Portfolio Governance & Standards Team Lead (PL)
Your Opportunity
Your opportunity
At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us “challenge the status quo” and transform the finance industry together. We believe in the importance of in-office collaboration and fully intend for the selected candidate for this role to work on site in the specified location(s).
The Portfolio Governance, Standards & Data team is one of the three core pillars of the Value Delivery & Governance function — alongside the Value Management Office (VMO) and Portfolio Operations. Together, these teams form an integrated leadership model responsible for shaping, maturing, and sustaining the enterprise Portfolio Operating Model.
Our mandate is to ensure that enterprise portfolio delivery is grounded in accurate data, consistent standards, compliant practices, and a scalable information architecture. This team serves as the backbone of portfolio reliability and transparency, enabling informed decisions, predictable execution, and strategic alignment across all portfolios.
About the Role
The Team Leader – Portfolio Governance, Standards & Data oversees governance frameworks, controls, data integrity practices, and standards that underpin the portfolio ecosystem. This leader drives compliance, ensures platform quality for Clarity, Rally, Jira, Smartsheet, and related systems, and partners extensively across business, technology, and delivery domains.
This role works as part of a three‑pillar leadership model, collaborating deeply with the VMO and Portfolio Operations teams to ensure the enterprise operates with clarity, consistency, and transparency.
What you have
Key Responsibilities
Governance & Standards Leadership
- Define, maintain, and continuously improve portfolio operating model standards, policies, controls, and audit‑ready processes.
- Ensure adherence to governance requirements across portfolio, program, project, and tooling teams.
- Partner with Risk, Audit, Compliance, OCIO, and Agile Product Management to embed compliance into tooling and workflows.
- Track updates to standards and communicate changes across the enterprise user community.
Data Stewardship & Information Architecture
- Lead data quality management across Clarity, Rally, Jira, Smartsheet, and associated platforms.
- Establish and enforce enterprise data standards, definitions, and relationships supporting value realization and strategic alignment.
- Maintain and evolve portfolio information architecture in alignment with operating model maturity.
- Partner with the VMO to ensure data structures support OKRs, benefit realization, and prioritization models.
Training, Enablement & User Support (Shared Ownership Across the Three Teams)
- Co‑create and maintain training content, job aids, role‑based certifications, and onboarding materials.
- Ensure training and standards are aligned with Portfolio Operations and VMO practices.
- Simplify complex governance concepts into clear, scalable user guidance.
Cross‑Functional Leadership & Collaboration
- Collaborate daily with VMO and Portfolio Operations leaders to ensure an integrated and consistent operating model.
- Co‑lead continuous improvement cycles that cross standards, data, governance, process, and tooling.
- Resolve cross‑portfolio data and standards issues, ensuring alignment across business partners, PMs, RTEs, and product teams.
Required Qualifications
- 5–7+ years in Portfolio Management, PMO, Agile Delivery, Governance, or Data Stewardship.
- Expertise with Clarity, Rally, Jira, Smartsheet, or similar tooling ecosystems.
- Strong understanding of agile portfolio operations and lean governance practices.
- Experience designing and enforcing standards at enterprise scale.
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to simplify complex concepts.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in operating model transformation or information architecture.
- Background in metadata management or integrated data governance.
- SAFe LPM, Agile certifications, or portfolio/program management credentials.
In addition to the salary range, this role is also eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.
What’s in it for you
At Schwab, you’re empowered to shape your future. We champion your growth through meaningful work, continuous learning, and a culture of trust and collaboration—so you can build the skills to make a lasting impact. Our Hybrid Work and Flexibility approach balances our ongoing commitment to workplace flexibility, serving our clients, and our strong belief in the value of being together in person on a regular basis.
We offer a competitive benefits package that takes care of the whole you – both today and in the future:
- 401(k) with company match and Employee stock purchase plan
- Paid time for vacation, volunteering, and 28-day sabbatical after every 5 years of service for eligible positions
- Paid parental leave and family building benefits
- Tuition reimbursement
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
What you are good at
What you have
Key Responsibilities
Governance & Standards Leadership
- Define, maintain, and continuously improve portfolio operating model standards, policies, controls, and audit‑ready processes.
- Ensure adherence to governance requirements across portfolio, program, project, and tooling teams.
- Partner with Risk, Audit, Compliance, OCIO, and Agile Product Management to embed compliance into tooling and workflows.
- Track updates to standards and communicate changes across the enterprise user community.
Data Stewardship & Information Architecture
- Lead data quality management across Clarity, Rally, Jira, Smartsheet, and associated platforms.
- Establish and enforce enterprise data standards, definitions, and relationships supporting value realization and strategic alignment.
- Maintain and evolve portfolio information architecture in alignment with operating model maturity.
- Partner with the VMO to ensure data structures support OKRs, benefit realization, and prioritization models.
Training, Enablement & User Support (Shared Ownership Across the Three Teams)
- Co‑create and maintain training content, job aids, role‑based certifications, and onboarding materials.
- Ensure training and standards are aligned with Portfolio Operations and VMO practices.
- Simplify complex governance concepts into clear, scalable user guidance.
Cross‑Functional Leadership & Collaboration
- Collaborate daily with VMO and Portfolio Operations leaders to ensure an integrated and consistent operating model.
- Co‑lead continuous improvement cycles that cross standards, data, governance, process, and tooling.
- Resolve cross‑portfolio data and standards issues, ensuring alignment across business partners, PMs, RTEs, and product teams.
Required Qualifications
- 5–7+ years in Portfolio Management, PMO, Agile Delivery, Governance, or Data Stewardship.
- Expertise with Clarity, Rally, Jira, Smartsheet, or similar tooling ecosystems.
- Strong understanding of agile portfolio operations and lean governance practices.
- Experience designing and enforcing standards at enterprise scale.
- Exceptional communication skills with the ability to simplify complex concepts.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in operating model transformation or information architecture.
- Background in metadata management or integrated data governance.
- SAFe LPM, Agile certifications, or portfolio/program management credentials.
In addition to the salary range, this role is also eligible for bonus or incentive opportunities.
Why Schwab?
At Schwab, “Own Your Tomorrow” embodies everything we do! We are committed to helping our employees unleash their potential and achieve their dreams. Our employees get to play a central role in disrupting a multi-trillion-dollar industry, creating a better, more modern way to build and manage wealth. We’re a modern financial services firm that stands apart from the industry, where you can go as far as your ambition takes you.
Hear from employees: What’s it like to work at Schwab!
The benefits of working at Schwab : a package designed to empower your health, wealth, career and life. Schwab is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued.
As an equal employment opportunity employer, our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to any status that is protected by law. (Please click here to see policy.)
Schwab is also an affirmative action employer, focused on advancing women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in the workplace. We believe diversity and inclusion are part of our success as a company and our purpose of serving every client with passion and integrity.