Senior Lead Program Manager

Location:

Austin, United States of America
Thales people architect identity management and data protection solutions at the heart of digital security. Business and governments rely on us to bring trust to the billions of digital interactions they have with people. Our technologies and services help banks exchange funds, people cross borders, energy become smarter and much more. More than 30,000 organizations already rely on us to verify the identities of people and things, grant access to digital services, analyze vast quantities of information and encrypt data to make the connected world more secure.
This is a hybrid position in Austin, TX

Position Summary The Lead Strategic Program Manager is a senior individual contributor within Cybersecurity Products Engineering who leads the organization’s highest-impact, cross-functional strategic programs from definition through execution. The role partners with Engineering, Product, Finance, Security, Sales, Legal, HR, and Talent Acquisition to establish governance, executive reporting, resource and investment plans, and scalable operating frameworks. The incumbent serves as a trusted advisor who brings financial and operational rigor, challenges assumptions, influences senior stakeholders without formal authority, and drives measurable business outcomes.
Essential Functions

• Own and drive CSP’s highest-priority strategic programs, including compliance and certification, organizational expansion, and cross-functional transformation initiatives, from business case through delivery.
• Define program scope, governance, success metrics, roadmaps, commitments, timelines, risks, dependencies, and cross-functional trade-offs.
• Build investment business cases that quantify ARR impact, cost, and risk and secure leadership sponsorship.
• Translate executive priorities into operating cadence, program plans, resourcing decisions, and executive- or board-level materials.
• Present program status, risks, recommendations, and decisions to senior leadership.
• Partner with Finance on budgets, labor allocation, discretionary spend, planning, and forecasting.
• Apply data-driven analysis to workforce strategy, resource allocation, portfolio prioritization, and organizational planning.
• Design scalable frameworks for hiring, talent reviews, planning cycles, and distributed global-team growth.
• Coordinate Engineering, Finance, Legal, Security, Sales, HR, and Talent Acquisition across multi-quarter initiatives.
• Bring structure and clarity to ambiguous problems through governance, cadence, reporting, and decision frameworks.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field with a minimum of 8-12+ years of relevant work experience or Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field with 6+ years of relevant work experience.
• 10+ years of strategic program management, business/strategic operations, or comparable cross-functional leadership experience in technology, cybersecurity, or software engineering.
• Demonstrated leadership of complex, multi-stakeholder programs from business case through execution, including compliance or regulatory programs or comparable strategic initiatives.
• Strong financial acumen in budget management, forecasting, and investment business cases.
• Proven ability to create executive- and board-level communications and present to senior leadership.
• Experience partnering with Finance, HR/Talent Acquisition, Engineering, and Security leaders to scale operational frameworks.
• Experience supporting organizational or geographic expansion, workforce planning, and location business cases.
• Exceptional ability to operate in ambiguity and align teams without direct authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.
• Direct experience with FedRAMP, Common Criteria, or another cybersecurity or government compliance authorization program.
• Experience in a matrixed, global engineering organization, including international hiring, transition, or footprint expansion.
• Background in financial analysis or accounting before moving into program or operations leadership.
• Experience producing Board of Directors or C-suite advance materials.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States for any employer at the time of hire. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship or for assuming sponsorship of an employment visa now or in the future.

This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified…