Head of PMO

This is a group-level leadership role accountable for how Mondia runs: turning strategy into delivered outcomes, and doing so productively and cost-efficiently. Reporting to the COO, the Head of Operations owns the Group PMO, leads the delivery of the company's strategic initiatives, and drives an AI-first operational excellence agenda that measurably improves productivity, efficiency and cost performance across the group, so that Mondia can scale without a proportional increase in cost or headcount.The role brings together four mandates:Business & delivery operations - own the group's operating rhythm and ensure that commitments made to clients, partners and the Executive Team are delivered on time, to quality and within budgetPortfolio & strategic initiatives - run the Group PMO and lead the company's highest-priority cross-functional initiatives, from business case through to benefits realisationOperational excellence - define, measure and continuously improve productivity, efficiency and cost, using data, process redesign and automationAI-first operations - make AI the default starting point for how work gets done, embedding it across processes, delivery and decision-making so the business becomes more scalable, efficient and effectiveThe Head of Operations acts as a trusted adviser to the COO, CEO and Executive Team, providing a single, fact-based view of business and delivery performance and recommending where to invest, stop or redirect effort.Key ResponsibilitiesBusiness & Delivery OperationsOwn the group operating rhythm - monthly business reviews, quarterly business reviews (QBRs) and the annual planning cycle - ensuring decisions and actions are tracked through to closureOversee delivery performance across business units, including client and partner launches, so that commitments are met to agreed scope, time, quality and costEstablish delivery governance, service standards and escalation paths, and intervene early where delivery is at riskManage cross-functional dependencies between Commercial, Product, Technology, Content and Finance so the organisation operates as one delivery systemLead group-wide capacity and resource planning, aligning headcount, skills and recruitment forecasting to agreed prioritiesGroup PMO & Portfolio ManagementLead, mentor and develop the Group PMO team, and set the frameworks, standards and tools for programme and project management across the group (Agile, hybrid or waterfall as appropriate)Own the group project portfolio: intake, business case review, prioritisation and resource allocation in line with the company's strategic and commercial objectivesMaintain group-wide governance artefacts, including the risk, assumptions, issues and dependencies (RAID) logs and the decisions and actions logsProvide transparent, consolidated portfolio reporting and executive dashboards covering progress, financials, risks and benefitsEmbed project closure, benefits tracking and lessons-learned practices into ways of workingStrategic Company InitiativesTranslate company strategy and annual objectives (e.g. OKRs) into a prioritised, resourced and sequenced roadmap of company initiativesLead or sponsor the delivery of the highest-priority cross-functional initiatives, such as new market entries, operating model changes, platform migrations, integrations and transformation programmesDefine the business case, success measures and expected benefits for each initiative, and track benefits realisation after go-liveLead the change management and communication required for initiatives to be adopted and sustainedOperational ExcellenceDefine and run the group operational excellence programme, identifying, prioritising and delivering process improvements end to endMap and redesign core business processes (e.g. client onboarding, service launch, partner management, revenue reconciliation and internal approvals) to remove waste, duplication and unnecessary hand-offsIdentify and lead process automation opportunities that improve the speed, quality and scalability of operationsOwn the documentation of policies, processes and procedures (e.g. in Confluence) and ensure they are adopted, not just writtenAI-First Operations & ScalabilityChampion an AI-first operating model: for every core process, assess where AI can automate, augment or remove work before adding headcount or costBuild and own the group AI adoption roadmap for operations, in partnership with Technology, Data and Security, prioritising use cases by business value, feasibility and riskTake AI use cases from pilot to production at scale, e.g. AI assistants and agents for internal workflows, automated reporting and forecasting, intelligent document processing, AI-supported client and partner operations, and AI-enabled portfolio and project managementDefine and track the business impact of every AI initiative (e.g. time saved, cost avoided, cycle-time reduction, quality, output per FTE), and stop those that do not deliverDrive AI literacy and adoption across teams through training, playbooks and champions, so that AI becomes part of everyday ways of working rather than a side projectEstablish responsible AI governance for operational use, covering data privacy, security, accuracy and human oversight, in line with group policies and applicable regulationProductivity & Efficiency MeasurementDesign and own the group productivity and