Program Manager

About the RoleWe are seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional technology initiatives from initiation through delivery. This role sits at the intersection of engineering, product, and business stakeholders, translating strategic objectives into well-structured, executable project plans. The ideal candidate combines strong technical fluency in software development lifecycles and cloud/web architectures with proven project management discipline, excellent stakeholder management skills, and a track record of delivering complex, multi-team initiatives on time and within budget.ResponsibilitiesProject Leadership & DeliveryLead complex, cross-functional initiatives across multiple teams and functions by planning, directing, and coordinating activities toward defined project objectives, with consideration for risk.Develop detailed work plans for projects and support project team members in creating a formal Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for their assigned work.Own project scope, timeline, budget, and success measures, and remain accountable for revenue targets.Create and maintain project plans and all associated project artifacts throughout the project lifecycle.Manage multiple concurrent projects and workstreams within the program, ensuring alignment with overall business objectives, timelines, budgets, dependencies, and quality standards.Proactively oversee project activities, working with management and stakeholders to troubleshoot issues and ensure quality resolution of project related problems.Stakeholder & Client ManagementRepresent technical teams in client meetings for scoping, requirements gathering, and project status updates.Facilitate, communicate, collaborate, and negotiate between customers and technical teams to bring features and deliverables to closure.Consult with stakeholders and review project proposals to determine goals, timeframes, funding limitations, procedures, staffing requirements, and resource allocation.Present plans and proposals to executive management, persuading and negotiating for resources as needed.Develop and maintain key relationships with internal teams and external suppliers to deliver multi-team solutions, often influencing roadmaps without direct control over priorities.Facilitate decision making with stakeholders, balancing the needs of different constituencies and driving consensus.Act as the first point of escalation and resolution for problems, obstacles, and opportunities arising on a project.Risk, Process & Quality ManagementPerform risk analysis, proactively identify risk areas and critical tasks, and communicate project issues to the project team, escalating to stakeholders and management as necessary.Establish formal mitigation plans for time and scope changes from the original project plan.Continuously review the effectiveness of current processes and procedures, identifying and leading process improvement initiatives.Understand the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) well enough to recognize potential issues and the consequences of changes made during development.Analyze the impact of client change requests and evaluation findings on other technologies or platforms.Define and refine Agile metrics to understand and improve team performance.Reporting & GovernancePrepare and distribute project status reports, keeping team members, management, clients, and other stakeholders informed of progress and related issues.Aggregate and track action items and key decisions arising from working sessions.Monitor and report project status on a regular cadence, maintaining and driving closure of action registers.Manage the integration of vendor tasks and deliverables, reviewing vendor output for quality and completeness.Team LeadershipProvide project leadership, guidance, and mentorship to assigned team members, including resource allocation and workload management.Coordinate with management and stakeholders to ensure projects are appropriately staffed.Provide timely and constructive performance feedback for project team members.Support multi-disciplined project teams and foster strong collaboration within and beyond the immediate team.Participate in daily standups, sprint planning, and retrospective sessions.Establish and maintain positive, effective working relationships with senior management, internal departments, and external contacts to secure agreement on and achieve project goals.QualificationsEducationBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a related technical discipline required; Master's degree preferred.Experience5+ years of experience managing complex technical projects or programs, ideally including large-scale web services, cloud platforms, or enterprise software implementations.Previous experience in a Team Lead, Supervisor, Product Owner, or Project Manager capacity.Proven, successful history of enterprise-level implementations and integrations.Experience working within organizations that have adopted Agile methodologies, along with familiarity with managed service and offshore delivery models.Experience managing infrastructure projects across distributed locations, including in-house and outsourced teams.Experience with vendor management, including tracking deliverables and integrating third-party workstreams.Technical & Methodological KnowledgeThorough knowledge of project management processes, tools, and methodologies, including the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and Agile/Iterative frameworks.Expert-level knowledge of Agile/Iterative methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or similar).Understanding of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies and current technology industry best practices.Familiarity with large-scale web services and applications, plus prior experience with cloud services and cloud-based projects.Expert knowledge of project scheduling tools such as MS Project, including critical path scheduling, resource loading and leveling, time reporting, and earned value analysis.Hands-on experience with Azure DevOps, including administrative experience setting up projects and training team members; familiarity with Pivotal Tracker or Rally is a plus.Certifications (Preferred)Project Management Professional (PMP)Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or equivalent Agile certificationITIL Foundation certificationSkills & AttributesExcellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and vice versa.Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound judgment under ambiguity and pressure.Demonstrated ability to motivate and guide team members, removing roadblocks to sustain high team performance.Ability to set clear expectations, develop realistic project plans, and manage personal and team workload effectively.Strong negotiation and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to balance competing stakeholder priorities.Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple concurrent priorities in a fast-paced environment.