We are partnered with a leader in oral health and dental insurance, seeking a dynamic Program Manager to join their Project Management Office (PMO). The ideal candidate is an experienced and talented individual responsible for managing both technical and non-technical projects within a focused Program to support of our clients strategic goals and objectives. This position will be required to manage multiple projects at any one time and will be responsible for managing several interrelated projects within a program. Experience using multiple management methodologies including Agile (SAFe or Scrum), Waterfall and a combination of those approaches (hybrid) is required.
Responsibilities
- Manages multiple smaller to medium or even larger sized projects through the full delivery lifecycle and drives execution
- Collaborates with the project teams and maintains close connection to an agile development team on a day-to-day basis
- Translate concepts into an actionable plan for execution.
- Manage a backlog of project requests and organize those requests into a future based roadmap or priorities aligned to defined strategic goals.
- Operate at all levels of the organization and continuously raise the bar and drive teams to deliver high quality results.
- Works effectively with Business Sponsors and/or Product Owners in the planning and definition of projects and drive key decisions when needed.
- Groom and prioritize the work in the team backlog in accordance with product strategy and goals.
- Leads project teams, including resources that do not have a direct reporting relationship.
- Adapts both verbal and written communications to ensure clear understanding based on the audience.
- Ensure project teams deliver value by defining the acceptance criteria for user stories and accepting/rejecting completed work.
- Develops project plans/schedules following the Project Management Office’s (PMO) defined processes.
- Ensures scope, budget and timelines are clearly defined, communicated, agreed upon and understood.
- Manages change in accordance with DDNJ-CT formal Change Control Policy.
- Facilitates effective discussion and conflict resolution through active listening and effective communications.
- Communicates project status to middle management on a weekly basis, as well as, potentially on short notice to Senior Management.
- Defines, manages, and oversees the allocation and monitoring of resources and resource utilization on projects.
- Facilitates meetings and workshops, creates a shared understanding with stakeholders, and engages team-members to gather and understand requirements.
- Listens to and works to fully understand the viewpoints of others.
- Cultivates good working relationships with peers through effective communications.
- Maintains and updates business cases and success metrics throughout the project lifecycle.
- Analyzes issues and develops creative solutions to support resolution.
Qualifications
- Knowledge of the oral health industry including dental benefits preferred.
- Strong technology background and familiarity with all stages of the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
- In depth knowledge of project management methodologies and principles using multiple methodologies.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Strong communication and listening skills, both verbal and written.
- Experience managing both technical and non-technical projects of various size and complexity.
- Experience working with outsource development and solution vendors.
- Experience in writing Business Requirements and Functional Specifications a plus.
- Strong analytical skills and business process knowledge.
- Excellent writing skills, including experience writing Project Plans, Requirements and ability to communicate Functional Specifications.
- Ability to review and interpret various documents, including design specifications.
- Understanding of and experience with development of business cases a plus.
- Previous experience using a Project Portfolio Management tool such as Clarity, Planview, PPMExpress, Project Server or Daptiv strongly preferred.
Experience/ Certifications Required
- Requires at least 5+ years of experience in a Business Analyst, Product Owner or Project Manager field or in a related area.
- Experience writing user stories, requirements, vertically slicing features, using test suites, and maintaining backlogs.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification is strongly preferred.
- PMI-ACP or SAFe certification is strongly preferred.
