Job Description

Program Manager

Location:

Johnston,  Rhode Island

Date Posted:

3/17/2025

Employment Type:

Consulting

Recruiter:

Clayton Minnich

Recruiter Email:

clayton.minnich@avidtr.com

Job ID:

JN -032025-17189

Job Description

About The Job
The Engineering & Research (E&R) Department is seeking a Program Manager. This position reports to the Senior Vice President of Research but will support the overall E&R leadership and portfolio, providing expertise in managing medium and large initiatives to drive strategic outcomes and deliver value. The Program Manager will be responsible for defining and implementing new project management processes, supporting business leads in strategy development, and leading the day-to-day execution of projects. Throughout the initiative execution process, the Program Manager will coordinate with stakeholders to plan key milestones, monitor and report progress, with a strong emphasis on business objectives and value delivery. They will also ensure efficient resource deployment, manage dependencies, and mitigate risks and issues to minimize program volatility with respect to scope and quality changes. Additionally, this role will involve some change management activities as the department transitions to a new operating model with new processes. The ideal candidate is innovative, self-driven, process-oriented, and excited to help define and implement the necessary structures to support a new operating model.

Responsibilities include:
Project Leadership, Planning, and Strategy:
  • Establish a robust program/project structure with clear ownership and accountability, facilitating organizational alignment, streamlined decision-making, and effective communication.
  • Cultivate strong relationships with leadership, portfolio program managers, and other internal stakeholders to define, clarify, and control project scope, objectives, and resolve conflicts.
  • Develop, maintain, and manage comprehensive project plans in project management software (e.g., Workfront) for each department-level project, including timelines, detailed work breakdowns, and dependencies.
  • Develop and integrate methods to track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) within planning and execution activities to assess benefit realization and project success.
  • Partner with the Finance team to track and report project budgets and expenses.
  • Oversee the overall governance and structure of the department portfolio, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities. Prepare and coordinate with other governing groups to ensure alignment of work with broader business strategy.
  • Facilitate cross-departmental and initiative collaboration to ensure effective execution of department priorities, including process, people, and technology changes.
  • Provide regular transparent and accurate updates on project progress, changes, decisions needed, risks, or issues.
  • Adhere to execution standards and apply appropriate project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid) to optimize project execution and delivery.
Change Management:
  • Develop and implement an overall change strategy and plan to drive readiness and adoption of the new operating model.
  • Lead change management activities focusing on leadership enablement, training, communications, implementation planning, and resistance management.
  • Gather feedback from impacted stakeholders to diagnose issues with change execution and inform corrective actions.
Team Leadership and Coaching:
  • Establish clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability within the project team and related initiatives.
  • Lead, coach, and inspire project teams, fostering an environment of continuous improvement, psychological safety, and development.
  • Implement performance metrics to monitor team efficiency and project outcomes, ensuring alignment with project goals.
Risk and Issue Management:
  • Identify, analyze, and mitigate project risks proactively to minimize their impact on project timelines and outcomes.
  • Drive processes to track, escalate, and resolve issues promptly to ensure minimal disruption to project progress.
  • Develop and implement contingency plans to address potential project challenges and ensure continuity.
Evaluation and Project Transition:
  • Conduct thorough post-project evaluations to gather feedback, assess project success, and identify areas for improvement.
  • Document lessons learned and best practices to inform future projects and drive continuous improvement.
  • Continually measure and report the success of project execution and change adoption efforts using analytics.
  • Manage the smooth closeout and transition of the project to the business, ensuring all deliverables are completed, documentation is finalized, and a thorough handover is conducted.
Qualifications
Experience:
  • 7-10 years of experience in program and project management, leading multiple medium and large initiatives concurrently.
  • 3-5 years of experience in change management execution.
  • Proven experience in defining and implementing governance structures and processes.
  • Ability to perform well under pressure, managing high demand and tight deadlines.
  • Skilled in developing and managing comprehensive project plans leveraging project management software (e.g., Workfront).
  • Strong relationship-building with leadership and internal stakeholders.
  • Bachelor’s degree required; MS or MBA is a plus.
  • Change Management qualifications (e.g., ADKAR certification) a plus.
  • Experience in the insurance industry, property loss prevention, or research is a plus.
Key Skills:
  • Resourceful self-starter with the ability to independently drive progress and adapt in ambiguous situations.
  • Strong process-oriented mindset to establish processes and standardization.
  • Strong networking and influencing skills, particularly in coordinating with diverse teams across the organization.
  • Ability to pivot between strategic thinking to anticipate long-term challenges and tactical execution to effectively address immediate needs.
  • Ability to hold people accountable without direct authority, using influence and collaboration.
  • Confident in proposing new ideas and integrating feedback, even under executive scrutiny.
  • Proficient in using standard documentation tools (e.g., Excel, PowerPoint).
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, adaptable to all organizational levels.
  • Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask and collaborate with diverse stakeholders.
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