Program Manager

Job Title: Program Manager – Internal Initiatives & Strategy Governance

Role Summary

We are looking for an experienced Program Manager to own the governance and end-to-end management of all internal initiatives and strategic programs across the organization.

This role will establish structured visibility, prioritization, and accountability for internal projects spanning innovation, transformation, AI & automation, process improvement, and strategic priorities. You will work closely with senior leadership and cross-functional teams to convert ideas and strategic goals into well-defined programs, drive disciplined execution, remove roadblocks, track outcomes, and ensure initiatives deliver measurable business impact.

Key Responsibilities

1. Portfolio & Program Governance

• Own the centralized governance of all internal initiatives and strategic programs.
• Maintain a single source of truth for ongoing and proposed initiatives across the organization.
• Evaluate and prioritize initiatives based on strategic alignment, business impact, feasibility, investment, and expected ROI.
• Ensure every initiative has a clear business case, executive sponsor, accountable owner, defined milestones, success metrics, and target outcomes.
• Prevent initiatives from remaining stuck in discussion, pilot, or proof-of-concept stages without clear progression.

2. End-to-End Program Execution

• Manage initiatives through the full lifecycle: ideation → evaluation → planning → pilot/MVP → implementation → adoption → benefits realization.
• Develop program plans, roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, and risk registers.
• Conduct regular progress reviews with initiative owners and stakeholders.
• Proactively identify and escalate delays, risks, resource constraints, and interdependencies.
• Drive action-item closure and hold teams accountable for commitments.

3. Strategic Alignment & Leadership Reporting

• Establish and operate a structured governance framework for internal programs.
• Prepare and present executive dashboards covering:
• Initiative status and RAG health
• Key milestones and deliverables
• Expected vs. realized business value
• Investment and resource utilization
• Risks, dependencies, and decisions required
• Facilitate recurring portfolio/program reviews with senior leadership.
• Provide clear recommendations and decision options on critical issues.

4. Benefits Realization & ROI Tracking

• Define measurable success criteria for every initiative.
• Track and report outcomes such as cost savings, productivity gains, process efficiency, automation impact, adoption rates, and employee/customer experience improvements.
• Conduct post-implementation reviews to validate whether expected benefits were achieved and capture lessons learned.

5. Cross-Functional Coordination

• Coordinate programs spanning Technology, Operations, HR, Finance, Sales, Delivery, IT, and other business functions.
• Clarify ownership and accountability across teams.
• Resolve cross-functional dependencies that impact delivery.
• Facilitate alignment and decision-making between business and technology stakeholders.

Required Experience & Skills

• 8–12+ years of experience in Program Management, Portfolio Management, PMO, Transformation, or Strategy Execution roles.
• Proven track record of governing and delivering multiple strategic or internal initiatives simultaneously.
• Strong expertise in program/project governance, stage-gate processes, and benefits tracking.
• Experience with AI, automation, digital transformation, or process-improvement programs is highly preferred.
• Strong business case development and ROI orientation.
• Excellent stakeholder management, facilitation, and executive communication skills.
• Comfortable influencing and driving accountability without direct hierarchical authority.
• Hands-on experience with tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Project, Planner, Power BI, or similar.
• PMP, PgMP, Agile, Scrum, SAFe, or equivalent certification preferred.

Preferred Attributes

• Structured, detail-oriented, and results-driven.
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous and fast-changing environments.
• Strong problem-solving and prioritization skills.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to build trust across functions and levels.