Job Description

Position Summary

Southland is seeking a Director of Portfolio Governance & Delivery to establish, lead, and scale a new organizational capability responsible for governing, prioritizing, and enabling successful delivery of technology and innovation initiatives across Technology & Innovation.

Reporting to the VP, Head of the Office of the CIO (OCIO), this leader will create the operating model, governance framework, delivery methodology, and executive reporting needed to successfully deliver a growing portfolio of technology and innovation investments.

This role is responsible for enabling consistent, predictable technology delivery while balancing governance with agility. The Director will establish a fit-for-purpose delivery operating model that allows project teams to spend more time delivering business value and less time navigating process. In addition to governing the Technology and Innovation portfolio, this leader will provide portfolio-level visibility, decision support, and strategic insights that enable Technology & Innovation leadership to make informed investment decisions.

As Southland continues to modernize its technology platforms and operating model, this leader will build the project governance capabilities that support sustainable growth, cross domain collaboration, and successful execution of strategic priorities.

Position Details

Build & Lead the Portfolio Governance & Delivery Function

• Establish the vision, strategy, operating model, governance structure, and service offerings for the Portfolio Governance & Delivery function.
• Build and lead a high-performing team of portfolio managers, program managers, analysts, and supporting delivery resources.
• Define organizational structure, roles, responsibilities, career paths, and workforce plans.
• Develop annual operating plans, budgets, staffing strategies, and performance metrics.
• Create and maintain governance standards, playbooks, templates, and tools.
• Serve as the executive advisor for portfolio governance, delivery excellence, and portfolio management.
• Partner closely with the Change Management & Orchestration and Vendor Management to build complementary operating models across OCIO.

Delivery Governance, methodology & execution

• Establish standard delivery including Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid approaches.
• Standardize project lifecycle management, governance checkpoints, planning, reporting, risk management, financial management, and executive reporting.
• Define governance forums, stage gates, decision authorities, and escalation paths.
• Standardize where consistency creates value; allow flexibility where it accelerates delivery.

Portfolio Delivery & Execution

• Govern technology portfolio intake, evaluation, prioritization, and investment decisions.
• Provide portfolio health oversight across delivery, schedule, risks, dependencies, and resource capacity.
• Facilitate executive portfolio reviews, steering committees, and governance forums.
• Coordinate cross-domain planning to improve sequencing, resource utilization, and delivery consistency.
• Partner with Corporate Functions (e.g., Finance, HR, Procurement, Legal, Safety, etc.) to ensure technology and innovation initiatives are designed, governed, and delivered in alignment with enterprise business processes and organizational objectives.
• Drive portfolio level delivery assurance and timely escalation of issues requiring leadership attention.

Governance, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Develop executive dashboards providing visibility into portfolio health, investment performance, delivery status, resource capacity, and strategic alignment.
• Establish portfolio KPIs, governance metrics, and reporting standards.
• Deliver actionable portfolio insights and recommendations to Technology & Innovation leadership.
• Measure value realization and benefits across technology investments.
• Continuously improve governance processes, methodologies, templates, and service offerings based on organizational needs and lessons learned.
• Benchmark industry practices and introduce innovations that improve portfolio performance.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Engineering, Project management, or related field or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in Portfolio Management, PMO leadership, Program Management, Technology Delivery, Consulting, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience building or transforming portfolio governance or PMO capabilities within a large complex organization.
• Experience establishing governance frameworks, portfolio management processes, delivery methodologies, and executive reporting.
• Experience leading technology portfolios consisting of multiple concurrent programs and projects.
• Experience managing internal teams, external consultants, contractors, and third-party service providers.
• Strong executive communication, facilitation, stakeholder management, and influencing skills.
• Proven ability to operate effectively across both strategic and execution-oriented responsibilities.
• Experience developing governance frameworks, methodologies, standards, and operating models, and organizational capabilities.

Preferred

• Experience supporting large-scale ERP, HCM, CRM, ITSM, data, infrastructure, cybersecurity, or enterprise technology transformation initiatives.
• Experience supporting technology integration activities associated with mergers, acquisitions, or divestitures.
• PMP. PgMP, PfMP, PMI-ACP, or comparable project and portfolio management certifications.

This is a hybrid role that is available to candidates located near our active Southland locations/sites, including:

• Dulles, VA
• Laurel, MD
• Philadelphia, PA
• Whitehall, PA
• Austin, TX
• Houston, TX
• Carrollton, TX
• Fort Worth, TX
• Corpus Christi, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Los Angeles/Garden Grove, CA
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Sacramento, CA
• Phoenix, AZ
• Las Vegas, NV
• Saratoga Springs, UT
• Vancouver, WA
• Kennewick, WA
• Redmond, OR

Benefits

As a 100% employee-owned company, we offer a comprehensive benefits package for you and your family:

• 401(k) plan with 50% company match (no cap) and immediate 100% vesting
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance (100% paid for employee)
• Annual bonus program based upon performance, achievement, and company profitability
• Term life, AD&D insurance, and voluntary life insurance
• Disability income protection insurance
• Pre-tax flexible spending plans (health and dependent care)
• Paid parental leave
• Paid holidays, vacation, and personal time
• Training/professional development opportunities and company-paid memberships for professional associations and licenses
• Wellness benefits