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The Portfolio Manager, Technology is a strategic leadership role within the IT, Data and Digital (IDD) Transformation Office, accountable for shaping and evolving the technology portfolio management capability as the organization transitions to a product operating model. This role provides the senior leadership team with an integrated, end to end view of demand, investment, and delivery across multiple product and engineering teams.
The incumbent will have oversight and ownership of the centralized IDD portfolio management practice including demand management & prioritization, road-mapping & planning, and financial management.
Acting as a trusted advisor and integrator, the role provides portfolio-level insights which influence prioritization, funding decisions, and risk management to ensure technology investments are aligned to business outcomes and branch objectives.
This role requires close collaboration with senior stakeholders across IDD, Finance, Strategic Procurement, and other enterprise branches and requires strong executive presence and communication.
Responsibilities:
Strategic Portfolio & Investment Management
- Understands, represents, and evolves the technology portfolio management strategy in alignment with IDD branch objectives and the product/platform operating model.
- Shapes portfolio level insights that inform leadership decisions on prioritization, sequencing, and trade offs across competing initiatives.
- Provides a centralized, integrated view of demand, roadmaps, dependencies, and investment across multiple product and engineering teams.
- Influences prioritization and planning through insight, analysis, and facilitation rather than formal decision authority.
- Establishes clear frameworks and guardrails to distinguish when initiatives require program management support versus product level execution.
Demand Intake, Roadmaps & Financials
- Evolution of the demand intake process to better align with the Product Operating Model, using technology to automate where possible – including defining, communicating, championing and enforcing compliance with the process
- Oversee the demand intake process to ensure consistent triage, transparency, and alignment with capacity and strategic priorities.
- Ensures product roadmaps reflect approved demand, capital priorities, and long range planning commitments.
- Leads the evolution of product and portfolio financials, including capital planning, forecasting, and alignment to Finance and audit expectations.
- In collaboration with Finance, ensures business cases are developed, validated, and approved for prioritized capital initiatives, providing consistency and quality across submissions.
- Partners with Finance and product teams to support the transition from project based funding to product oriented investment models.
Reporting, Risk & Visibility
- Establishes a standardized approach to demand intake reporting which will provide comprehensive visibility to status of demand funnel, allowing strengthened communication and alignment with the business
- Provides leadership with clear, decision oriented portfolio reporting that enables strategic influence rather than retrospective status.
- Proactively engages product and delivery teams to identify portfolio level risks, dependencies, and constraints across delivery and budget, and drives mitigation with stakeholders
- Enables multi purpose reporting capabilities embedded into ways of working (e.g., leadership status reporting, initiative level views, Jira based effort and capacity reporting).
Stakeholder Management
- Acts as a strategic liaison across multiple product, platform, and engineering teams collaborating on shared business outcomes.
- Facilitates alignment by connecting insights across teams, portfolios, and investment horizons. As well as across teams where initiatives span multiple products, platforms, or delivery organizations
People Leadership & Capability Building
- Leads and develops a team of up to four portfolio management resources, building depth of capability and consistency of practice.
- Establishes standard methods, tools, and expectations for portfolio management while allowing flexibility to support product teams.
- Actively coaches team members, grows critical skills, and manages succession planning for core portfolio competencies.
- Provides organizational leadership across a breadth of skillsets, balancing strategic outcomes with operational excellence.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree required; certifications in PMP, Agile/Scrum, PROSCI or equivalent are assets.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in technology transformation, portfolio management, or related leadership roles.
- Expertise in financial management and operating model transformation is a strong asset.
- Proven ability to establish methodologies, governance frameworks, and delivery standards in complex organizations.
- Proven ability to manage ambiguity and drive results in a dynamic environment
- Strong analytical, problem solving, and communication skills, with the ability to influence senior leadership team. Ability to communicate with senior stakeholders synthesize key points by analyzing complex information through reporting and creating dashboards and presentations
- Strong communication and organizational skills, with demonstrated executive presence
- Demonstrate punctuality and dependability to support overall team success in a fast-paced environment.
Conditions of Employment:
Candidates must be eligible to work in the country of interest at the time any offer of employment is made and are responsible for obtaining any required work permits, visas, or other authorizations necessary for employment. Prior to their start date, candidates will also need to provide proof of their eligibility to work in the country of interest.
Linguistic Requirements
Based on equal qualifications, preference will be given to bilingual candidates.
Diversity and Inclusion
Air Canada is strongly committed to Diversity and Inclusion and aims to create a healthy, accessible and rewarding work environment which highlights employees’ unique contributions to our company’s success.
As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from all to help us build a diverse workforce which reflects the diversity of our customers, and communities, in which we live and serve.
Air Canada thanks all candidates for their interest; however only those selected to continue in the process will be contacted.
