PMO Lead AI Innovation

PMO LEAD - AI Innovation
London/Manchester hybrid

DEPT is a Growth Invention company built to help the worlds most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing our 4000 specialists deliver growth invention services across Brand & Media Experience Commerce CRM and Technology & Data. Were 5050 tech and marketing partner-led and first to move. Clients include Google Lufthansa Meta eBay and OpenAI. We have been certified B Corp and Climate Neutral since 2021.

JOB PURPOSE

DEPT is a global technology and marketing services company. We create integrated end-to-end digital experiences on a global scale. Our mission is to help brands stay ahead by combining top-tier talent with the worlds most advanced AI.

Our Future of Work (FoW) program is our flagship internal transformation initiative designed to upskill our talent enhance our peoples capabilities and automate complex tasks to deliver better outcomes for our clients and employees.

As the PMO Lead you will be the operational architect and heartbeat of the Future of Work program. You will lead a decentralized team of Project Managers situated within specific technical PODs and workstreams to ensure global alignment resource efficiency and measurable business impact.

You are not just a coordinator; you are a builder. You will be responsible for defining the how of our executionsetting up the processes tools meeting cadences and automation layers that allow our three workstreamsto scale.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Program Governance & Strategy

• Establish the PMO: Define and implement the Program Management Office from the ground up including clear Terms of Reference (ToR) for all workstreams.
• Reporting Lines: Provide leadership and oversight to Project Managers across the program; ensure POD-level execution aligns with global program OKRs.
• Council Management: Facilitate alignment and communication between the program and our three governing bodies:
  • Strategic & Growth Council
  • Technical & Innovation Council
  • Risk Trust & Governance Council

2. Process Engineering & Tools

• Standardize the T25 Methodology: Codify the six-workshop process for client workflow mapping and future-state blueprinting.
• Meeting Architecture: Design and facilitate the programs meeting cadence ensuring high-impact outcomes for kickoffs status updates and roadmap reviews.
• System Ownership: Own the programs workspace strategy ensuring seamless integration between:
  • Asana: General project management and task tracking.
  • Jira & Confluence: Technical build management and documentation.
  • G Suite: General collaboration and communication.

3. AI-First Automation

• PMO Automation: Actively use AI to automate manual PMO functions such as status report generation risk identification and audit queries.
• Tooling Innovation: Partner with the technical PODs to implement Gemini and our internal assistantinto daily project workflows.
• Proactive Intelligence: Implement smart workflows to shift the PMO from reactive reporting to proactive risk mitigation and resource optimization.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Professional Experience

• Expert PMO Leadership: Extensive experience running complex multi-workstream digital transformation or product development programs in a global agency or tech environment.
• Stakeholder Management: Proven ability to manage dotted-line relationships and influence senior leadership (SVP/EVP level) across different regions (AMER/EMEA).

Technical Skills & AI Fluency

• AI Fluent: Deep understanding of Agentic Orchestration LLMs and RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) workflows. You should be a power user of AI tools.
• Modern Toolset: Advanced proficiency in Asana Jira Confluence and the Google Workspace ecosystem (including Gemini).
• Methodology: Expert knowledge of both Agile and Waterfall methodologies with the ability to create hybrid frameworks that suit rapid AI development cycles.

WE OFFER:

• A flexible hybrid working policy (2 days from the office depending on location).
• An excellent salary based on experience and equal pay policies.
• Pension free private healthcare mental health support and company sick pay scheme.
• 26 days paid holiday (plus UK Bank Holidays).
• Help getting you to work with a season ticket loan and cycle to work scheme.
• Enhanced family friendly policies to support new parents.
• Social and Cultural Events plenty of opportunities to connect with colleagues through organised activities and celebrations.
• Inspirational Talks bringing the outside in with regular guest speakers and events.
• Learning and Development supporting your growth with continuous opportunities to learn and advance.
• Buddy Programme: You will be paired with a Buddy to help you through your first weeks at DEPT.
• A reputation for doing good. DEPT has been a Certified B Corp since 2021 and named Agency of the Year at both The Lovies and The Webby Awards.
• Awesome clients. Whether big or small local or global at DEPT youll get the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes and across all industries. And we celebrate all of our successes together!
• The opportunity for possibility. We want to enable you to do what you do best and help you develop your skills further with training development and certifications.
• Global annual DEPT Cares Month in which employees come together and donate their skills to support local charities.

WHY DEPT

We are a Growth Invention company built to help the worlds most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing we create what is next by pioneering ideas acting fast and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.

We are drawn to people who stay curious move with intent and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together relentlessly curious and get sh*t done. It is how we work how we grow and how we make things that matter.

At DEPT you will find the freedom to explore the space to collaborate and the trust to make a real impact for our clients for each other and for the world we are helping to build.

DIVERSITY EQUITY & INCLUSION

At DEPT we take pride in creating an inclusive workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We actively seek to recruit develop nurture and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds with varying skills and perspectives.

Not sure you meet all qualifications Apply and let us decide! Research shows that women and members of underrepresented groups tend not to apply for jobs when they think they may not meet every requirement when in fact they do. We believe in giving everyone a fair chance to shine.

We also encourage you to reach out to us and discuss any reasonable adjustments we can make to support you throughout the recruitment process and your time with us.

Want to know more about our dedication to diversity equity and inclusion Check out our efforts here.