Chief Project Officer (CPO) - Insurance & Investments

About the role

The Chief Project Officer leads the organization's strategic project portfolio, enterprise-wide program management and major transformation initiatives across its insurance and investment businesses. Working closely with the CEO, Board and senior management, the CPO sets up project governance, optimizes resources, manages delivery risks and ensures measurable results from project investments.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and run the enterprise project and portfolio strategy, assessing feasibility, business cases and risks, and monitoring portfolio performance.
• Lead initiatives in life insurance, general insurance, reinsurance, investment management, wealth management and financial services, including product launches, claims and underwriting processes, and digital platforms.
• Establish and oversee the PMO, including standards, stage-gate reviews, reporting and governance.
• Lead digital transformation projects such as InsurTech, FinTech, automation, AI, cloud, CRM and enterprise systems, working with CIO, CTO and CDO teams.
• Manage project budgets, ROI, vendor and contractor management, and resource allocation.
• Identify and mitigate operational, financial, regulatory and technology risks, and ensure compliance with insurance, investment and corporate governance requirements.
• Lead transformation programs covering restructuring, M&A, joint ventures, geographic expansion and process improvement.
• Collaborate with the CEO, Board and business unit heads, resolve conflicts and report to executive leadership.
• Lead project directors, program managers and PMO professionals, and build project delivery teams.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Project Management, Engineering, IT or a related field; MBA or Master's preferred.
• 12-15+ years of progressive experience in project, program or portfolio management or enterprise transformation.
• At least 5 years in a senior executive role overseeing complex project portfolios.
• Experience in insurance, reinsurance, banking, investment or wealth management preferred.
• Proven track record of delivering large-scale projects within budget and timeline.
• Preferred certifications: PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, Agile or Scrum.

Required skills

• Knowledge of Agile, Waterfall, PRINCE2, PMI and other delivery methodologies.
• Strong financial planning, budgeting, risk management and resource allocation.
• Excellent leadership, communication, negotiation, analytical and stakeholder management skills.