Program Manager

About Us

Delta Dental of New Jersey and Delta Dental of Connecticut are proud to be leaders in the dental insurance industry, offering a wide range of plans to meet the needs of individuals and employers alike. As New Jersey’s largest dental coverage provider, we are committed to delivering high-quality, cost-effective solutions designed to meet the diverse needs of our customers and our team is growing.

In Connecticut, Delta Dental of Connecticut, Inc. provides fully insured dental coverage, while Delta Dental of New Jersey administers self-funded dental benefit programs. We proudly serve over 1.7 million individuals through more than 1,800 groups, including commercial, school board, and government programs.

Since 1969, Delta Dental has been at the forefront of innovation, offering programs that control costs while ensuring the highest level of benefits. 

As a member of the national Delta Dental Plans Association, we provide national dental coverage to over 75 million people across 139,000 groups. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in our prestigious Standard & Poor’s “A ” rating for financial strength. Join us and be a part of a trusted company with a rich history of delivering quality dental benefits to millions.

In addition to a great culture, we offer excellent benefits including medical, dental, Rx and vision, matching 401k, enhanced tuition reimbursement, and generous time off to recharge.  We value our associates and support everyone with learning and development, active wellness and diversity initiatives, and even paid time off to volunteer at causes that you care about.

Job Summary

We are seeking a strategic Program Manager with proven expertise in leading transformational initiatives. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a track record of successfully managing complex technical and non-technical projects that drive enterprise-wide business transformation. As a key leader at DDNJ/CT, you'll orchestrate high-impact programs aligned with our strategic objectives, ensure seamless delivery across multiple interrelated projects, and maintain excellence in scope, timeline, and budget management while fostering strong stakeholder relationships. Your ability to navigate organizational change, develop scalable program frameworks, and deliver measurable business outcomes will be essential to this role.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Interface directly with business stakeholders and third parties to gather and analyze functional and technical requirements, translating them into actionable project plans to meet enterprise objectives.
• Collaborate with teams to translate concepts into executable plans and deliverables, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
• Coordinate cross-functional team members' responsibilities to ensure efficient and effective project execution across multiple projects.
• Develop comprehensive project plans, schedules, and budgets, ensuring scope, timelines, and deliverables are clearly defined, communicated, and agreed upon.
• Lead the implementation phase, leveraging strong relationships across teams, including business stakeholders and technical teams, to drive project success.
• Track and report on project milestones and deliverable status, ensuring timely delivery, and communicate status updates to senior management and other stakeholders.
• Facilitate discussions, resolve conflicts, and ensure that project teams deliver value by defining clear acceptance criteria and ensuring effective collaboration.
• Manage a portfolio of smaller to medium or larger projects through the full delivery cycle, ensuring focused execution and successful outcomes.
• Groom and prioritize the work into a strategic roadmap and manage the team backlog to meet product strategy and goals.
• Continuously drive high-quality results and elevate team performance through strategic execution and strong partnerships.

 Essential Qualifications

DDNJ Competencies

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Technical and Functional 

• Proven expertise in managing transformational projects, ideally gained from a consulting firm environment, with a focus on large-scale, high-impact initiatives.
• In-depth knowledge of project management methodologies and principles, including Agile (SAFe or Scrum), Waterfall, and hybrid approaches.
• Strong experience managing both technical and non-technical projects of various sizes and complexities, with a focus on delivering transformational outcomes.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining a high level of quality and efficiency.
• Solid technology background with familiarity across all stages of the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex project details to senior stakeholders.
• Experience in writing Business Requirements, Functional Specifications, and maintaining project documentation.
• Strong analytical skills and a deep understanding of business processes, with the ability to translate them into actionable project plans.
• Experience with Project Portfolio Management tools such as Clarity, Planview, PPMExpress, Project Server, or Daptiv is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Tableau, MS Excel, and Microsoft Project.

Required Physical Abilities

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to sit and perform extensive close keyboard and PC work 
• Ability to walk, talk or hear
• Occasionally required to stand and reach with hands and arms

Working Environment

• Ability to meet deadlines and attendance standards. 
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• This classification will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Experience, Education and Certifications Required 

Experience Required

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in project management, with at least 2 years spent managing transformational projects from a consulting background.
• Proven ability to manage and execute complex, large-scale projects that require coordination across business and technical teams.
• Experience working directly with executives and senior leaders, influencing decision-making and driving successful project outcomes.
• Strong background in writing user stories, defining requirements, vertically slicing features, using test suites, and managing project backlogs.

Required Educational Level 

• Requires an Associate's degree (Bachelor's degree preferred in a related field).

Other Certifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is strongly preferred.
• PMI-ACP or SAFe certification is strongly preferred.

This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic Program Manager with a consulting background, looking to take on complex, transformative projects within a high-performance team. If you have a passion for driving change and delivering impactful solutions, we encourage you to apply.