Portfolio Director 

 Smartcrete CRC 

The role focuses on managing the CRC’s projects as a portfolio of innovation investments. This involves actively shaping the CRC’s investment strategy and leading the governance of the portfolio to maximise delivery and impact. This includes end-to-end support of projects from facilitating design and the approval process, leading delivery governance forums and processes, and aiding stakeholders to transition projects from research to long term impact. 

Location 

SmartCrete is headquartered at Macquarie Park in Sydney. SmartCrete Partners are based in major cities across Australia. It is expected that candidates be available to work predominantly from a capital city (preference: Sydney or Melbourne) with the capacity to travel interstate as required .

 Key Accountabilities 

Front of the pipeline: 

  • Developing optimal investment strategies in order to focus business development and relationship building activities. 
  • Facilitating ‘discovery and design’ sessions with key industry and supply chain stakeholders to identify critical problems and opportunities for research. 
  • Manage research partner engagement for industry challenge sets to review and engage research capabilities to undertake the required research activities. 
  • Executing due diligence as an investment risk management process, including assessing project parties for their capacity to delivery on the project and capacity to make use of project IP post project. 
  • Managing internal approvals, contracting, procurement and kick-offs. 
  • Determining the potential impact of projects as an input to investment prioritisation. 

Inflight project delivery governance: 

  • Chairing or membership in all project steering committees. 
  • Evaluating project deliverables against contracted milestones. 
  • Leading project remediation through innovation delivery and Agile coaching. 
  • Reporting portfolio health at the Board level and to partners. 

End of project impact: 

  • Managing the end of project wrap up process. 
  • Supporting the project transition towards commercial scaled deployment, through vehicles such as industry internal business cases, joint ventures, spin outs. 
  • Ensuring sound IP utilisation plans are in place as projects are designed. 

Reporting Line 

This role reports to the CEO with the following Key Internal Stakeholders 

  • Research Director 
  • Director of Partnerships 
  • Business Analyst 

Selection Criteria 

• Relevant qualifications or experience in innovation project/portfolio management (with a focus on Agile methodology and delivery governance). 

• 3-5 years Project Management Governance experience 

• Demonstrated experience in innovation investment management. 

• Demonstrated experience in portfolio management tools. 

• Demonstrated experience in start-up principles and methodology. 

• Demonstrated experience in coaching, training, and facilitation to encourage adoption of tools and techniques in diverse teams. 

• Demonstrated experience of partner management including extensive experience in building effective networks. 

• Demonstrated high level expertise in the areas of change management, quality management and project management and in particular the management of high-profile projects. 

• Evidence of leadership and motivational skills including the capacity to initiate lead and manage change in a challenging and dynamic environment. 

• Demonstrated experience and expertise in the management and delivery of services within a complex organisation or consortia. 

• High level interpersonal and communication skills. 

• Knowledge of issues and policies affecting research and the innovation sector. 

Closing Date 24 June 2022 

Contact: info@smartcretecrc.com.au