Senior Client Portfolio Manager

Recruiter

IOCO

Job Ref

388377

Date posted

Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Location

Johannesburg, South Africa

SUMMARY

POSITION INFO

Role Purpose: The Senior Client Portfolio Manager is accountable for the commercial success, operational excellence, client satisfaction and people leadership of an assigned portfolio of Software Engineering clients and personnel. The role owns executive client relationships, portfolio financial performance, service delivery governance, engineering quality, team capability and business growth. Working closely with Delivery Managers, Technical Leads, Architects, Competency Leaders and Sales, the role ensures the successful delivery of software engineering services while developing long-term client partnerships and high-performing delivery teams. The role carries end-to-end accountability for portfolio health, including revenue growth, profitability, SLA achievement, customer satisfaction, employee engagement, capability development and continuous improvement. Key Accountabilities 1. Client Leadership & Commercial Growth Develop trusted executive relationships with client stakeholders. Act as the executive sponsor for the assigned client portfolio. Understand client strategies and align technology solutions to business objectives. Develop and execute strategic account plans. Drive revenue growth through account expansion, renewals and cross-sell opportunities. Lead Executive Business Reviews (EBRs), Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and governance forums. Support commercial negotiations and contract renewals. Position the organisation as a strategic software engineering partner. 2. Operational Excellence & Delivery Governance Provide executive oversight across all delivery engagements. Ensure projects and managed services are delivered on time, within budget and to agreed quality standards. Own SLA, KPI and contractual performance. Monitor portfolio health across operational, financial and customer metrics. Lead operational governance and manage executive escalations. Drive continuous improvement, root cause analysis and service optimisation. Champion Agile, DevSecOps, engineering governance, AI-enabled delivery and software quality practices. Ensure effective risk, issue, incident and change management. 3. People Leadership & Talent Development Lead, coach and mentor Delivery Managers, Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Technical Leads and client-facing delivery professionals. Build high-performing teams focused on accountability, innovation and customer success. Conduct performance reviews and career development discussions. Develop succession plans and identify future leaders. Drive employee engagement, retention and workforce planning. Partner with Competency Leaders to develop technical capability. Promote continuous learning, certifications and adoption of modern software engineering practices. 4. Financial & Portfolio Management Own portfolio revenue, profitability and gross margin. Manage forecasting, resource planning and utilisation. Monitor financial performance and ensure commercial sustainability. Maintain accurate portfolio reporting and governance. Present portfolio performance to executive leadership. Minimum Requirements: Qualifications Essential Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Commerce or a related discipline or equivalent industry experience. Beneficial Postgraduate qualification (MBA, MCom, MSc, or equivalent) is advantageous. Relevant professional certifications such as Agile, Scrum, ITIL, SAFe, PMP/Prince2, Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP), or Account Management are advantageous. Experience 10+ years' experience in Software Engineering, Professional Services or Technology Consulting. Minimum 5 years managing enterprise client portfolios. Experience leading multidisciplinary software delivery teams. Proven executive stakeholder management experience. Strong commercial, financial and operational management capability. Experience managing large-scale software engineering or managed service engagements. Technical Knowledge Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) Agile (Scrum), PMBOK/Prince II, Hybrid Project Delivery Method DevSecOps Cloud Platforms Managed Services ITIL Application Modernisation AI-enabled Software Engineering Leadership Competencies Strategic Leadership Executive Presence Commercial Acumen Financial Management Operational Excellence Customer Success People Leadership Coaching & Mentoring Delivery Governance Risk Management Negotiation & Influencing Innovation & Continuous Improvement Decision Making Emotional Intelligence Key Performance Indicators Commercial Revenue Growth Gross Margin Portfolio Profitability Forecast Accuracy Pipeline Growth Client Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Client Retention Executive Relationship Health Renewal Rate Delivery SLA Achievement Delivery Predictability Escalation Resolution Quality Metrics People Employee Engagement Staff Retention Succession Readiness Training & Certification Completion Team Capability Growth Operational Resource Utilisation Governance Compliance Continuous Improvement Risk Management Ideal Candidate Profile The ideal candidate is an experienced technology leader who combines strong commercial acumen with exceptional client relationship management and operational leadership. They have a proven ability to lead multidisciplinary software engineering teams, develop client partnerships, grow portfolios, and deliver measurable business outcomes. They are equally comfortable engaging with C-suite executives, leading delivery governance, coaching teams, and identifying new business opportunities.