AVP, Program Manager

Boston, MA, United States

POSITION OVERVIEW

This position will be a direct report to the VP, Shared Services (Including Technology, Risk) Portfolio in the Operations, Shared Services Organization at Global Atlantic Financial Group. The Shared Services is focused on the design and implementation of integrated solutions to enable efficiencies and effectiveness; supports the strategic planning, budgeting and governance of business transformation initiatives and facilitates coordination across functional and organizational boundaries; collaborates with stakeholders to assess business process efficiency, operational performance and environmental factors to identify improvement opportunities; manages and coordinates resources to support program and project management, business analysis and provides oversight of project execution; and serves as GA’s center of excellence in the execution of large scale business transformation initiatives. This role can sit out of our Boston or Hartford Offices.

As a member of the EPMO team, Shared Services Program Manager partners with Human Resources, Legal & Compliance, Corporate Services, Corporate Development and Risk and other key stakeholders to lead the Shared Services function for Global Atlantic.This role oversees and directs the strategy for the planning, and execution of the Shared Services portfolio of projects focused on shared services transformational engagements for our business. You will work closely with project teams (including product owners, technology solution architects sourcing consultants and industry SMEs) and key stakeholders to understand customer and user needs, resolve conflicts and remove barriers, and ensure deliverables are on-time and meet quality standards.This role will typically interface with a diverse mix of internal and vendor stakeholders, all working towards the goal of delivering a project on-time and at or under budget.

We are looking for someone with an entrepreneurial and consultant outlook, has a systems thinking mindset, the ability to simplify the complex and act upon it, who is comfortable working in a dynamic team environment, and who will embrace the opportunity to connect cross functionally with other ahead, program/portfolio management experience, and possess excellent business partnering, negotiation and networking skills.

Responsibilities:

Accountable for the overall application of the Shared Services Delivery Program in terms of strategic value, architectural fit and business alignment.

Oversee and ensure technology projects are on time and on budget that require multiple layers of service providers and internal and external stakeholders.

Build and maintain collaborative relationships with business stakeholders, technology partners, Strategic Sourcing, and other key teams across organization.

Drive and Lead vendor selection process (including RFPs and Pricing) and manage against deliverables (including SOWs, change management, approval of deliverables).

Prioritize and report on project portfolio updates and value capture plan with internal stakeholders for Shared Services Monthly Governance reviews

Translate the business strategy, needs & requirements into clear direction for the project teams

Drive and execute multiple projects at a time based on demand of shared services projects

Drive and execute in the definition of project scope and goals, including project and staffing estimation

Define and create project approach, including project plans, targets, milestones and dependencies in Workfront/ Jira tool

Coordinate and manage Technology related annual discretionary planning and Quarterly financial planning with Business Finance Officer and Business sponsors/leads

Serve as the product owner in Agile / SCRUM development process; write user stories, groom the backlog, and lead sprint planning

Track project/engagement dependencies, milestones, and deliverables to ensure successful project implementation and deployment by closely working with business and technology teams.

Experience as a Project Manager in the Shared Services and IT sector

Relevant industry recognized certification related to project management, e.g. PMP, o Agile PM, o SAFe.

Good Knowledge and 15+ years of experience of project management (Agile, Prince2, PMP, Waterfall) methodologies

Lead stakeholder communications across all project work threads. Ensure appropriate communications regarding issues and risks to foster project success and long-term stakeholder relationship.

Serves as internal escalation point person on projects and ability to successfully resolve problems and issues.

Serve as subject matter expert and lead sponsor for designated program and projects and provide meaningful updates to business in laymen’s terms.

Budget and expense reporting as it pertains to the project portfolio by closely working with Business finance officer and technology governance team.

Champion continuous core business capability improvement through timely adoption of innovative technologies, procedures, and processes

Qualifications

15+ years relevant Project/Program Management experience in the Shared Services and technology-oriented organization

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in business administration or related field

Proven leadership experience, including direct and influence leadership of diverse teams across a highly matrixed organization

Passion and drive for continuous improvement, transformational change, with a business owner mentality

Ability to design, develop, and communicate accounting and finance related deliverables (resource plans, budgets, forecasts, variance analysis, etc.)

Demonstrated and proven track record of successful project implementations on various sizes of projects

Strong Vendor Relationship Management experience.

Strong interpersonal and relationship skills

Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence outcomes and gain team member and stakeholder buy-in

Cultural awareness with excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills.

Critical thinker and highly analytical with ability to solve complex problems that include the application of both good business sense and common sense

Demonstrated strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, ability to interpret data and synthesize complex issues to identify best solutions.

Builds trusted relationships and collaborates across diverse and multi-functional teams to successfully drive business objectives.

Advanced skills in business management tools including: Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Visio, Project and Access.

Preferred

Advanced degree.

Financial Services, Life Insurance and/or Annuity experience beneficial, but not a must

Experience managing large transformational programs.

Experience working and leading in an Agile Delivery Mode

Solid grasp of software technologies and stacks

15 years of experience in various business/technology roles with progressive responsibilities

PMP certification preferred.

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