efficiency KPI framework (e.g. cycle time, time-to-market, throughput, delivery predictability, utilisation, revenue and cost per FTE)Establish baselines, agree targets with business unit and function leaders, and report performance against them to the Executive TeamBuild a single source of truth for operational data and dashboards, in partnership with Finance and Data teamsRun regular performance reviews with function leads, identify root causes of under-performance and agree corrective actionsCost EfficiencyPartner with Finance to monitor operating costs, budget adherence and programme and project spend across the groupIdentify and deliver cost-optimisation opportunities (e.g. third-party and vendor spend, tooling and licence rationalisation, cloud and infrastructure costs, organisational efficiency), with savings tracked and verified with FinanceGovern investment decisions so that initiatives are funded on the basis of clear business cases and expected returnOversee vendor and supplier governance for operational services, including performance against contract and renewalsOperating Model, Risk & GovernanceContribute to the design and evolution of the group operating model, including roles, decision rights (e.g. RACI) and governance forumsSupport organisational design and workforce planning so that structures keep pace with priorities and growthMaintain the group operational risk register and business continuity plans, and ensure operational processes comply with internal controls and policiesLeadership & Stakeholder ManagementBuild a culture of high performance, accountability and continuous improvement through effective leadership, mentoring, development and retention of top talentAdvise the COO, CEO and Executive Team on the right course of action based on company priorities, presenting the facts clearly and conciselyManage communication of progress to the Executive Team and key internal and external stakeholders, escalating issues as necessaryHow Success Will Be MeasuredStrategic initiatives delivered on time and on budget, with agreed benefits realisedMeasurable improvement in agreed productivity and efficiency KPIs against baselineVerified cost savings and cost avoidance delivered against the annual targetMeasurable business impact from AI adoption (e.g. hours saved, cost avoided, output per FTE) and broad, sustained AI usage across teamsPredictable, transparent executive reporting from a single source of truthGroup-wide adoption of PMO standards and the operating rhythmEngagement, development and retention of the Operations and PMO teamRequirementsThe ideal candidate is a hands-on, AI-first operations leader with exceptionally high ownership, strong commercial acumen and analytical rigour, who is equally comfortable in executive strategy discussions and in the detail of execution. They are relentless about delivery, data-driven in their decisions, and able to break down complex problems into clear, actionable plans in a fast-paced, international environment.12+ years' experience in operations, PMO, transformation or strategy-execution roles, including at least 5 years leading a PMO, business operations or operational excellence functionProven track record of delivering complex, cross-functional strategic initiatives in an international, multi-market organisation, preferably in the mobile, telco, digital media or technology sectorDemonstrated experience defining and running productivity and efficiency KPI frameworks, with quantifiable improvements deliveredStrong commercial and financial acumen, with a track record of delivering verified cost savings, building business cases and managing budgets, programme financials and benefits realisationExperience with process improvement (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma) and portfolio and project methodologies (Agile/Scrum, PRINCE2/MSP or equivalent); certifications such as PMP, PgMP or Lean Six Sigma are an advantageHighly analytical, with advanced Excel and dashboarding/BI skills (e.g. Power BI, Tableau) and proficiency in tools such as Jira, Confluence, MS Project and SmartsheetDemonstrable, hands-on experience using AI to make a business more scalable, efficient and effective, with concrete examples of AI use cases taken from pilot to production and their measured business impactPractical understanding of current AI capabilities and limitations (e.g. generative AI, LLM-based assistants and agents, workflow automation, predictive analytics) and of how to govern them responsiblyExperience leading the change management needed for AI adoption, bringing teams along rather than imposing tools on themExcellent written and verbal communication, including executive-level reporting and board-ready presentationsDiplomatic ability to influence without authority at all levels, build lasting relationships with internal and external stakeholders, mediate disagreements and negotiate agreeable resolutionsProven people leader who builds, develops and retains high-performing teamsSolid technical understanding of cloud technologies, infrastructure, SaaS, web-based systems and microservices, sufficient to engage credibly with technology teamsDegree in Business, Engineering or a related field; an MBA is an advantageBenefitsOpportunity to work for a dynamic international company with a flat hierarchical structure, where your voice matters and your impact is seen.