Senior Portfolio & Governance Manager - 7208

Job Title: Senior Portfolio & Governance Manager

Salary: £60,400 - £80,800 per annum

Location: Cambridge, UK/Hybrid

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full Time – 35 hours per week however will consider 4 days or condensed hours

Play a pivotal role at the centre of a globally recognised partnership, driving strategy, governance and delivery at the highest level.

We are Cambridge University Press & Assessment, a world-leading academic publisher and assessment organisation and a proud part of the University of Cambridge.

We are looking for an exceptional Senior Portfolio & Governance Manager to lead the cross‑partner PMO for IELTS, operating at the heart of a highly complex, international partnership that spans three independent organisations. This is a unique strategic role where you will influence leadership at the highest levels, drive the successful delivery of the IELTS Strategy, and ensure clarity, alignment, and momentum across the partnership.

About The Role

As a Senior Portfolio & Governance Manager, you will serve as the central orchestrator of the IELTS strategic and business planning cycle, governance, and risk management across partner organisations. You will:

• Lead and manage the delivery of the IELTS Strategy across three partners, ensuring alignment despite differing priorities and governance models.
• Facilitate Executive Committee and Board engagement, driving strategic planning and operating as a trusted advisor on governance effectiveness.
• Lead scenario planning, identifying interdependencies and anticipating risks to maintain delivery momentum.
• Oversee resource and business planning (financial and people) to enable effective delivery of the Business Plan.
• Implement OKRs and reporting mechanisms to track strategic progress, operational health, and financial performance.
• Build strong, trusted relationships with PMO, finance, marketing, operational and strategic teams across all partners.
• Support investment decisions and maintain oversight of cross‑partner business cases, benefits realisation, and portfolio reporting.
• Drive continuous improvement of the IELTS operating model to adapt to market and organisational change.
  
  

This role plays a highly influential part in ensuring the IELTS partnership operates with clarity, transparency, and shared strategic purpose.

This position has been classified as a hybrid role, requiring the selected candidate to typically spend 40-60% of their time collaborating and connecting face-to-face at their dedicated location. Aside from our hybrid principles, other flexible working requests will be considered from the first day of employment, including other work arrangements should you require adjustments due to a disability or long-term health condition.

About You

You will be an experienced senior PMO or programme leader, energised by complexity, partnership working, and strategic influence. You bring:

• Extensive senior‑level business management or programme management experience in a complex (ideally international) organisation.
• A strong track record of PMO leadership, organisational change delivery, and cross‑functional stakeholder management.
• The ability to navigate ambiguity, balance competing priorities, and drive alignment without direct authority.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, influential and relationship‑building skills.
• High cultural agility and fluency in influencing across diverse organisational norms.
• Confidence using data insights to support decision‑making and strategic recommendations.
• Experience of managing budgets and understanding financial planning in a portfolio environment.
  
  

You will thrive if you enjoy operating in a strategic, high‑impact role where your work directly shapes the performance and future direction of an international partnership.

Requirements

If you meet the above minimum requirements, we encourage you to apply. Your application will be even stronger if you can also demonstrate the following desirable criteria:

• Knowledge of the English language proficiency testing market
  
  

For a detailed job description, please refer to the link at the bottom of the advert on our careers site.

We are a Disability Confident (DC) employer that is committed to equality and inclusion ensuring our recruitment process is accessible to all. The DC scheme's Offer of an Interview commitment applies to applicants who opt in, and disclose a disability or a long-term health condition, and best meet the minimum criteria for the role. In instances where interviewing all qualifying candidates is not practicable, we prioritise those who best meet the minimum criteria, as we would for applicants who do not have a disability or long-term health condition.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is an approved UK employer for the sponsorship of eligible roles and applicants under the Skilled Worker visa route. Please refer to the gov.uk website for guidance to understand your own eligibility based on the role you are applying for.

Rewards And Benefits

We will support you to be at your best in work and to live well outside of it. In addition to competitive salaries, we offer a world-class, flexible rewards package, featuring family-friendly and planet-friendly benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Private medical and Permanent Health Insurance
• Discretionary annual bonus
• Group personal pension scheme
• Life assurance up to 4 x annual salary
• Green travel schemes
  
  

Ready to pursue your potential? Apply now.

We aim to support candidates by making our interview process clear and transparent. The closing date for all applications will be 28th May 2026. We will review applications on an ongoing basis, and shortlisted candidates can expect interviews to take place from week commencing 8th June 2026.

If you are shortlisted and progressed through the stages, you can expect:

• First stage virtual interview via MS Teams.
• Final stage interview: in-person at our offices in Cambridge or via MS Teams.
  
  

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process due to a disability or a long-term health condition, there will be an opportunity for you to inform us via the online application form. We will do our best to accommodate your needs.

Please note that successful applicants will be subject to satisfactory background checks including DBS due to working in a regulated industry.

We are committed to an equitable recruitment process. As such, applications must be submitted via our official online application procedure. Please refrain from sending your CV directly to our recruiters. If you experience technical difficulties or require additional support with submitting your online application, contact the Recruiter.

Why join us

Joining us is your opportunity to pursue potential. You will belong to a collaborative team that is exploring new and better ways to serve students, teachers and researchers across the globe – for the benefit of individuals, society and the world. Sharing our mission will inspire your own growth, development and progress, in an environment which embraces difference, change and aspiration.

Cambridge University Press & Assessment is committed to being a place where anyone can enjoy a successful career, where it is safe to speak up, and where we learn continuously to improve together. We welcome applications from all candidates, regardless of demographic characteristics (age, disability, educational attainment, ethnicity, gender, marital status, neurodiversity, religion, sex, gender identity and sexual identity), cultural, or social class/background.

We believe better outcomes come through diversity of thought, background and approach. We welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and communities, actively seeking to employ people from a wide range of different communities.