IT Service Portfolio SME

Location: Remote (U.S.)
Duration: 12 Months

Position Overview:

We are seeking an experienced IT Service Portfolio Subject Matter Expert (SME) to oversee the strategic planning, governance, and lifecycle management of enterprise IT services. This role is responsible for ensuring the organization''s service portfolio aligns with business priorities, delivers measurable value, and follows established governance and service management standards.

The ideal candidate will possess deep expertise in IT Service Management (ITSM), ITIL Service Portfolio Management, and ServiceNow while serving as a trusted advisor to business leaders, service owners, and technical teams. This position plays a key role in evaluating new service requests, maintaining portfolio integrity, improving operational processes, and driving continual service improvement initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Service Portfolio & Lifecycle Management

• Lead the governance and management of the complete IT service lifecycle, including service strategy, design, transition, operation, and continual improvement.
• Ensure all technology services remain aligned with organizational objectives, business priorities, and operational requirements.
• Establish and enhance Service Portfolio Management processes using ITIL best practices and organizational governance standards.
• Monitor the health and effectiveness of the IT service portfolio while identifying opportunities for optimization and service modernization.

Stakeholder & Portfolio Governance

• Partner with business executives, service owners, product managers, and technical delivery teams to ensure services support strategic business goals.
• Facilitate communication between IT organizations and business stakeholders to promote transparency and informed decision-making.
• Conduct portfolio governance reviews, status meetings, and strategic planning sessions with key stakeholders.
• Prioritize service initiatives and project pipelines based on business value, organizational priorities, resource availability, and risk.

Service Intake & Demand Management

• Manage the end-to-end Service Intake process for new services, enhancements, and modification requests.
• Review intake submissions and supporting business cases to verify completeness, quality, and readiness for governance evaluation.
• Lead discovery workshops with requestors, service managers, suppliers, and service owners to determine the most appropriate service delivery approach.
• Refine business cases by validating business objectives, customer impact, expected value, service scope, and strategic justification.
• Define high-level service requirements, customer groups, operational impacts, dependencies, integrations, supplier relationships, and portfolio alignment.
• Present intake requests, recommendations, and governance outcomes during Service Portfolio review meetings.
• Coordinate approval workflows and communicate governance decisions, required actions, and next steps to all stakeholders.

Platform Administration & Data Management

• Maintain accurate Service Portfolio records within ServiceNow, ensuring data quality, workflow integrity, approvals, and documentation remain current.
• Oversee reporting, dashboards, workflow automation, notifications, and portfolio metrics within ServiceNow and related service management platforms.
• Support enterprise service management solutions including ITBM, ITFM, Jira, or comparable portfolio management tools.

Continual Service Improvement

• Evaluate service performance through KPIs, operational metrics, financial reporting, and customer feedback.
• Identify opportunities to improve service quality, operational efficiency, governance processes, and overall portfolio performance.
• Recommend process improvements and best practices that enhance service delivery and business value.

Leadership & Risk Management

• Provide guidance and support to project managers, service managers, and cross-functional teams throughout the service lifecycle.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with service initiatives, governance activities, and portfolio investments.
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, contractual obligations, regulatory requirements, and IT governance standards.
• Assess project outcomes and service performance to support continuous organizational improvement.

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in IT Service Management, IT Service Portfolio Management, IT Portfolio Management, Business Relationship Management, or related enterprise IT disciplines.
• Strong knowledge of ITIL, with particular expertise in Service Portfolio Management and Service Catalog Management.
• Hands-on experience with ServiceNow, including Service Portfolio Management (SPM), IT Business Management (ITBM), IT Financial Management (ITFM), or related modules.
• Experience working with Jira or similar Agile planning and work management platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to translate technical capabilities into business-focused solutions and strategic recommendations.
• Experience supporting governance processes, portfolio planning, service intake, and enterprise service management initiatives.
• Strong understanding of budgeting, financial planning, risk management, and business case evaluation.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities and initiatives within complex enterprise environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• ITIL v4 Foundation or Advanced Certification.
• PMP, PMI, Agile, or other project or service management certifications.
• Experience working within large enterprise IT organizations supporting service governance and portfolio management.
• Background in strategic planning, business analysis, or technology transformation initiatives.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams without direct reporting authority.
• Familiarity with digital transformation, enterprise governance, and continuous improvement programs.