Project Portfolio Lead

Iridium is an award-winning and innovative satellite communications company with bragging rights to the only network that offers voice and data connectivity anywhere in the world. For over 20 years, Iridium's unique network and services have supported critical communications needs for individuals, businesses, and the evolving Internet of Things.

At Iridium, we understand the importance of staying connected and the limitations of traditional communications networks. People across the globe, including first responders, humanitarians, global militaries, scientific researchers, and lone workers, as well as ships, aircraft and remote operations all rely on Iridium to stay connected. We take our responsibility for providing these essential communications very seriously and pride ourselves on offering a reliable lifeline when needed. Likewise, Iridium is committed to providing an exciting and innovative workplace, where employees are challenged to think outside the box and collaborate on new, bold ideas and solutions. Our talented teams are passionate about their work and the impact our company makes around the world. Iridium fosters an empowering and inclusive culture that allows employees to genuinely be their best selves. We are looking for others who want to join this truly unique company that celebrates our employees and provides the opportunity to truly make a difference in the world.

Iridium is seeking an experienced Project Portfolio Lead to shape and deliver complex, cross-functional initiatives that translate program strategy into measurable business outcomes. In this role, you will lead the planning, prioritization, governance, and performance management of the organization's project portfolio, ensuring the right work is selected, sequenced, and executed to maximize business value. You will partner closely with leaders across the organization to align initiatives with strategic objectives, optimize resource allocation, and provide clear visibility into portfolio performance. By enabling strong decision-making and maintaining disciplined oversight, the Project Portfolio Lead ensures the portfolio delivers consistent, high-impact results that support organizational goals.

Translate organizational strategy into a balanced, actionable portfolio of projects and programs
• Ensure initiatives are aligned to strategic goals, business priorities, and value drivers
• Support leadership in defining portfolio roadmaps and investment priorities
• Lead portfolio intake, evaluation, and prioritization processes
• Facilitate trade-off decisions based on value, cost, risk, and resource capacity
• Drive annual and quarterly portfolio planning cycles
• Establish and enforce portfolio governance frameworks, standards, and stage-gate processes
• Lead portfolio review meetings and decision forums
• Ensure transparency, accountability, and consistency across all initiatives
• Define and track portfolio-level KPIs, including project execution status and benefits realization
• Develop executive dashboards and reporting to support decision-making
• Identify risks, dependencies, and systemic issues, and drive mitigation strategies
• Partner with executives, business leaders, and project/program managers across functions
• Act as a trusted advisor on portfolio health, risks, and opportunities
• Facilitate alignment and resolve conflicts across competing priorities
• Collaborate with the resource management lead and functional leaders to ensure effective allocation of resources
• Monitor capacity constraints and recommend adjustments to optimize delivery
• Support workforce planning aligned with portfolio demand
• Drive maturity of portfolio management practices, tools, and methodologies
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness
• Champion a culture of data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Finance, or related field
• 10+ years of professional experience, preferably with 5+ years' progressive experience in the Project Management field (i.e., project scheduling, project controls, enterprise project planning, etc.)
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly convey products, deliverables, analyses, and/or issues to stakeholders and leadership teams
• Ability to easily build relationships with leadership and colleagues
• Possess an analytical mindset, with the ability to understand a situation or problem and think critically to make decisions and come up with out-of-the-box solutions
• Be proactive in providing feedback and be enthusiastic in sharing your knowledge with others
• Capable of prioritizing your own tasks and potentially the tasks of others while making sure deadlines are met

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
• Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) certification
• Experience with enterprise PMO / EPMO portfolio management tools such as Planview, Clarity, Planisware, ServiceNow SPM, or comparable platforms strongly preferred
• Experience in enterprise PMO environments or large-scale program management
• Familiarity with Earned Value Management (EVM) and performance tracking methodologies
• Experience building portfolio dashboards and reporting frameworks

• This position directly performs under, supports, or is exposed to a U.S. government contract. To comply with the requirements of that U.S. government contract, applicants for this position must be U.S. citizens
• Be able to travel up to 10%

This position primarily works in an office setting and is largely sedentary with the majority of the position working with a computer. The role typically requires the use of basic office equipment such as a phone, video, computer, keyboard, mouse, and printer.

We believe in-person connection drives innovation, strengthens mentorship, and builds culture, while flexibility enables employees to do their best work. Under Iridium's Hybrid Work Policy, employees are expected to work at least three days per week (approximately 60%) in an Iridium office to support collaboration, relationship-building, and professional growth.

Additional Information

This job description outlines the general nature and level of work for this role and is not a comprehensive list of duties, responsibilities, or qualifications. Employees may be assigned additional responsibilities as needed.

Iridium is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans.