Director, Project Management Office

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is responsible for the safe, reliable, and economic planning and operation of the Alberta Interconnected Electric System. We provide open and non-discriminatory access to Alberta’s interconnected power grid and also facilitate Alberta’s competitive wholesale electricity market. The AESO strives to foster an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace where people feel respected and welcomed for who they are, together we deliver high performance and innovative results.

Job Description

If you are a current AESO employee or contractor, please view openings and apply through our internal site at Workday.

Reporting to the Vice President, Finance and Compliance, we are looking for a Director, Project Management Office to join our team. In this role you will establish and lead a federated project management office (PMO) model that provides centralized governance, standards, and portfolio oversight while enabling decentralized execution across business units and functional teams. You will ensure enterprise-wide alignment, transparency, and consistency in project delivery while respecting the autonomy of delivery teams closest to the work. 

The Director, Project Management Office acts as a strategic partner to executive leadership and business leaders, balancing governance with flexibility to drive successful outcomes and measurable business value across a diverse project portfolio. 

Accountabilities include but are not limited to:

PMO Leadership & Governance

• Provide leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight of the enterprise PMO.

• Define and implement a federated PMO operating model that clarifies centralized governance and decentralized execution responsibilities.

• Establish enterprise‑wide project governance, decision rights, escalation paths, and funding models that support distributed delivery.

• Ensure consistent portfolio‑level visibility, controls, and assurance without creating unnecessary administrative overhead.

• Provide leadership on project, program, and portfolio management best practices. 

Portfolio & Strategic Alignment

• Own enterprise portfolio management, including intake, prioritization, sequencing, and dependency management across business units.

• Partner with executives and business leaders to prioritize and sequence projects and align initiatives with strategic objectives. 

• Support delivery of corporate objectives and key results (OKR) by providing governance, portfolio planning, resource transparency, and departmental project planning support.

• Deliver integrated, executive‑level reporting on portfolio performance, risks, interdependencies, capacity, and benefits realization.

• Facilitate trade‑off decisions across competing priorities.

• Support and participate in organizational strategic planning, business planning and budgeting by providing the executive team with insight and input based on the enterprise portfolio.

• Design, manage, and continuously refine portfolio reporting, communications, and risk management practices in collaboration with Internal Audit and risk management functions.

Standards, Methods & Tools

• Facilitate the definition of common project management standards, frameworks, templates, and metrics with input from delivery teams.

• Enable multiple delivery approaches (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid, Product‑based models) within a consistent governance framework.

• Select and manage enterprise project management tools and dashboards to ensure consistent data and reporting. 

• Continuously assess and improve PMO practices based on organizational maturity and feedback from delivery teams. 

Oversight, Assurance & Enablement

• Provide independent oversight and assurance for high‑risk, high‑value, or strategically critical initiatives.

• Establish controls, stage gates, and health checks aligned to project size and risk.

• Support issue resolution and recovery efforts while empowering business units to own execution outcomes.

• Act as a trusted advisor to executive sponsors, senior leaders, and delivery leaders.

Engagement & Change Leadership

• Build strong partnerships with business unit leaders, functional leaders, and project sponsors.

• Influence outcomes without direct authority, fostering alignment and adoption of PMO practices across the enterprise.

• Collaborate with Organizational Change Management (OCM) Lead to guide change related to project governance, reporting, and ways of working.

• Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.

People, Financial & Resource Oversight

• Lead and develop the central PMO team responsible for governance, reporting, and enablement.

• Provide centralized oversight of project financials, forecasting, and benefits tracking.

• Support enterprise capacity and demand management while execution resources remain within business units.

What you'll bring us:

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Engineering, Information Systems, Business, or a related field.

• Professional certifications such as PMP, PgMP, PfMP, PMI‑ACP, PRINCE2, SAFe, or equivalent are strongly preferred.

• 10+ years of experience in large‑scale project, program, or portfolio management, including senior leadership roles.

• Proven experience with establishing and leading an integrated PMO model, providing centralized portfolio governance, standards, and executive reporting while enabling decentralized project execution across business units. 

• Demonstrated success implementing enterprise portfolio intake, prioritization, and funding governance to improve strategic alignment and investment decision-making for the organization. .

• Experience defining decision rights, escalation paths, and accountability frameworks across complex organizations.

• Extensive experience delivering executive‑level portfolio dashboards and reporting (financials, risks, dependencies, capacity, and benefits realization).

• Strong track record of partnering with senior leaders to manage cross‑functional dependencies and resolve competing priorities.

• Experience leading a central PMO team responsible for portfolio management, governance, and enablement, and influencing delivery teams through coaching rather than direct authority.

• Drive continuous improvement in PMO maturity, shifting perceptions of the PMO from a compliance function to a strategic enabler of value delivery. 

• Proficiency in relevant project management and process mapping tools in a O365 environment (MS Project, MS

• Advanced analytical and reporting skills, particularly with Excel and Power BI.

#LI-Hybird

If you are contacted for a pre-screening and/or interview, please advise of any accommodation measures required to enable you to fully participate. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

The Alberta Electric System Operator is unable to accept unsolicited agency resumes.

The Alberta Electric System Operator, and its members, officers, employees and agents (collectively, the "AESO") is committed to protecting personal information provided to it. When you submit your personal information to the AESO for the purpose of pursuing employment with the AESO, the collection, use and disclosure of personal information is in accordance with the provisions of the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA) of Alberta.

As noted, the AESO is mandated to maintain the safe and reliable operations of the provincial power grid. As part of meeting its obligations, the AESO may require the successful candidate to undergo a criminal background check for the position. This collection of personal information for the purposes of a check will be conducted in accordance with Section 4 of POPA.