Portfolio Manager at Equity Bank Kenya

Role Purpose: 

• The Portfolio Manager will be responsible for managing Equity Bank’s transformation projects portfolio, ensuring strategic alignment, architectural integrity, and continuous value delivery. This role requires strong leadership in stakeholder engagement, cross-functional coordination, and benefits realization. The Portfolio Manager will serve as a key link between the business, technology, and executive leadership to drive sustainable impact.
• This role demands not only technical and financial acumen but also a high degree of emotional intelligence, adaptability, and a proactive attitude to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Portfolio Delivery
• Manage and oversee the portfolio of transformation projects, ensuring alignment with the bank’s strategic objectives.
• Ensure projects deliver measurable value through benefits realization and continuous improvement.
• Apply portfolio management frameworks (P3M) to prioritize, monitor, and report on initiatives.
• Architecture & Solution Integrity
• Work with enterprise and solution architects to ensure all projects fit within the bank’s target architecture and technology roadmap.
• Oversee architectural governance to ensure long-term scalability, integration, and compliance.
• Bridge business requirements with technical delivery to avoid rework and ensure sustainable outcomes.
• Stakeholder Engagement, Influence & Leadership
• Act as the primary point of contact between project teams, the Group EPMO Director, business leaders, and vendors.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders to align priorities and manage expectations.
• Lead portfolio review forums and ensure clear communication to the CEO, COO, and Board.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Engage all stakeholders from the project kick-off to post go live of the project
• Stakeholder Engagement & Influence: Build trust-based relationships across teams and leadership levels, demonstrating empathy and active listening to align diverse interests.
• Value Delivery & Risk Management
• Drive a culture of continuous delivery, ensuring projects release incremental value rather than only end-state outcomes.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and delivery constraints; escalate and mitigate proactively.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and internal governance standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, IT, Finance, or related field.
• Professional certifications: PfMP, PgMP, PMP, MoP, or equivalent (at least one is preferred
• 8+ years’ experience in program/portfolio management, with at least 3–5 years in transformation delivery projects/programs.
• Proven experience managing technology-enabled transformation in banking/financial services
• Strong knowledge of enterprise architecture principles and their role in strategic project delivery.
• Demonstrated success in working with executive stakeholders, internal stakeholders and external vendors.