Head of PMO / Chief of Projects (m/f/d)

For an AURELIUS’ portfolio company located in Bavaria we are looking for a

Head of PMO / Chief of Projects (m/f/d)

As a Head of PMO you will lead and professionalize the end-to-end Project Management / Delivery function across the EMEA utilities business, spanning residential and industrial energy tech, software, and analytics solutions. You will own delivery from project definition through mass production and customer rollout, integrating Sales, Product Management, R&D, NPI, Procurement, and Quality into one disciplined execution engine. Furthermore, you will transform a currently fragmented, product- and site-centric delivery model into a standardized, cross-BU project delivery organization with clear stage gates, transparent KPIs, and predictable outcomes. The Head of PMO will act as the single accountable owner like a “project CEO” for on-time, on-quality, and on-cost delivery of projects and new product introductions, and as the primary interface to major customers for delivery commitments. Your task is to drive execution discipline, cost control, and margin protection across the full project lifecycle. The role requires frequent travel.

Responsibilities

1. Project Delivery Leadership & Organizational Ownership

Lead and develop the EMEA Project Delivery organization across customer projects, NPI, and cross-BU solution programs

Define and implement the organizational setup, governance model, and PM career path, including near-/offshore delivery capacity

Build a balanced delivery organization combining hardware project management, software/solution delivery, and NPI program management

Ensure scalability, agility, and clear accountability across all delivery units and sites

2. End-to-End Engineering Delivery

Own end-to-end delivery from project definition through development, industrialization, mass production ramp, and customer handover

Act as the single point of accountability for on-time, on-quality, on-cost execution of customer projects and NPIs

Drive execution discipline, cost control, and scalable delivery models across multi-site and multi-BU programs

Establish a common project lifecycle, stage-gate framework, and PMO standards applied consistently across electricity, gas, thermal, software, and analytics

Ensure robust project planning, risk management, change control, and claim management on all major programs

Chair stage-gate reviews and enforce go/no-go decisions against scope, schedule, cost, quality, and business case

3. Cross-BU Solution Delivery (HW + SW + Analytics)

Lead delivery of integrated solutions combining residential and industrial meters, head-end software, and analytics offerings

Break down BU silos and orchestrate cross-BU program teams around customer outcomes, not product lines

Establish shared solution architectures and reusable delivery playbooks across product families

Ensure consistent solution scoping, pricing input, and delivery commitments across the portfolio

4. NPI & Industrialization

Collaborate with Operations on NPI program management from early involvement design, to design freeze through pilot, ramp, and stable serial production

Ensure early and structured involvement of NPI, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Quality in R&D projects

Drive design-for-manufacturing, design-for-cost, and design-for-serviceability discipline into every new program

Manage ramp readiness: supply readiness, test coverage, production line qualification, and yield curves

5. Cross-functional Collaboration

Act as the delivery counterpart to Product Management (portfolio & roadmap) and R&D (technology execution)

Partner with Sales and Customer Projects to translate customer commitments into feasible, margin-protected delivery plans

Provide delivery input into bids, contract negotiation, and commercial terms (milestones, LDs, acceptance criteria)

Collaborate with Procurement and SCM to secure supply, lead times, and cost targets for project ramp

Collaborate with Quality to embed quality gates and field-performance feedback into delivery governance

Align with Finance on project controlling, revenue recognition, milestone billing, and cash collection

6. Financial & Resource Management

Own the project delivery cost base and the aggregated margin performance of the project portfolio

Drive project margin protection: budget adherence, contingency management, scope and change control

Optimize allocation of PM and delivery resources across customer projects and NPI programs

Drive build vs. buy vs. outsource decisions for delivery capacity, balancing control, cost, and flexibility

Support business cases and mid-term planning with realistic delivery assumptions and risk-adjusted estimates

7. Transformation & Change Leadership

Lead transformation initiatives to increase delivery productivity, reduce time-to-market, and improve predictability

Standardize and digitalize PMO tooling (planning, reporting, risk, resource management)

Build a high-performance, accountable, and customer-centric delivery culture

Drive upskilling and certification of the PM community across hardware, software, and solution delivery

8. Governance, Risk & Compliance

Ensure project delivery complies with contractual, regulatory, cybersecurity, and quality requirements

Establish transparent portfolio reporting to the CEO and executive team, including early warning on at-risk programs

Own risk register for the delivery portfolio and drive systematic mitigation

Your Profile

Professional Experience

Minimum 15+ years of experience in project, program, and delivery leadership, including senior roles (VP/SVP level) in an international, matrix organization

Proven track record leading large-scale, cross-functional delivery organizations spanning hardware, software, and integrated solutions

Significant experience in customer project delivery in a B2B environment (preferably utilities, energy, industrial technology, or telecom infrastructure)

Strong NPI and industrialization background: bringing new hardware and software products from development into serial production and customer rollout

Demonstrated success in owning end-to-end delivery from project definition to mass production and customer acceptance

Experience running structured stage-gate and PMO frameworks at scale, with measurable improvements in OTD, margin, and predictability

Solid commercial acumen: contract, bid, and claim management; project P&L ownership; milestone billing and working capital control

Experience in driving organizational transformation and productivity improvements (cost, efficiency, time-to-market)

Experience in global/multi-site setups, including near-/offshore delivery structures

Exposure to carve-out, integration, or major transformation programs (strong plus)

Intercultural Experience

Proven leadership experience in international and cross-cultural environments, managing teams across multiple geographies

Strong experience in navigating matrix organizations and global governance structures

High level of cultural awareness, adaptability, and communication effectiveness at executive and customer level

Fluency in German and English is a prerequisite

Personal attributes

University degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field

Advanced degree (MBA or equivalent) is a plus; recognized PM certifications (PMP, IPMA, PgMP, SAFe) are a plus

Strong technical understanding across hardware, embedded systems, software, and cloud/analytics solutions - able to challenge and steer technical trade-offs

Deep mastery of project and program management methods, stage-gate governance, and modern delivery models (Agile at scale, hybrid HW/SW delivery)

Proven ability to drive execution at scale in multi-site, distributed delivery organizations, including vendor and outsourcing management

Data-driven delivery mindset: use of KPIs, portfolio dashboards, and analytics to improve OTD, quality, and productivity

Strong business and P&L awareness, with ability to protect and expand project margin under commercial pressure

Ability to connect customer commitments, technical execution, and financial outcomes

Strong ROI orientation: able to challenge scope, prioritize based on value, and terminate programs that no longer meet hurdle rates

Strong decision-making capability under ambiguity, especially in evolving organizational and carve-out setups

Excellent stakeholder management skills across CEO / board level, customers, suppliers, and internal functions

High degree of resilience and change leadership capability in transformation environments

Ability to attract, develop, and retain top program and delivery talent