Lead Program Manager

JOB OVERVIEW:

The Principal Program Lead is critical in blending hands-on project management and business analysis to deliver clients’ digital initiatives without direct team management. This position involves close collaboration with application team project managers. It focuses on operational client interactions to support their objectives and ensure the successful delivery of digital initiatives. The ideal candidate will be adept in Agile methodologies, excel in all forms of communication, be capable of interfacing effectively with clients, stakeholders, and development teams, and ensure all user stories and project plans align with project objectives and operational best practices.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Project Leadership and Oversight: Guide and oversee projects from inception to completion, ensuring alignment with business goals and operational standards. Work closely with application team project managers and clients to ensure transparent project execution.
• Agile Methodology Expertise: Apply Agile principles throughout the project lifecycle. Ensure project team members adhere to Agile methodologies and practices, facilitating Scrum and other Agile ceremonies as needed.
• Analysis: Review and refine user stories and project deliverables to ensure they meet the definition of done and align with the client’s vision. Support analysis activities that may require systems integration and Enterprise Content Management systems, advising on requirement clarifications, user experience considerations, resolution of business rules and data validation. Analyze and drive resolution of issues for your assigned product or ensure they are assigned to the correct team or team member and track through closure.
• Provide detailed feedback on project plans and development efforts to ensure clarity, completeness, and accountability. Partner with teams to gather status, complete an effective status assessment and provide transparent, accurate information to the client, including progress against plan, risks, and issues in a written format.
• Client Interaction and Accountability: Manage operational interactions with clients, focusing on the efficient execution of projects and the delivery of value-driven results. Ensure the client has written documentation or updates as part of this process. Act as the primary liaison between clients, stakeholders, departments and technical teams, ensuring clear and effective communication. Take full ownership of synthesizing and presenting the status of issues that span multiple teams, preventing miscommunication and ensuring that clients receive accurate and comprehensive updates. Proactively address and work with teams to correct discrepancies, safeguarding the integrity of information the client relies on for decision-making.
• Communication, Documentation, and Compliance: Partner with integration partners to establish communication processes across the teams, coach the team to ensure adherence, and ensure timely response and resolution. Ensure comprehensive documentation is maintained for all project phases, including key components such as user story development, deployment plans, and retrospectives. Develop clear, actionable leave-behind materials for key client meetings and when critical information needs to be conveyed to wider stakeholder groups. Use tools like Confluence to manage routine updates and statuses. Ensure team processes and documentation comply with client standards and industry best practices.
• Managerial Collaboration and Alignment: Collaborate closely with your BCI Manager to ensure alignment on deliverables, priorities, and objectives. Work together to address and resolve issues, effectively manage scope, and to manage new scope introduced by the client for our team. Ensure proactive communication to maintain alignment with the team you support and the priorities communicated to your management by their leadership and clients, particularly when managing scope adjustments or conflicting directives from clients, your own team, and stakeholders.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

This position requires a minimum of 5 years of relevant transferrable experience. In addition qualified candidates must meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Information Technology, or a related field
• 2 years of experience with systems integration, Enterprise Content Management systems, and consumer-facing applications are essential
• Experience supporting projects in heavily matrixed, geographically distributed organizations required
• 2 years experience with Agile/Scrum methodology
• 2 years in consulting within recognized firm(s); demonstrated experience delivering high-quality consulting services that involve direct client interaction and responsibility for solution definition, analysis and/or project management. (Contracting experience, while valuable, does not meet the criteria for this position).

1. Technical Skills: Proficiency in Agile project management, familiarity with writing and reviewing user stories, and development and management of complex project plans. Experience with project management tools such as Jira and Confluence. Proficient in Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Jira, Confluence. SAFE, Scrum Master, and/or Product Owner Certification a plus
2. Communication Skills: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively with clients and cross-functional teams. Must be able to articulate technical concepts and project status to nontechnical stakeholders in both a written and verbal format
3. Adaptability: Must be adept at managing changing project priorities and able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously with minimal supervision
4. Problem Management: Demonstrated high emotional intelligence, proactive problem-solving, and client relationship management skills.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected characteristic.