and the richness of ideas and perspectives that this diversity brings makes LSBU a unique place to work.
This role is eligible for sponsorship under the UKVI Skilled Worker route, more details on this can be found within the candidate pack.
If you have any questions related to your application, please email the recruitment team hrdsr@lsbu.ac.uk
We reserve the right to close the vacancy early, should we receive sufficient applications.
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