Senior Program Manager, Customer Cultivation
POSITION OVERVIEW
The Program Manager – Customer Cultivation has day-to-day responsibility for coordinating the management of complex software development and business programs / projects to completion. You will coordinate and lead the activities of multiple cross-functional teams to complete projects that support the larger NMG Customer Cultivation business strategy and objectives. This position is responsible for managing and organizing resources, tasks, budgets and deliverables so that projects are completed within the defined scope, quality, time and cost constraints.
In performing this role, the Program Manager will be expected to leverage their prior knowledge and experience in blending traditional waterfall project management principles and practices with an Agile development methodology in the right proportions to fit large, complex, enterprise-level projects. They will be expected to employ an appropriate level of planning and provide the right balance of agility and predictability.
This is a management role, with direct reports comprised of both internal and contract employees. The most successful candidate will possess an exceptional customer-facing presence, where their years spent developing crystal clear communication plans appropriate for all levels of the organization will be on display. The breadth of their assignments will involve working closely with the technical team at the task level, and then being able to quickly pivot and provide summarized progress updates to the senior leadership team. Having a calm demeanor and possessing high levels of confidence when interacting directly with all levels of the organization is imperative.
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
Project Planning and Management – Define project scope and schedule while focusing on regular and timely delivery of value; organize and lead project status and working meetings; prepare and distribute progress reports; manage risks and issues; correct deviations from plans; and perform delivery planning for assigned projects
Team Management – Assist in team development while holding teams accountable for their commitments, removing roadblocks to their work; leveraging organizational resources to improve capacity for project work; and mentoring and developing team members
Product Owner Support – Support the Product Owner in managing customer expectations for project deliverables, managing stakeholder communications, and helping to implement an effective system of project governance
Process Management and Improvement – Define and manage a well-defined project management process and champion ongoing process improvement initiatives to implement best practices for Project Management
Team Building – Develop staffing model that ensures capable resources are in place, work with staffing team to evaluate and hire optimal candidates, promote empowerment of the team, ensure that each team member is fully engaged in the project and making a meaningful contribution, and encourage a sustainable pace with high-levels of quality for the team
Budget Management – Ensure financial controls are in place for accurate project forecasting, ensure contract resources adhere to prescribed VMO process controls, assist IT teams in tracking project actuals using Oracle Financials, assume ownership for reporting financial tracking metrics during executive steering committee meetings
ESSENTIAL ABILITIES, SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Minimum of 10 years of experience leading cross functional teams consisting of both internal and external resources, preferably with at least 2 years spent applying an agile methodology leading projects or programs in the Personalized Customer Engagement space.
Strong experience with marketing technologies and data analytics to include working with systems providing capabilities around customer master data, customer data platforms, decisioning, communications, campaign management, promotions or loyalty.
Experience with agile frameworks and deployment methodologies in a customer-facing production environment. This includes working with the QA team to help develop test strategies and ensure all appropriate sign-offs are received and conform to a highly disciplined release management strategy.
Detail-oriented, with strong organizational skills, able to work under deadlines in a changing environment, and ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects simultaneously.
Proven leadership skills, ability to prioritize, communicate clearly, a consistent track record of delivery, and an obsession about the customer experience.
Ability to interact with executives, managers, subject matter experts, and product owners in matrix structure of product management team.
Strong knowledge and understanding of business needs with the ability to establish/maintain high level of customer trust and confidence; retail experience preferred, but not required.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
The ideal candidate will possess the following performance and personal characteristics:
Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence effectively, balancing between competing priorities while remaining flexible and creative.
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work up, down and across organizational levels.
Strong business acumen, operations and problem-solving skills, along with the ability to assess current practices, identify opportunities for improvement, build consensus and drive the implementation of related changes.
Excellent executive presence and a track record of success working closely with the C-Suite.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
A Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management Information Systems or a related discipline required. Prior coursework in Computer Science or Computer Engineering preferred.
Certification as Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or one of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) certifications is highly preferred.
LOCATION
Downtown Dallas, TX (primary)
Irving, TX (secondary)