PMO Portfolio Manager

Serving the needs of all families with young children, Carter’s Inc. is the largest North American apparel retailer exclusively for babies and young children, encompassing Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Skip*Hop and Little Planet brands. Meaningful work, constant learning, genuine people, and a community guided by core values that promote inclusion and innovation is in everything we do. There are many reasons to build your career at Carter's.

Carter's PMO is seeking a new Portfolio Manager, who can drive our strategic programs to enable expansive business opportunities.  In this role, you will provide overall program leadership and guidance, and manage requirements across the portfolio's scope.

Leverage the expertise of the project managers and specialists from each functional team to ensure the successful delivery of various initiatives, given the business needs around committed timing and budget. 

As the PMO Portfolio Manager, you will oversee Retail, Stores, & eCommerce initiatives for our team. This role reports to the Director of PMO, with one direct report and 2-4 rotating reports.

What You'll Do:

Portfolio Management (50%)

• Define and implement portfolio management policies and processes to support decisions on investments within Information Technology projects

• Develops and manages program operating costs, requests budget allocation and reallocations, ensures portfolio is within budget

• Incorporates industry best practices, conducts internal and external benchmarking, and establishes standards, key measures, and metrics

• Defines and leads strategy, implementation, operational planning/excellence, establishment, execution, and evaluation of multifaceted and cross-functional programs

• Participate in discussions and activities regarding IT project funding, resourcing, and prioritization while advocating for the business as it relates to programs and projects

• Recalibrate the portfolio as necessary when the demands of the business dictate a change in delivery or scope of work.

• Act as an escalation point for the portfolio and project stakeholders to manage risks, develop mitigation plans, and a path to green throughout the project.

• Identify and manage project dependencies and critical paths while maintaining accurate project plans with real-time milestones, tasks, and project health data for your portfolio

• Identify opportunities to streamline deployments, share best practices with your peers and leaders, and regularly implement continuous improvement action

• Develop an overall understanding of each initiative in the portfolio to understand the potential impact and requirements generated by each initiative.

• Supports executive decision-making, reports program and implementation status, identifies skill gaps and initiates activities to close the gaps

Project Management (30%)

• Translate interdependencies between technology, operations, and business needs

• Manage complex initiatives that span multiple lines of business

• Manage all aspects of multiple related projects to ensure the overall program is aligned to and directly supports the achievement of strategic objectives

• Drive project delivery to meet stakeholder objectives while maintaining project delivery quality

• Partner with Business and IT Stakeholders to develop the vision of projects and document project plans

• Ability to manage projects using both waterfall and agile methodologies

Relationship and Leadership (20%)

• Cultivate close working relationships with peers in order to understand overall requirements and identify opportunities

• Contribute as an active and engaged member of the team to ensure the success of all enterprise projects

• Work effectively with business partners by developing strong professional working relationships with all levels of management and associates

• Experience working with, and presenting to, senior leaders within an organization

• Collaborating with leadership to develop growth and strategy objectives

• Working across functions and building relationships among leaders in all areas of business

SUPERVISORY/BUDGETARY/EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead a focused team of direct reports toward group goals for varied initiatives

• Act as a passionate driver for efficiency in the process, influencing other business verticals with a consultative approach

• Provide leadership, evaluation, and metrics understanding for project leaders

• Promote innovative ideas and accept risks involved in the process of change

• Mentor and coach other project managers that ensure alignment with overall program goals and objectives. 

• Develop program budgets, and forecasts, and serve as budgetary liaison to functional managers.

• Ensure that all financial guidelines, rates, schedules, and formats are adhered to.

• Strong technical orientation, with the ability to extract and analyze data.

• Perform ad-hoc analysis and provide recommendations for process improvements within the work area to management resulting in a reduction of expenditures.

We'd Love to Hear From You if You:

• Are experienced in managing Enterprise, Retail, and/or International initiatives within an organization.

• Possess exceptional interpersonal and communication skills; are adept at conveying complex messages to diverse audiences.

• Have strong decision-making abilities; deliver timely decisions, set priorities, and adapt efficiently to change.

• Obtained a bachelor’s degree or 4 years of relevant Project Management field experience.

• Demonstrated program management experience of 2+ years.

• Have a minimum of 7 years of PMO work experience, including 4 years in project management.

• Possess a strong understanding of Waterfall and Agile methodologies.

• Master project management methodologies, resource management, and change management.

• Proven ability to collaborate with IT management peers to achieve shared results, even without direct reporting authority.

• Provide comprehensive expertise in project management, including Waterfall and Agile methodologies, with a track record of related work experience.

• Lead detail-oriented and adaptable work for dynamic environments; excels in overseeing multiple projects, managing schedules, resources, and maximize team efforts.

• Are an effective leader and mentor in matrixed environments, capable of managing cross-functional project teams.

• Exemplify skill in managing complex, cross-functional projects involving multiple stakeholders and management levels.

• Build partnerships across all employee levels and work collaboratively.

• Comfortably establish new processes and systems, motivating cross-functional teams.

• Deftly handle multiple tasks, recognize interdependencies and prioritize effectively.

Preferred:

• Have prior experience in a consulting field - internal or external - is a huge plus

• PMP Certification, Agile certifications, or project management-related certification

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work is hybrid; any candidate must be able to commute to the Carter's Phipps office as work demands

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The duties described may be changed or reassigned at the discretion of management, and the employee may be required to perform duties that are not listed in the job description.

Carters is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.