Director - Business Operations (Portfolio Management)


Company:	Hays Specialist Recruitment
Salary:	£850 - £950
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	London, EC2V 6DN
Job type:	Contract
Posting date:	12 Aug 2026
Closing date:	19 Aug 2026

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Summary

Director - Technology Business Management & Operations

Contract | £850-£950 per day | Initial 6 Months (Likely Extension to 12 Months+) | Flexible Hybrid Working

We are supporting a global organisation undergoing significant technology and engineering transformation. As part of this journey, they are seeking an experienced Director of Technology Business Management & Operations to partner closely with the COO and Engineering Leadership team.This is a high-profile role operating at the centre of engineering strategy, business operations, financial planning and portfolio governance. The successful candidate will help drive operational excellence, cost optimisation and strategic decision-making across a complex global technology environment.This is not a traditional PMO or reporting role. We are looking for someone who can combine strategic thinking with hands-on delivery and influence senior stakeholders across a large matrix organisation.

The Role:Working directly with senior technology and business leaders, you will be responsible for bringing structure, visibility and commercial discipline to key engineering and business operations initiatives.You will support critical programmes focused on engineering efficiency, workforce planning, investment management and cost optimisation, while ensuring leadership teams have the insights and reporting needed to make effective decisions.The role requires someone who can simplify complex challenges, influence a wide range of stakeholders and drive outcomes without direct authority.

Key Responsibilities:

Partner with senior engineering and business leaders to drive business operations and strategic initiatives.

Lead portfolio governance, planning and performance management activities.

Support technology financial management, budgeting and investment planning processes.

Drive cloud efficiency, cost optimisation and total cost of ownership initiatives.

Create executive-level dashboards, reporting and decision-support materials.

Translate financial, operational and portfolio data into meaningful business insights.

Coordinate priorities across engineering, finance, workforce and portfolio teams.

Track key actions, risks, dependencies and strategic deliverables.

Support workforce planning and organisational decision-making.

Improve processes, reporting and operational efficiency through automation and AI-enabled solutions where appropriate.

Key Requirements:

Extensive experience in Technology Business Management (TBM), Technology COO, Business Operations, CIO Office or a similar leadership function.

Strong understanding of technology financial management, budgeting, forecasting and cost optimisation.

Experience managing or supporting complex technology portfolios and governance frameworks.

Proven ability to work with senior stakeholders including CIOs, CTOs, COOs and Engineering Leadership teams.

Strong commercial awareness and ability to interpret financial and investment data.

Experience operating within large-scale, global and matrixes organisations.

Excellent communication skills with the ability to present complex information clearly to executive audiences.

Hands-on approach with experience producing reporting, dashboards, analysis and leadership materials.

Experience using modern reporting, analytics, automation or AI tools to improve decision-making and operational effectiveness.

Ideal Background:We are particularly interested in individuals who have experience with:

Technology Business Management (TBM)

Technology COO functions

CIO Office leadership

Engineering Business Operations

Technology Strategy & Operations

Portfolio and Investment Governance

Workforce Planning and Resource Management

Technology Cost Optimisation

Cloud Financial Management / FinOps

What Success Looks Like:Within the first few months, the successful candidate will:

Become a trusted advisor to senior leadership.

Take ownership of key business management deliverables.

Provide greater visibility of technology costs, investments and priorities.

Improve governance, reporting and decision-making processes.

Drive progress across critical engineering and operational initiatives.

Influence stakeholders across multiple teams to deliver measurable outcomes.

Contract Details:

£850-£950 per day

Initial 6-month contract

Strong likelihood of extension to 12 months+

Flexible hybrid working model

Opportunity to work closely with senior technology leadership.

Exposure to strategic transformation programmes within a large global organisation.

High-impact role with significant visibility and influence.

If you're a Senior Technology Business Management, Technology COO or Business Operations leader looking to drive meaningful change at enterprise scale, we'd love to hear from you.

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