IT PMO Lead

IT PMO Lead – Governance, Risk & Delivery Assurance

Location: Troy, MI (Onsite – hands-on role)

Engagement Type: 6-month Contract-to-Hire

Role Overview

Client is seeking a Senior IT PMO Lead to establish, enforce, and mature governance, delivery assurance, and risk management disciplines across a large, complex IT portfolio. This role acts as a second line of defense for IT delivery—partnering closely with Program and Project Managers to proactively identify risk, enforce standards, and increase executive confidence in delivery outcomes.

This is a hands-on, onsite leadership role with high visibility and influence across infrastructure, applications, ERP, security, and digital initiatives. The portfolio size is significant, supporting ~60–80 projects annually.

Key Responsibilities

IT Governance & Process Adherence

· Define, implement, and enforce IT PMO standards across planning, RAID management, change control, and financial tracking

· Ensure alignment with recognized governance frameworks (ITIL, COBIT, PMBOK, SAFe where applicable)

· Serve as an independent validator of adherence to agreed IT delivery processes

Risk Management & Delivery Assurance

· Establish and operate an enterprise-wide IT risk and issue management framework

· Partner with Program Managers to identify delivery, security, compliance, and operational risks early

· Drive mitigation planning, escalation, and risk closure

· Provide independent program health assessments and delivery assurance

Program Manager Enablement & Partnership

· Coach and support Program Managers on delivery best practices, tooling, and execution discipline

· Ensure integrated program plans, dependency mapping, and critical path visibility are maintained

· Act as a trusted advisor to help PMs remove obstacles and manage executive expectations

Financial, Change & Dependency Controls

· Enforce financial governance (budgets, forecasts, actuals, benefits tracking)

· Drive disciplined change control and scope management to reduce unplanned risk

· Oversee cross-program dependency management to avoid downstream impacts

Executive Reporting & Transparency

· Deliver standardized, risk-focused reporting to IT leadership and Steering Committees

· Translate delivery risks into clear executive insights and decision options

· Maintain a single, trusted source of truth for IT program and portfolio health

Continuous Improvement & Tooling

· Identify systemic delivery gaps and drive continuous process improvement across IT

· Standardize templates, tools, and performance metrics to increase PMO maturity

· Measure and report on PMO effectiveness and risk reduction outcomes

· Lead Planview PPM deployments and enhancements, working closely with PPM vendors and internal teams to support IT and business delivery organizations

Required Qualifications

Experience

· 10 years in IT program, portfolio management, or delivery assurance

· 5 years in an IT PMO, governance, or delivery assurance leadership role

· Proven experience partnering with multiple Program Managers across:

• Infrastructure
• Applications
• ERP
• Security
• Digital initiatives

· Experience operating in large, complex, multi-project environments

Core Skills & Competencies

· Deep understanding of IT delivery governance and control frameworks

· Strong risk management mindset with proactive escalation discipline

· Ability to influence without direct authority and challenge constructively

· Executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills

· Balanced approach: governance-driven and delivery-oriented

Tools & Technology (Important for Screening)

Must-Have:

· Planview (key requirement) – hands-on leadership of PPM usage, rollout, or optimization

Strongly Preferred:

· ServiceNow (PPM or related modules)

Nice-to-Have:

· Automotive or manufacturing enterprise environment experience

Certifications (Preferred, Not Mandatory)

· PMP, PgMP, or SAFe

· ITIL, COBIT, or risk/compliance-related certifications

Success Metrics

· Improved adherence to IT delivery and governance standards

· Reduction in late-stage escalations and delivery surprises

· Higher quality and earlier identification of delivery risks

· Improved forecast accuracy and executive confidence in IT delivery

Work Model & Expectations

· Onsite, hands-on role in Troy, MI

· Some flexibility for partial remote work only if the candidate is a strong cultural and functional fit

· Contract-to-hire intent after 6 months