The Project and Portfolio Management Office Director provides strategic and operational leadership for Dana-Farber’s project and portfolio management function within a complex healthcare, research, and administrative environment. This role establishes and advances enterprise standards for project intake, prioritization, governance, execution, reporting, and continuous improvement to support institutional strategy and effective use of resources. The Director leads a team of project management professionals, oversees portfolio performance, and partners with leaders across Information Services and other departments to ensure initiatives are aligned, appropriately resourced, and delivered with quality, transparency, and accountability. The role requires balancing long-range portfolio planning with day-to-day operational oversight, while strengthening project management capability across the Institute.
Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We are united in our mission of conquering cancer, HIV/AIDS, and related diseases. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researchers, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals.
Primary Duties and Responsibilities
- Provides strategic leadership for the Project and Portfolio Management Office, defining and advancing portfolio governance, project management standards, intake processes, prioritization approaches, and performance expectations that support Dana-Farber’s institutional and departmental goals.
- Directs the evaluation, intake, and prioritization of new initiatives in partnership with Information Services and business leaders, ensuring proposed work is supported by clear business cases, defined scope, resource requirements, budget considerations, measurable outcomes, and alignment with strategic priorities.
- Oversees the Institute’s project and portfolio management methodology and related tools, establishing consistent practices for project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, issue escalation, risk management, change control, status reporting, and project closeout, while driving adoption and continuous refinement of these practices.
- Leads portfolio oversight activities, including project assignment, capacity planning, workload balancing, dashboard reporting, portfolio reviews, and compliance checks, to promote delivery discipline, transparent decision-making, effective resource utilization, and timely identification of risks, dependencies, and barriers.
- Partners with senior leaders, operational stakeholders, and technical teams to ensure projects are sequenced appropriately, interdependencies are understood, governance decisions are documented, and portfolio recommendations reflect organizational strategy, operational realities, and available capabilities.
- Builds organizational project and portfolio management capability through coaching, training, mentoring, and communication, including the development of educational resources, lessons learned repositories, and practical guidance that strengthen project management maturity across Information Services and the broader Institute. Training responsibilities include teaching project management core classes as well as related soft skills and tools through DFCI Project University.
- Manages relationships with vendors and external partners related to project delivery and project management tools, while also leading staff performance, development, engagement, and accountability to support high-quality service, strong collaboration, and a culture of continuous improvement.
- Supervises staff. Hires, develops, and manages staff to achieve organizational goals. Sets clear expectations, delivers feedback, and monitors performance for quality, efficiency, and compliance with policies and procedures. Mentors staff, fosters career growth, and cultivates a positive and productive work environment.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Deep knowledge of project, program, and portfolio management reporting tools/ platforms, principles, methodologies, governance models, and best practices, with the ability to apply them effectively in a complex, matrixed environment.
- Strong understanding of the full project lifecycle, including business case development, scope definition, scheduling, budgeting, risk and issue management, dependency tracking, change control, benefits realization, and project closeout.
- Demonstrated ability to establish, lead, and continuously improve PMO or PPMO functions, including intake processes, governance forums, prioritization frameworks, portfolio reporting, and methodology adoption.
- Ability to align portfolios and projects with strategic objectives, operational priorities, and resource constraints, and to recommend appropriate tradeoffs based on institutional needs, capacity, and available capabilities.
- Strong leadership skills with demonstrated success managing, coaching, mentoring, and developing project managers and other professionals with varied levels of experience, while promoting accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
- Excellent judgment and decision-making skills, including the ability to assess complex situations, identify and mitigate risks, evaluate competing priorities, and escalate issues appropriately.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret project and portfolio data, define performance measures, identify trends, and translate findings into actionable recommendations for leadership.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex information clearly and effectively to executives, managers, technical teams, and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority, build consensus, foster collaboration across departments and leadership levels, and facilitate governance and stakeholder discussions to drive clarity and informed decision-making in ambiguous situations.
Minimum Job Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, Information Systems, Project Management, Public Health, Operations Management, or a related field required. Master's degree preferred.
- 8 years of progressively responsible experience in project management, portfolio management, PMO leadership, or related operational leadership in a complex organization required.
- 5 years of people management experience required.
- Experience leading enterprise or department-level project intake, prioritization, governance, resource planning, and portfolio reporting required.
- Experience in healthcare, academic medicine, research, or other highly matrixed and regulated environments preferred.
- Experience managing technology-enabled, operational, and cross-functional strategic initiatives preferred.
License/Certification/Registration Required:
- PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI-ACP, Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable project/program/portfolio management certification.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- Supervises team of Technical Project Management staff (10+).
At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, we work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where every patient, family, and staff member feels they belong. As relentless as we are in our mission to reduce the burden of cancer for all, we are committed to having faculty and staff who offer multifaceted experiences. Cancer knows no boundaries and when it comes to hiring the most dedicated and compassionate professionals, neither do we. If working in this kind of organization inspires you, we encourage you to apply.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is an equal opportunity employer and affirms the right of every qualified applicant to receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, national origin, sexual orientation, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, military service, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.
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Pay Transparency Statement
The hiring range is based on market pay structures, with individual salaries determined by factors such as business needs, market conditions, internal equity, and based on the candidate’s relevant experience, skills and qualifications.
For union positions, the pay range is determined by the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
$181,200.00 - $199,300.00
