Sr. Dir., Portfolio Management (Connected Customer Experience/PMO), Santa Clara

Company Description

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

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Job Description

Position Summary

The Portfolio Leader is a senior leadership role within the newly elevated, value-oriented PMO. This individual oversees a portfolio of strategic programs and projects aligned to the Digital Technology (DT) leader for Connected Customer Experience (CCx). This individual leads a team of Program and Project Managers, engages directly with senior leaders in the portfolio as well as their stakeholders, and ensures delivery efforts are tightly aligned to organizational value, business outcomes, and executive priorities.

This role goes beyond traditional project oversight. The Portfolio Leader is a strategic advisor and partner to business and technology stakeholders, a coach and mentor to the delivery team, and a champion for portfolio-level thinking that connects day-to-day execution to long-term organizational goals.

Why This Role Exists

The PMO is evolving from a coordination and reporting function into a high-impact, value-delivery engine. The Portfolio Leader is central to this transformation as it owns portfolio health, driving delivery excellence, and ensuring that every program and project under their purview earns its place based on strategic value and measurable outcomes.

Key Responsibilities:

Portfolio Strategy & Governance

Act as a strategic advisor to executives, providing guidance on investments and reporting on portfolio status, risks, and issues.
Ensure all projects and programs align with and support the company's overall mission and long-term business goals as well as that of Digital Technology (DT) and the portfolio.
Own the end-to-end health and performance of a defined portfolio of programs and projects.
Maintain a clear line of sight between portfolio activity and organizational strategy, OKRs, and value targets.
Establish and enforce portfolio governance standards, prioritization frameworks, and stage-gate processes.
Guide the process for evaluating, prioritizing, and approving new initiatives, and support maintenance of the overall portfolio roadmap.
Lead portfolio-level risk identification, interdependency mapping, and escalation pathways.
Track and report on portfolio performance, key performance indicators (KPIs), and other metrics to guide data-enabled outcomes for the executive team
Present portfolio status, health, and value realization to senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
Partner with the portfolio leadership team on capital planning, budget allocation, and resource management to ensure investments deliver maximum business value and ROI.

People Leadership & Team Development

Lead, coach, and develop a team of Program Managers and Project Managers (both ServiceNow FTEs and contingent workers).
Set clear performance expectations and provide ongoing feedback, mentorship, and career development support.
Foster a high-trust, outcome-focused team culture that values accountability, learning, and continuous improvement.
Manage team capacity and allocation across the portfolio, balancing workload with delivery quality.
Identify capability gaps and partner with the PMO leadership to build team competency over time.

Delivery Excellence & Value Realization

Ensure programs and projects are delivered on time, within budget, and with measurable impact on business outcomes.
Drive adoption of value-focused delivery practices, including benefits tracking, value KPIs, and outcome-based reporting.
Champion a shift from activity-based reporting (status/milestones) to value-based reporting (outcomes/impact).
Continuously evaluate portfolio ROI and recommend rebalancing, acceleration, or decommissioning of initiatives.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

Serve as the primary escalation point for portfolio-level and any relevant cross-functional program/project issues and stakeholder conflicts.
Build and sustain strong relationships with business owners, technology partners, and executive sponsors.
Enhance portfolio storytelling by translating complex portfolio dynamics into clear, executive-ready narratives and recommendations.
Facilitate and support portfolio reviews, steering committees, and investment decision forums that support continuous planning.

PMO Elevation & Continuous Improvement

Contribute to the strategic evolution of the PMO, shaping maturity and delivery.
Identify and drive process improvements that increase delivery velocity, reduce friction, and improve team effectiveness.
Act as a role model for the elevated PMO operating model, demonstrating value-first delivery thinking.
Bring external best practices, emerging methodologies, and innovation to the PMO's approach.

Qualifications

Qualifications

12+ years of progressive experience in enterprise large-scale ($10B+) program/project management, portfolio management, or delivery leadership.
Extensive experience working cross-functionally in a highly complex enterprise customer experience/success product portfolio.
5+ years of experience leading and developing teams of project or program professionals.
Demonstrated track record of managing complex, multi-workstream portfolios with competing priorities.
Strong command of portfolio governance, risk management, and value delivery frameworks.
Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, including executive-level presentations.
Experience in PMO transformation, operating model design, or delivery excellence initiatives.
PMP, PgMP, or equivalent certification.

Preferred

Experience in a value-oriented or product-led PMO environment.
Familiarity with OKR frameworks, benefits realization management, or strategic portfolio management tools.
Agile / SAFe certification or demonstrated experience in hybrid delivery environments.
MBA or advanced degree in Business, Technology, or a related field.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $230,400 - $403,200, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.