Senior Portfolio Manager

You combine analytical thinking with sound judgement. You're comfortable making recommendations when evidence is incomplete, explaining uncertainty clearly and challenging assumptions constructively. You distinguish between activity and progress towards meaningful outcomes. 

Your leadership is collaborative and grounded in trust. You listen to different perspectives, remain objective when priorities compete and make complex choices understandable. You take a practical approach and help colleagues develop their own capability. 

Your Experience  - We'd like to hear from people with experience in: 

• Managing a portfolio, or coordinating priorities, resources and dependencies across several related programmes or initiatives. 
• Using investment analysis, scenarios and evidence to influence senior decisions. 
• Balancing demand, resources, delivery capacity and organisational readiness for change. 
• Assessing benefits, performance and risk to guide priorities and corrective action. 
• Building agreement across stakeholders with competing objectives and interdependent work. 
• Improving portfolio practices and developing colleagues through coaching or shared learning. 

You may have developed this experience through portfolio management, programme leadership, investment planning or another relevant route. Experience with digital or data initiatives would be useful for the initial portfolio but is not essential. We welcome transferable experience from other areas and the ability to learn a new organisational context. 

Why Join NPL 

This role offers scope to influence choices that reach beyond a single programme. You'll help NPL direct investment where it can make the greatest contribution, while keeping ambitions grounded in what the organisation can achieve. 

You'll work across organisational boundaries, contribute to senior decisions and broaden your leadership through complex investment choices and the development of other practitioners. Your contribution will be measured in better decisions, stronger portfolio practice and greater value from investment. 

• The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) is a world-leading centre of excellence that provides cutting-edge measurement science, engineering and technology to underpin prosperity and quality of life in the UK. Find out more about what it is like working here - The measure of us - Overview

  NPL and DSIT have strong commitments to diversity and equality of opportunity, and welcome applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or age, providing they meet the required criteria. Applications from women, disabled and black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates in particular are encouraged. All disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview under the Disability Confident Scheme.

  At NPL, we believe our success is a result of the diversity and talent of our people. We strive to nurture and respect individuals to ensure everyone feels valued by treating everyone on the basis of their own individual merits and abilities regardless of their own or perceived identity, as part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion, we ensure we’re creating an environment where all our colleagues feel supported and welcome. More about this on our Diversity & Inclusion page.

  We are committed to the health and well-being of our employees. Flexible working and social activities are embedded in our culture to create a positive work-life balance, along with a broad range of rewards, benefits and recognition. Our values are at the heart of what we do, and they shape the way we interact, develop our people and celebrate success. To ensure everyone has an equal chance, we’re always willing to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss, please contact us.