Head of Portfolio & Programme Management

About Us

Halfords is a £1.7bn revenue listed business and the UK’s leading provider of motoring and cycling products and services. With a national footprint spanning retail, garages, mobile services and B2B, we support customers across the full lifecycle of their motoring and cycling needs. We are proud to keep the nation moving as trusted experts who love to help.

We are evolving into a truly omnichannel, service-led organisation, with over half of our revenue now driven through services. This transformation is focused on delivering more integrated, seamless customer experiences while driving operational performance and sustainable growth.

Technology at Halfords

Technology at Halfords is being reimagined as we continue our evolution into a more connected, service-led business.

We are reshaping how technology supports growth, moving towards simpler, more integrated platforms and a more scalable operating model. This is about improving how we deliver change, increasing pace and creating a more resilient and effective technology environment.

This is a significant shift. It requires stronger alignment, clearer prioritisation and a step change in our ability to deliver complex, multi-year programmes.

This role sits at the centre of that transformation.

About the Role

This is a senior leadership role responsible for translating technology strategy into execution.

Reporting to the CIO, the Head of Portfolio and Programme Management will take ownership of the technology roadmap, ensuring it is clear, integrated and deliverable and that the organisation has the structure, capability and cadence to execute against it.

You will operate across the Technology Leadership Team, acting as the connective layer between strategy and delivery. You will bring clarity to a complex portfolio, ensure alignment across multiple domains and create the rhythm and discipline required to deliver at pace.

This is not a traditional PMO role.

While governance and structure are important, the focus is on driving outcomes. You will be expected to identify where delivery can be strengthened, intervene where needed and build a more capable and effective delivery function over time.

This role offers the opportunity to shape how technology is delivered across Halfords and to play a key role in enabling large-scale, business-critical transformation.

Key Responsibilities

Own and orchestrate the technology roadmap, translating strategy into an executable plan
Act as “air traffic control” across the portfolio, ensuring alignment, prioritisation and sequencing of initiatives
Establish a clear delivery cadence and governance framework that drives decision-making
Provide executive-level visibility of progress, risks and dependencies across the portfolio
Lead and develop the Project Management community, building capability to deliver complex programmes
Manage resource, capacity and workload across the portfolio
Intervene in critical programmes to support delivery and resolve issues
Define and evolve delivery methodologies and standards, focusing on areas of greatest impact
Drive continuous improvement in delivery capability and execution performance

About You

You are a pragmatic, outcome-focused leader with experience delivering complex, multi-year transformation programmes.

You bring:

Experience operating across large, complex change portfolios
Strong problem-solving capability and the ability to identify and address delivery challenges early
The ability to operate at both strategic and operational levels
Confidence working with senior stakeholders and influencing at Executive level
A track record of improving delivery capability, not just managing it

Your background may include consulting or transformation environments where you have been exposed to multiple organisations, programmes and delivery models.

You are likely to thrive in this role if you:

Focus on outcomes over process
Are comfortable working in high-paced, evolving environments and bringing clarity where it’s needed most
Can bring structure and discipline alongside momentum
Are able to prioritise effectively and focus on what will drive the greatest impact
Are comfortable operating in ambiguity and making sound, well-judged decisions

Reward and Benefits

Competitive salary plus car allowance and discretionary bonus
Pension, life assurance and 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays
Ongoing development and career progression opportunities
Hybrid working (3 days on site, 2 from home)
Colleague discounts across Halfords products and services
Wellbeing support and colleague networks

Diversity and Inclusion

Halfords is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and we actively welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. We are particularly keen to improve representation within our technology leadership community.

This role follows our hybrid working model, with 3 days per week based at our Support Centre in Redditch, Worcestershire and 2 days working remotely.