Senior Manager, Agile Operations and Portfolio

Johnson Controls, a global leader in thermal management, mission-critical building systems, energy efficiency, and decarbonization, helps customers use energy more productively, reduce carbon emissions, and operate with the precision and resilience required in rapidly expanding industries such as data centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, advanced manufacturing, and higher education.

For more than 140 years, Johnson Controls has delivered performance where it really matters. Backed by advanced technology, lifecycle services and an industry-leading field organization, we elevate customer performance, turn goals into real-world results and help move society forward.

The Senior Manager, Agile Operations & Portfolio Management drives execution of the product-based operating model by improving portfolio visibility, delivery predictability, and alignment between strategy, funding, and execution.
 

Role Purpose

Enable scalable, predictable, and value-driven execution of the product model by:

• Improving portfolio visibility across all products, programs, and workstreams
• Enhancing delivery predictability and flow efficiency across Agile teams
• Strengthening alignment between strategy, funding, and execution
• Establishing consistent ways of working, governance, and reporting standards
• Integrating delivery performance with financial management

Key Responsibilities

1. Agile Operations & Delivery Governance

• Establish and enforce standard Agile ways of working across product teams (Scrum, Kanban, scaled practices)
• Drive consistency in:
  • Sprint execution and cadence
  • Backlog health and prioritization discipline
  • Lifecycle management (idea → delivery → value realization)
• Partner with Product Owners, Engineering Managers, and Scrum Masters to:
  • Remove systemic delivery impediments
  • Improve team throughput and stability
  • Standardize intake and execution processes

2. Portfolio Visibility & Flow Management

• Own end-to-end portfolio transparency, including:
  • Demand intake (above/below the line work)
  • Work-in-progress (WIP) tracking
  • Capacity allocation across teams
• Implement and manage flow-based metrics, including:
  • Throughput
  • Cycle time / lead time
  • WIP limits and bottleneck identification
• Provide leadership with real-time views of portfolio health, risks, and dependencies

3. Financial & Investment Governance

• Align delivery execution with financial planning and budget oversight
• Partner with Finance and Product leadership to:
  • Track actuals vs. plan across the portfolio
  • Provide visibility into cost-to-deliver by product / initiative
  • Support capacity planning tied to investment decisions

• Enable more effective trade-off decisions (value vs. cost vs. capacity)

4. Portfolio Planning & Prioritization

• Facilitate structured portfolio intake and prioritization processes
• Support quarterly planning and ongoing backlog prioritization by:
  • Aligning work to strategic outcomes and OKRs
  • Ensuring capacity is allocated to highest-value initiatives

• Drive clear segmentation of work:
  • Strategic initiatives (above the line)
  • BAU / operational / tech debt work (below the line)

5. Reporting, Metrics & Insights

• Define and operationalize a standard set of portfolio KPIs and dashboards, including:
  • Delivery predictability (planned vs. actual)
  • Velocity and throughput trends
  • Flow efficiency and bottlenecks
  • Cost and budget performance
• Build executive-level reporting to support data-driven decision-making
• Establish a single source of truth leveraging tools such as Jira and financial systems

6. Organizational Alignment & Continuous Improvement

• Act as a change leader in advancing Agile maturity across the organization
• Identify and drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance delivery performance
• Partner with leadership to:
  • Clarify roles and accountabilities
  • Eliminate duplication and inefficiencies
  • Strengthen alignment between business and IT

Key Outcomes / Success Measures

• Improved portfolio predictability (reduced delivery variance)
• Increased visibility of demand, capacity, and execution status
• Strong alignment between strategy, funding, and delivered value
• Measurable improvement in Agile maturity and flow efficiency
• Reduced organizational complexity and duplication of roles

Required Experience & Skills

Experience

• 8–12+ years of experience in:
  • Agile delivery leadership
  • Portfolio / program management
  • IT product-based operating models
• Experience operating in scaled Agile environments with multiple teams/products
• Proven track record of improving delivery performance and operational governance

Core Skills

• Strong understanding of:
  • Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe concepts)
  • Flow-based delivery and metrics
  • Portfolio and financial management practices
• Ability to translate strategy into execution frameworks and operating rhythms
• Advanced experience with Jira (or equivalent) for portfolio visibility and reporting
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capabilities
• Executive communication and stakeholder alignment

Leadership Capabilities

• Drives clarity, accountability, and execution discipline
• Operates effectively at both strategic and operational levels
• Enables cross-functional alignment across Product, Engineering, and Finance
• Acts as a change agent to modernize ways of working
• Builds trust through transparency, consistency, and results

HIRING SALARY RANGE: $141,000 - $211,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, location and alignment with market data.) This role offers a competitive Bonus plan that will take into account individual, group, and corporate performance. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile. If you believe your background warrants consideration beyond the stated range, we encourage you to apply. To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers. This position includes a competitive benefits package. For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us

Johnson Controls International plc. is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law. To view more information about your equal opportunity and non-discrimination rights as a candidate, visit EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit here.