Head of PMO

Excellera Advisory Group, founded in 2022, is Italy’s leading player in the Corporate Affairs market. Built through acquisitions, it operates as an integrated advisory firm spanning corporate communications, public affairs, data intelligence and strategic consulting, supporting national and international clients across complex regulatory, institutional, reputational and strategic challenges.

The Group is currently consolidating its operating companies into a cohesive platform. The COO function is organised around two lean offices: the Integration Office, which onboards operating companies onto the platform, and the PMO, which builds, transforms and runs the business as one platform.

Role Summary The Head of PMO leads Excellera’s Group-level PMO — the platform office for strategy execution, transformation governance and BAU operating cadence. The role owns the VCP / OKR cadence, reporting and benefits realisation, and coordinates the design and build of platform capabilities across systems, processes, RevOps, dashboards, KPIs and the Business Operating System. Receiving stabilised capabilities from the Integration Office, the PMO turns them into repeatable, measured routines. This is a senior but genuinely hands‑on role: the Head of PMO personally runs programmes end to end — producing plans, dashboards and reporting and doing much of the delivery directly — while building and leading a lean team sized to the Group’s evolving needs.

Key Responsibilities PMO Setup, Governance and Operating Cadence

Deploy the Group PMO mandate, governance model, templates and reporting standards, and run the cadence for strategy execution, VCP progress, OKRs, dashboards, blocker escalation and benefits realisation;

Prepare executive materials, dashboards and decision logs for the COO, CEO and Strategy Committee, maintaining a consolidated view of the transformation and BAU portfolio with risks, dependencies and required decisions.

VCP, OKR and Benefits Realisation

Translate Group strategy, Target Operating Model priorities and VCP initiatives into programmes with clear workstreams, milestones, owners, KPIs, dependencies and benefits targets;

Personally plan and run priority programmes end to end across commercial excellence, delivery, productivity, the Intelligence Hub roadmap and operational improvement, and maintain a benefits‑realisation framework with clear baselines, owners, evidence and escalation.

Platform Transformation and Business Operating System

Lead the build of platform capabilities supporting Excellera’s model of one platform, one brand and many entrepreneurial partners;

Own the Business Operating System — company‑wide processes, SOPs, KPIs, controls, knowledge base and continuous‑improvement loops — and ensure adoption across practices, functions and entities handed over by the Integration Office.

BAU Performance Management and RevOps Coordination

Run the BAU operating rhythm — commercial reviews, delivery/resource visibility, dashboards and issue escalation — and drive CRM discipline, pipeline reporting, account planning and commercial committee materials;

Work with HR, Finance and Practice MPs to improve visibility on revenue quality, cross‑selling, staffing, utilisation and delivery, and support standardisation, automation and the deployment of AI‑enabled workflows across the Group.

Technical Roadmap and Platform Coordination

Coordinate the Intelligence Hub, Salesforce, SAP, DMS and internal systems roadmap with Product & Tech, IT and external vendors, integrating technical workstreams into the VCP and BAU portfolio with clear dependencies, release rhythm and adoption plans;

Escalate delivery blockers, resourcing gaps and sequencing conflicts, and promote practical use of data, BI and AI-enabled tools to improve decision‑making, reporting and productivity.

Integration Handover and Continuous Improvement

Receive stabilised capabilities, entities or workstreams from the Integration Office and transition them into PMO‑led BAU routines, with clear handover criteria, owners, documentation, KPIs and post‑transition support;

Create feedback loops, lessons learned and improvement cycles so the platform strengthens after each integration or transformation wave, while keeping the PMO lean and proportionate to the Group’s scale.

Requirements Experience

8–12+ years as project or programme manager, including at least 3 years in PMO leadership, strategy execution, transformation, business operations or value creation / target operating model programmes;

Proven experience managing cross‑functional portfolios with senior stakeholders, multiple workstreams, dependencies, risks, KPIs and benefits, and supporting executive governance, board‑level reporting, OKRs and operating dashboards;

Experience in consulting, advisory, professional services, PE‑backed scale‑ups or complex matrix organisations, and exposure to RevOps, process architecture, Business Operating Systems, BI/reporting or AI‑enabled programmes, is an advantage.

Strong executive presence and ability to influence partners and senior leaders without relying solely on formal hierarchy;

Highly structured, analytical problem‑solver with excellent planning, prioritisation, synthesis and communication skills, and strong governance discipline (milestone tracking, risk management, decision logs, dependency and benefits management);

Commercially aware and operationally pragmatic, connecting strategy, revenue, delivery, systems, people and financial outcomes; excellent PowerPoint, Excel and dashboarding skills, with Salesforce, SAP, BI and AI tools an advantage;

Collaborative, resilient and hands‑on, turning ambiguity into clear routines, ownership models, KPIs and follow‑up discipline.

Education

Degree in Engineering, Operations, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Management or a related discipline;

Programme/project management (PMP/PMI, PRINCE2, MSP, MoP), Agile (Scrum, SAFe) or process‑excellence (Lean, Six Sigma) certifications are highly valued; an MBA or relevant Master’s degree is a plus.

Language requirements Italian (fluent) and English (professional proficiency).

What We Offer

A high‑impact role at the centre of Excellera’s platform‑building, integration and value creation agenda, with direct exposure to the COO, CEO, senior leadership, Practice Managing Partners and Group functions;

The opportunity to help build the operating infrastructure of a fast‑growing, PE‑backed Corporate Affairs platform, in a stimulating, entrepreneurial and international environment with strong learning and development opportunities;

Competitive compensation commensurate with experience, and flexible / hybrid working arrangements based in Milan.

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer Employment type: Permanent – Full time Contract level: To be defined based on seniority in accordance with CCNL for Commerce and Services Excellera Advisory Group is an equal opportunity employer.

All applications will be handled with strict confidentiality.

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