Portfolio Support Lead

Job Title: Portfolio Support Lead

Location: Preston, Lancashire. We offer a range of hybrid and flexible working arrangements – please speak to your recruiter about the options for this particular role.

Salary: Circa £42,000 dependent on experience

What you’ll be doing: 

• Lead governance activities across the programme, ensuring they are consistent with the standards and direction set by the Programme Management Office
• Produce clear, tailored reports for senior stakeholders and steering boards at both programme and portfolio level, delivered in line with agreed reporting cycles
• Analyse programme and project data to identify risks, issues, and trends, providing insight to support programme, portfolio, and project leaders in effective delivery
• Oversee central resourcing plans and related processes, including order and invoice management, ensuring accurate and timely information is maintained
• Work closely with programme and finance teams to ensure project managers keep financial information up to date, including forecasts and overall project position
• Manage the programme change control process, ensuring requests are captured, assessed, and implemented appropriately
• Drive continuous improvement by sharing best practice, embedding improvements, and supporting the Programme Management Office with reporting, governance, assurance, and quality compliance
• Maintain accurate project libraries and documentation, ensuring effective control and easy access to key information

Your skills and experiences:

Essential:

• Broad knowledge and proven experience of working on complex programmes and projects
• Demonstrated experience in financial oversight and resource management, with the ability to support effective planning and control
• Recognised project management qualification (such as APM, Prince2 or equivalent)
• Experienced in using project management tools and advanced Microsoft Office applications (including Excel, PowerPoint, and Word)

Desirable:

• Proven experience in identifying, implementing, and embedding process improvements and best practices within PMO or project teams

Benefits: 

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Project Management team:

As a Portfolio Support Lead, you will be working collaboratively in a small team of PMO professionals, reporting to the Senior Portfolio Support Lead. The PMO is a centralised function supporting delivery of projects across various business areas including Submarines. The PMO defines and maintains project management standards, best practices, and governance to ensure projects are delivered successfully and align with business goals. BAE Systems offers multiple opportunities for career growth and progression via a mature and progressive Project Management function spanning the entire organisation.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 5th December 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. 

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