Program Manager, IT

Strayer Education, Inc. • Minneapolis, MN

18h

About The Position

This role works in close collaboration with senior leaders across the organization and is responsible for managing a program roadmap for technology products/projects with oversight of all supporting initiatives. The Program Manager will work closely with IT and functional leadership to deliver on programs, products and projects supporting enterprise priorities, strategies and goal attainment. Essential Duties & Responsibilities: The Program Manager will create, manage, and execute detailed program roadmaps, schedules, reports and analysis to ensure the planned achievement of milestones and to keep stakeholders informed. This is a high-visibility role with regular executive leadership interaction. The Program Manager will possess and demonstrate strategic thinking for reducing program risks and maximizing program benefits. The Program Manager provides leadership and strategic thinking to support continuous process improvement to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, while continuously ensuring all projects/initiatives are aligned with SEI methodologies, goals and business strategies. The Program Manager provides coaching, mentoring, training and thought leadership to support the development of Project Managers across SEI, maintain best practices and deliver best-in-class project management for technology projects/products/initiatives across SEI. Program Strategy Support Set quarterly plans based on leadership vision while working within capacity constraints. Maintain continuous alignment of program decisions/direction and project scope to strategic objectives, making recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of business results or strategic intent. Maintain roadmaps and oversee critical milestones across programs to support progress, prioritization and goal attainment. Work with other program managers and IT leaders to identify risks and opportunities across multiple projects within IT. Program Planning Work with IT leadership and business/project owners to ensure business cases are built, solutions are defined and proposal level estimates are gathered. Manage resourcing and estimating across program. Ensure project managers and other project team members are assigned and on-boarded to kick-off defined projects. Identify key requirements needed from cross-functional teams and external vendors. Manage interdependencies between projects, escalating risks or issues impacting the success of the strategy/workstream. Program Execution Support and monitor project plans across programs, projects, and workstreams to support overall program success. Serve as a primary resource to project teams to remove obstacles, provide solutions, and support team members in achieving project objectives. Prepare and facilitate all critical path program meetings, leadership alignment meetings, and process improvement discussions. Partner with IT teams, IT leadership and IT project managers as needed to ensure IT solutions support business strategies. Provide oversight and guidance to projects of high importance. Actively seek out and identify ways to improve the processes to effectively deliver value. Ensures implementation plans are in place and results in monitoring is owned and implemented. Program Reporting and Monitoring Develop, create and manage reporting system to ensure delivery requirements and timeframes are met and result in monitoring is owned and implemented. Stakeholder Management Establish and manage cross-functional relationships between all areas of the business. Identify stakeholders and their critical success factors and risks to support milestone and goal attainment across programs, projects, products. Communication Management Establish and execute program communications plans to address stakeholder needs, and, measuring/communicating program status and progress to project teams and leadership.

Requirements

• The Program Manager must have strong communication and relationship-building skills and thrive in a fast-paced environment where cross-functional leadership is key to leading and solving complex problems.
• Knowledge - application of advanced project/program management principles.
• Highly adaptable to the growing and changing needs of the business.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to manage complex and varied interpersonal relationships to successfully complete projects and implement change.
• Business acumen, ability to effectively partner up, down and across the organization and influence without authority.
• Intellectual curiosity to enable contributions at both a strategic and tactical level.
• Ability to facilitate small- and large-group discussions using a variety of facilitation techniques.
• Excellent ability to organize time and detailed information to successfully manage and complete multiple projects.
• Displays a sense of urgency and accurately delivers information on time.
• Detail, data, and process-driven.
• Ability to anticipate roadblocks, diagnose problems, and generate effective solutions.
• Strong negotiation, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in managing and reporting on program goals and objectives (planned vs actual) to achieve the programs business objectives.
• Experience working cross-functionally and across levels of the organization.
• High level of business and organizational aptitude.
• Able to positively influence steering committees, management, business partners and project teams.
• Skilled at presenting to audiences across all levels and facilitating complex meetings without guidance, leaping discussions focused and accomplishing pre-defined objectives.
• Demonstrates critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making by applying board knowledge and perspective to make high-quality decisions and solve complex issues with limited guidance.
• Demonstrated ability to manage/lead multiple projects concurrently and successfully prioritize multiple tasks with good judgment and in an effective and productive manner.
• Proven track record of driving results across complex projects.
• Advanced skills in delivering and driving change management associated with large-scale enterprise system implementations and/or changes.
• Ability to lead at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Advanced knowledge of project management concepts, tools, and techniques.
• Working knowledge of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Comfortable working with geographically diverse teams.
• Proven ability to work autonomously and deliver results.
• 8+ years of direct project management experience with complex multi-year technical projects.
• 8+years of overall business / IT experience.
• Robust experience in formal project delivery methodologies; PMP (Project Management Professional) certification preferred.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution

Nice To Haves

• Graduate work in business, Information Technology or project/program management preferred.
• Masters degree from an accredited institution desired.
• PMP/PgMP/PfMP and/or CSM desired

Responsibilities

• Create, manage, and execute detailed program roadmaps, schedules, reports and analysis to ensure the planned achievement of milestones and to keep stakeholders informed.
• Strategic thinking for reducing program risks and maximizing program benefits.
• Provide leadership and strategic thinking to support continuous process improvement to enhance effectiveness and efficiency, while continuously ensuring all projects/initiatives are aligned with SEI methodologies, goals and business strategies.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, training and thought leadership to support the development of Project Managers across SEI, maintain best practices and deliver best-in-class project management for technology projects/products/initiatives across SEI.
• Set quarterly plans based on leadership vision while working within capacity constraints.
• Maintain continuous alignment of program decisions/direction and project scope to strategic objectives, making recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of business results or strategic intent.
• Maintain roadmaps and oversee critical milestones across programs to support progress, prioritization and goal attainment.
• Work with other program managers and IT leaders to identify risks and opportunities across multiple projects within IT.
• Work with IT leadership and business/project owners to ensure business cases are built, solutions are defined and proposal level estimates are gathered.
• Manage resourcing and estimating across program.
• Ensure project managers and other project team members are assigned and on-boarded to kick-off defined projects.
• Identify key requirements needed from cross-functional teams and external vendors.
• Manage interdependencies between projects, escalating risks or issues impacting the success of the strategy/workstream.
• Support and monitor project plans across programs, projects, and workstreams to support overall program success.
• Serve as a primary resource to project teams to remove obstacles, provide solutions, and support team members in achieving project objectives.
• Prepare and facilitate all critical path program meetings, leadership alignment meetings, and process improvement discussions.
• Partner with IT teams, IT leadership and IT project managers as needed to ensure IT solutions support business strategies.
• Provide oversight and guidance to projects of high importance.
• Actively seek out and identify ways to improve the processes to effectively deliver value.
• Ensures implementation plans are in place and results in monitoring is owned and implemented.
• Develop, create and manage reporting system to ensure delivery requirements and timeframes are met and result in monitoring is owned and implemented.
• Establish and manage cross-functional relationships between all areas of the business.
• Identify stakeholders and their critical success factors and risks to support milestone and goal attainment across programs, projects, products.
• Establish and execute program communications plans to address stakeholder needs, and, measuring/communicating program status and progress to project teams and leadership.

Benefits

• SEI offers a comprehensive package of benefits to employees scheduled 30 hours or more per week. In addition to medical, dental, vision, life and disability plans, SEI employees may take advantage of well-being incentives, parental leave, paid time off, certain paid holidays, tax saving accounts (FSA, HSA), 401(k) retirement benefit, Employee Stock Purchase Plan, tuition assistance as well as entertainment and retail discounts.
• Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime pay, if applicable.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level