Portfolio Director

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As Portfolio Director, you will be responsible for the strategic leadership and operational oversight of a team of Project Directors, Engagement Managers and Consultants delivering Salesforce-based solutions. This high-impact role ensures effective governance, team capability, and resource planning across a dynamic portfolio of client projects. You will primarily be working on Salesforce-based projects, but we're also looking for individuals who are open to learning and working with other technologies.

You'll drive continuous improvement across delivery operations while ensuring that the portfolio is well-resourced, efficiently executed, and aligned with business objectives. Working closely with peers across professional services, technical delivery, and support, you will be central to maintaining high standards of delivery and client satisfaction.

• Leadership & Team Management: Lead and mentor a team of Project Directors, Engagement Managers and Consultants, providing strategic oversight and guidance across delivery activities, supporting Project Directors responsible for end-to-end execution of Salesforce projects. Hold overall accountability for leadership & management of the Engagement Manager team.
• Support team growth and performance through mentoring, coaching, and regular development planning.
• Own and lead the personal development, appraisal, and career progression processes for the Engagement management team.
• Foster a culture of collaboration, accountability, high-performance and continuous improvement across the portfolio team.
• Lead the performance management cycle for the Engagement team, including performance reviews, annual salary reviews (ASR), promotions, and bonus processes. Ensure consistency and fairness across the team, with decisions grounded in feedback and individual performance.
• Guide team members through transitions & evolving challenges, maintaining morale and ensuring alignment with company values.
• Strategic Direction & Organisational Alignment: Provide strategic oversight of team operations to ensure effective project delivery & sustained client satisfaction.
• Define and implement the strategic direction for portfolio delivery, aligned with the broader goals of the Projects & Programmes organisation.
• Drive initiatives to enhance delivery maturity, team scalability, and consistent client outcomes.
• Monitor market and internal trends to continuously evolve delivery strategies, methodologies, and team capabilities. Proactively align team skills and experience with upcoming pipeline demands to ensure successful project delivery.
• Recruitment & Capacity Planning: Own and manage end-to-end resource and capacity planning across the Salesforce project portfolio. Ensure the right skills are matched to the right projects at the right time to meet delivery and business priorities. Maintain clear visibility of the project pipeline, resource availability, and future demand to enable accurate forecasting.
• Lead recruitment of new engagement management staff in collaboration with internal hiring teams, scaling the function in line with demand.
• Oversee onboarding to ensure new team members are set up for success and integrated effectively.
• Manage team utilisation and bench capacity, ensuring optimal deployment and alignment with shoring strategies (onshore/offshore) and commercial objectives.
• Governance & Operational Oversight: Provide strategic oversight of engagement team operations to ensure effective project delivery and sustained client satisfaction. Accountable for the commercial performance, including GMV and effective change management. Consistently delivers against planned revenue and profit margin targets. Maintains or exceeds margin expectations on a regular basis. Ensures high levels of customer satisfaction, as measured by TRR and CSAT scores. Ensure robust delivery governance, reporting, and quality assurance processes are in place and consistently applied across all projects. Act as a point of overall escalation for project delivery risks, blockers, and performance challenges. Work closely with the Head of Projects & Programmes to manage People strategy & development, whilst working with Head of Professional Services to manage portfolio-level reporting, forecasting, and stakeholder communications.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: Support cross-functional planning to optimise end-to-end project delivery and resourcing. Collaborate with the Professional Services, Technical, and Support to ensure seamless integration across delivery, engineering, and post-deployment support. Partner with local Senior leadership on people-focused initiatives, including GLINT surveys, legislative changes, HR collaboration, and local integration. Participate in leadership and planning forums, representing the delivery portfolio and contributing to organisational strategy.
• While your primary focus will be on Salesforce-based projects, you're encouraged to expand your skillset by exploring and adopting other technologies that support continuous improvement and delivery excellence.

Experience & Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience managing Salesforce-based project delivery within a consultancy, agency, or professional services setting.
• 3+ years of experience leading delivery teams or portfolios, with responsibility for people management, governance, and resourcing.
• Proven ability to manage a complex portfolio of projects and teams, balancing strategic oversight with operational execution.
• Deep understanding of Salesforce project delivery lifecycles, methodologies, and delivery models.

Skills & Attributes

• Strong leadership presence with a strategic and delivery-oriented mindset.
• Excellent communication, planning, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to lead and inspire teams through change, challenge, and growth.
• Confident in data-driven decision-making, prioritisation, and risk management.

Desirable

• Salesforce certifications (e.g., Administrator, Consultant).
• Adaptable and quick to learn new technologies
• Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and tools such as Jira, Confluence or equivalent.
• Experience working in cross-functional, matrixed delivery organisations.

Location: Dublin

Brand: Merkle

Time Type: Full time

Contract Type: Permanent