We have a 6-12 month contract to hire position open for a Sr Program Manager. The candidate should live in St Louis area and able to work a hybrid schedule.The Sr Program Manager Performs highly advanced project management activities with minimal guidance from leadership, in partnership with key stakeholders, applying considerable independent judgement and innovative completion strategies.The scope of activities in this role will include very large, very complex programs and/or a set of multiple projects and/or multiple workstreams in a global program.The IT Program Manager anticipates complex challenges and applies experience and creativity to derive technology and business solutions that support strategic initiatives across a diverse set of departments, divisions or geographies.Applies expert knowledge of best practices, extensive project management experience, advanced domain knowledge and proven ability to solve complex problems and improve products, processes and services.Establishes expectations and communicates standards for effective project management across the project portfolio, including developing charters, plans, schedules, and budgets; allocating resources; monitoring performance against schedule, budget, and quality targets; managing changes, issues and risks; and providing regular communication to program teams, stakeholders, and other areas within the organization.Creates and manages program plans and all other well-known program controls and directs the work of other project managers. Anticipates risks and issues and provides complex mitigation strategies to successfully deliver complex solutions that extend beyond the department, division or region.Provides leadership and direction to other project management professionals and project team members to create and manage project plans and all other well-known project controls.Cultivates broad partnerships and applies advanced leadership strategies to develop sophisticated solutions and innovative strategies that improve products and services and deliver business value.Proactively monitors industry trends, client-facing new business, strategic business and technology initiatives across the organization. Develops insights, advocates for solutions and communicates ideas across the organization.Develops strategic plans to meet long term project commitments. Identifies assumptions, dependencies and constraints that may impact successful project execution and delivery of business objectives. Initiates cross-functional discussions and provides creative solutions to business partners based on business knowledge, domain expertise and project management experience.Ensures organizational change management principles and proven practices are implemented across the program to assess change readiness and greatly influence a comprehensive change management strategy that will ensure adoption of delivered solutions and realization of expected benefits.May supervise or manage four or fewer employees, and responsible for team's performance; coaches and mentors team membersBachelor's degree or equivalent experienceMaster's Degree Professional designation; Project Management Professional, ITIL, or other applicable industry certification Life Insurance or financial services industry training, or applicable industry certification
10+ years' relevant experience in project coordination or project management
Intermediate to Advanced program management skills; demonstrated ability to negotiate, mediate and influence project teams, key stakeholders and Executive Leadership
Expert project management, leadership and vendor management skills; demonstrated ability to evaluate stakeholder objectives and scope for feasibility, understanding and scheduling to ensure projects meet success criteria and deliver business value
Highly advanced or Expert people management skills, demonstrated ability to lead, mentor, and develop associates; including the ability to delegate effectively
Highly advanced or Expert knowledge and experience with various software development methodologies; demonstrated ability to discern "fit for purpose" methods and apply rationale to produce desired project outcomes
Highly advanced knowledge of finance and/or accounting principles, standards and rules; demonstrated ability to apply financial management principles to projects under management
Highly Advanced ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances and work under tight timelines; demonstrated ability to adjust to changing priorities and manage team dynamics in stressful conditions
Highly advanced or Expert oral and written communication skills, demonstrated ability to convey ideas in a clear and concise manner including preparing and delivering presentations to large groups
Highly advanced or Expert investigative, analytical and problem solving skills; demonstrated ability to translate business needs and problems into viable/accepted technology solutions
Expert customer relationship and stakeholder management skills; demonstrated ability to resolve conflict and foster teamwork
Highly advanced or Expert experience managing large cross-functional, international and/or global projects; demonstrated ability to lead virtual teams across diverse geographies and time zones
12+ years of complex project management experience in a fast-paced technology, financial services or insurance environment
Expert risk mitigation and issue resolution skills; demonstrated ability to identify challenges and determine solutions
Expert communication and change management skills; demonstrated ability to effectively target communications and influence a wide range of audiences, from Indvidual contributors to senior leaders
Advanced knowledge and/or practical experience with Lean, Six Sigma or other process improvement methodologies
Leadership of Project Management Office (PMO) and/or portfolio managers
Microsoft Office application experience (Excel, Word, Visio, Teams, SharePoint) MS Project or equivalent project management tools Requirements management tools (Jira, Azure Dev Ops, etc.) Advanced Financial Management / Accounting system tools Advanced knowledge of the Software Development Life CycleIndustry Certifications in Project Management, ITIL or Agile Framework
