Vivace Portfolio Manager

London/hybrid working 2-3 days in office.

Vivace is a QinetiQ Business Unit that is the Private Sector Partner for the Home Office’s Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE). ACE was set up to bring industry and academia closer to government and National Security problems, and stimulate the flow of innovative, agile and flexible solutions to problems in the digital environment, delivering real impact for mission users.

Vivace works in partnership with its Home Office and wider government partners, helping to identify threats, risks and areas of need, then works with a diverse range of organisations representing big tech, large system integrators, consultants , SMEs, start-ups  and academia – called the Vivace Community.

Role description & responsibilities:

ACE is developing a considerable pipeline of work and the Portfolio Manager will be required to help ensure continued and enhanced collaboration, quality and value for money for our customer base.

We have a very diverse customer base across Government (Home Office, UKIC, NCA, Cabinet Office, NHS, FCDO etc) so deep domain knowledge of all of these customers is not considered realistic or expected. However, ideal candidates would have exposure to one or some of the customers in the account and have a good general understanding of working with such government departments.

The portfolio is still relatively immature, and this is an exciting opportunity to both shape and manage the way in which ACE delivers a dynamic and diverse range of innovation challenges across the Organisations delivering critical roles in UK Government.

They need to be able to work with exceptionally high energy and pace, driving both individual and collaborative projects to enable the portfolio to run and grow efficiently.

They need to be a highly experience agile delivery manager embracing the Core ACE values of:

• Passion and Energy – to drive the portfolio value
• Curiosity and Tenacity – listening and learning and providing positive challenge to develop our customers thinking
• Creative and Collaborative – Working across mission themes to join up commission delivery, as well as working with a diverse team in ACE
• Analytical and Responsive - We rapidly triage Customer problems into commissionable work, obtaining sufficient information to mobilise and engage industry’s leading specialists to feedback alternative solutions at pace
• Honesty and Openness – we operate in a safe space where everyones opinions are valued
• Making a difference – delivering the best possible value for our customers to achieve their critical missions.
   

General Responsibilities:

• Delivery Management: The Portfolio Manager is expected to have strong project management skills and experience. As the portfolio grows it is likely that the successful candidate will be required to step in to deliver some of the commissions within the portfolio. Therefore Agile Delivery Management is a critical requirement for this role.
• Stakeholder Engagement: The Portfolio manager will work in collaboration with the Portfolio Account Leads and the Technical Leads to work across our stakeholder groups to grow the impact ACE can deliver in this area.
• Portfolio and commission planning: Will be the lead for developing commission approaches, managing the initial risks through pre-delivery and progressing commissions through the ACE approvals process
• Delivery Assurance and Quality: Will ensure that delivery quality is standardised and maintained across the portfolio commissions
• Financial and Commercial: Will assure individual commission finances and will be accountable to customer finance and commercial teams on overarching spend and wider commercial implications
• Resourcing: Will work with the ACE Leadership Team to ensure that the portfolio resource demand is understood, planned and can be met 
• Community Engagement: Run community engagement, which often includes planning and executing “Accelerator Days” (pitch to the Product Owner) to glean insight from the Vivace Community.

Specific skills required:

Essential:

• Agile PM/DM
• Programme/Portfolio Management and dynamic leadership
• Stakeholder engagement
• Management of Risk
• Experience of delivering innovation within government
   

Desirable

• SC and NPPV3 clearance

Additional Information:

This role is suited to a candidate who will bring an exceptionally high degree of energy and motivation to the mission. The mission itself will be highly rewarding to such an individual with the right character and background.

Why join QinetiQ?

As we continue to grow into new markets around the world, there’s never been a more exciting time to join QinetiQ. The formula for success is our appetite for innovation and having the courage to take on a wide variety of complex challenges.

You’ll experience a unique working environment where teams from different backgrounds, disciplines and experience enjoy collaborating widely and openly as we undertake this exciting and rewarding journey. Through effective teamwork, and pulling together, you’ll get to experience what happens when we all share different perspectives, blend disciplines, and link technologies; constantly discovering new ways of solving complex problems in an diverse and inclusive environment where you can be authentic, feel valued and realise your full potential. Read more about our diverse and inclusive workplace culture here.  

Joining QinetiQ offers you an opportunity to work on a broad range of interesting defence-based projects with vast career progression across a global organisation in addition to competitive personal and professional benefits.  You’ll receive a highly competitive salary and benefits package: our basic salaries are very attractive as we constantly review what’s happening in the market. The range of benefits that we offer include, adaptive and flexible working, generous holiday entitlements, Health Cash Plan, Private Medical Insurance and Dental Insurance and much more. 

About QinetiQ

As a company of over 6,000 dedicated professionals, we are a world-centre of excellence in research and development and act as a catalyst for fast-track innovation, offering outstanding experimentation facilities, and technical, engineering and scientific expertise. QinetiQ is made up of dedicated experts in defence, aerospace, security and related markets, all working together to explore new ways of protecting what matters most. Being part of QinetiQ means being central to the safety and security of the world around us. Partnering with our customers, we help to save lives; reduce risks to society; and maintain the global infrastructure on which we all depend. Come and find out how you can play a role.

Please note that many roles in QinetiQ are subject to national security vetting. Applicants that already hold the appropriate level of vetting may be able to transfer it upon appointment, subject to approval. A number of roles are also subject to restrictions on access to information that mean factors such as nationality, previous nationalities held and the country in which you were born may have an effect on the roles that you can be employed in.