PMO Governance Specialist

Major Duties

The PMO Governance Specialist is dedicated to governance within the Project Management Office, overseeing processes to ensure projects adhere to organizational standards, policies, and objectives. This role enforces project discipline, maintains transparency in project performance and ensures that projects deliver value in alignment with organizational goals. This role is also independent from the Finance team or any of the Project Execution teams. It is meant as a checks-and-balances for independent and controlled verification of the correctness of the Estimate to & at Complete.

Specific Responsibilities

Governance Framework and Maintenance 

• Assist in defining and updating policies, procedures and templates to support standardization across projects and the IA business. 

• Enforce document management policies, ensuring all project documentation is accurate, complete and properly stored according to regulatory or organizational requirements. 

• Maintain quality control standards and procedures to sustain project deliverables at expected standards. 

Compliance Monitoring and Auditing 

• Conduct Monthly Project Reviews for every POC-based and Service project, for the Region/Business in conjunction with the individual project manager, Program Manager and Site Finance Leader, with Optional participants Site Leader, Regional/Business Leader, Operations Leader, HR Leader. 

• Conduct regular field audits in both internal and external locations to ensure adherence to PMO guidelines, corporate policies and standards. 

• Perform quality reviews to validate that projects meet governance criteria.  

• Ensure changes to project scope, budget or timelines are controlled, documented and approved per the governance framework. 

• Identify and report out on areas of non-compliance.  

• Recommend corrective actions, and follow-up. 

• Monitor processes for project risk and issue management, ensuring that projects proactively identify, access and mitigate risks while tracking resolutions. 

Reporting and Metrics 

• Assist in creating and maintaining governance-related dashboards and reports. 

• Provide leadership with visibility into compliance status, project health and adherence to governance processes.  

• Prepare detailed reports for stakeholders, including senior management, project managers and team leaders. 

• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as cost, schedule, scope and quality to ensure projects meet their objectives. 

• Prepare a quarterly Independent Project Risk Assessment Report for all POC projects for the Region/Business, submitted to the Regional GM, Finance Leader, HR Leader, Global PMO Leader, ATS IA Finance VP, ATS IA President, ATS IA HR VP.  

Process Improvement 

• Regularly assess governance processes, gather feedback, and drive improvements to enhance efficiency, effectiveness and alignment with evolving organizational goals. 

• Develop and maintain project management templates, tools and processes to ensure consistency and standardization across projects.  

• Identify inefficiencies in current project management processes and suggest improvements to enhance project delivery. 

• Collect feedback and lessons learned from completed projects to help refine PMO practices and improve future project performance. 

Tools and System Management 

• Provide training and guidance to all regional users of project management tools and software (PPM Software, Power BI, JIRA, P6, Project Excel documents, MS Project, etc).  

• Verify that project data is accurately entered and maintained in the tool(s). 

• Work on automating data collection and reporting processes to improve efficiency. 

• Support implementation of new and/or existing project systems and tools across global sites with support from IT/Corporate IT and Site Leadership. 

Qualifications

Education 

• Post secondary education in project management, business administration, engineering or related education.  

•  Project Management Professional (PMP) or similar project management certification. If internal candidate without a PMP or similar certification – commitment to attain PMP within 12 months of appointment.  

Experience 

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in project controls, project management, or a related role with a focus on governance. 

• Understanding of project governance frameworks and regulatory requirements. 

• Understanding of project management methodologies and tools 

• Excellent risk management and problem-solving skills. 

• Proficient in project management software and tools. 

• Strong analytical and reporting skills. 

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. 

• Ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional team. 

Commitment to Health and Safety

• Demonstrate leadership in Health, Safety and Environment compliance.
• Hold team members accountable for health, safety and environmental compliance as part of the annual performance review process.
• Ensure that the requirements of the health, safety and environment management system are implemented and maintained.
• Carry out hazard assessments, inspections, and audits as required by legislative framework and/or corporate requirements.
• Implement appropriate corrective measures for unsafe conditions and unsafe acts.
• Ensure that appropriate equipment, materials and protective devices are provided and maintained in safe condition.
• Attend HSE Due Diligence for Management training sessions.