Jellycat
Global Head of Projects
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About Jellycat
For a quarter of a century, the Jellycat family have brought joy, wonder and playful fun to people of all ages, in every part of the world. Utterly original and in a class of their own, they are currently among the most loved and collected toys of their kind. How has this gentle tribe endeared themselves to so many? Perhaps it is their whimsical expressions. Or the deliciously soft fabrics. Or the beautiful way in which they sit in your hand. Whatever it is, there is something magical and unmistakeable about each one of them.
About the Role
The Global Head of Projects leads Jellycat's project delivery function, building and running a robust project portfolio management capability across the business. Reporting to the Global Business Transformation Director, this role leads and develops 2 sub teams of Project Managers (divided between strategic and tactical projects), embeds consistent governance and methodology across all initiatives, and drives clear, proactive stakeholder communication - ensuring projects are delivered on time, on budget and aligned with Jellycat's strategic priorities.
Key Responsibilities
Project Portfolio Management
- Owning and maintaining end to end visibility of Jellycat's project portfolio, covering scope, resourcing, interdependencies, risks and benefits across all live and pipeline initiatives.
- Partnering with the Global Business Transformation Director and senior stakeholders to prioritise, sequence and resource projects in line with strategic objectives and organisational capacity.
- Establishing and maintaining portfolio level reporting, dashboards and KPIs that provide leadership with a clear, real time view of progress, risk and value delivery.
- Identifying interdependencies and conflicts across projects, and proactively managing trade-offs in scope, timeline, budget and resource.
- Leading regular portfolio review forums with senior stakeholders, recommending decisions on prioritisation, investment, and de-scoping or closure where needed.
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Team Leadership & Management
- Leading, managing and developing a team of Project Managers, setting clear objectives and creating a culture of accountability, quality and continuous improvement.
- Allocating Project Managers to initiatives based on skills, capacity and business priority, balancing workload and development opportunities across the team.
- Building team capability through coaching, structured development plans and access to relevant training and certifications.
- Leading the recruitment and onboarding of project management talent as the team and portfolio grow.
- Fostering strong, collaborative working relationships between the project team and functional and business teams across Jellycat.
Governance & Methodology
- Designing, implementing and continuously improving a consistent project management methodology, framework and toolkit suited to Jellycat's scale and culture.
- Establishing clear governance structures and escalation routes.
- Ensuring every project has a clear scope, business case, success criteria, budget and benefits tracking from initiation through to closure and post-implementation review.
- Embedding rigorous risk and issue management practices, ensuring risks are identified, owned and mitigated throughout the project lifecycle.
- Championing consistent use of project management tools and systems, driving standardisation, quality and audit-readiness across the team.
- Monitoring compliance with governance standards and taking corrective action where projects deviate from agreed processes.
Stakeholder Communication & Engagement
- Building strong, trusted relationships with senior stakeholders and sponsors across Jellycat, acting as a key point of contact for project delivery.
- Designing and delivering clear, tailored communications for different audiences, from working-level updates through to Executive Committee reporting.
- Ensuring stakeholders are engaged early and appropriately throughout the project lifecycle, managing expectations and building buy-in for change.
- Representing the project management function in senior forums, presenting portfolio status, risks and recommendations with clarity and confidence.
- Acting as an escalation point for project issues, working with sponsors and the Global Business Transformation Director to resolve blockers quickly.
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Essential Experience & Skills
- 10+ years' experience in project and programme delivery, including significant experience managing a portfolio of concurrent projects across multiple functions.
- 5+ years' experience leading and developing Programme Managers and Project Managers, with strong people leadership and coaching skills.
- Deep expertise in project governance and methodologies (e.g. PRINCE2, MSP, Agile, PMI/PMBOK), with the ability to adapt frameworks pragmatically to organisational needs.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, with a track record of building credibility and influence at senior and Executive level.
- A strong track record of establishing or significantly improving a PMO or project management function.
- Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex project information into clear, actionable insights for different audiences.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with confidence working with data, budgets and reporting tools.
- Experience operating within a fast-paced, international organisation.
Desirable Experience & Skills
- A formal project or programme management qualification (e.g. PRINCE2 Practitioner, MSP, PMP or Agile/Scrum certifications).
- Experience within retail, FMCG, licensing or a global consumer brand.
- Experience using project and portfolio management tools such as MS Project, monday.com or Jira.
- Experience supporting broader business transformation or organisational change initiatives.
- Experience working within a matrix environment, ideally across multiple geographies.
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