Project Manager, Program ​/ Project Manager, Operations Manager

Company: Farm Credit East

Join a team focused on the success of our customers, the success of our communities, and the success of each other. Farm Credit East (FCE) is the leading provider of loans and farm advisory services to farm, forest product, fishing, and other agricultural business owners across the northeast with $13.5 billion in total loan volume and $29 million in annual financial services revenue from 18,000 customers across our 8-state territory.

We are One Team Working Together with a focus on our five pillars:
Outstanding Customer and Employee Experience, Quality Growth, Operational Excellence, Commitment to our Communities, and Protecting Customer Information.

A Project Manager (PM) is an accountable leader responsible for independently delivering projects that drive measurable value for Farm Credit East’s customers and business objectives. The PM owns the full project lifecycle—from planning and execution through benefits realization—ensuring alignment with organizational strategy and standards. With strong skills in team leadership, stakeholder engagement, and risk management, the PM coordinates cross-functional efforts, manages dependencies, and proactively resolves challenges to achieve project outcomes.

Every project is managed with a customer-first mindset, ensuring solutions deliver tangible value to both customers and employees. This role is ideal for professionals ready to take ownership of project delivery, drive operational excellence, and contribute directly to Farm Credit East’s mission and vision.

Value Delivery & Strategic Alignment

• Build and own the execution plan:
  Develop integrated schedules, budgets, dependencies, and change/decision management processes for assigned projects.
• Publish leading indicators and benefits progress:
  Maintain and communicate progress on value realization, including post-implementation reviews at appropriate intervals to confirm benefits are being achieved.
• Drive corrective actions for value gaps:
  Analyze project performance against OKRs and benefits targets, proactively implement adjustments to maximize value delivery.
• Lead project planning and delivery:
  Independently develop and manage integrated project plans, including schedules, budgets, and resource allocations for assigned initiatives.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams:
  Facilitate team meetings, clarify roles and responsibilities, and ensure accountability for deliverables throughout the project lifecycle.
• Manage dependencies and change:
  Identify and address project interdependencies, oversee change requests, and elevate issues or risks that impact project outcomes.
• Maintain project documentation and standards:
  Ensure all project artifacts (charter, plans, decisions, status reports) are complete, accurate, and accessible in the designated system of record.
• Protect company interests:
  Coordinate with Legal, Information Security, and Risk to apply organizational policies and standards to safeguard data, confidentiality, and operational integrity in all project activities.
• Monitor and mitigate risks:
  Conduct regular risk reviews with the team, proactively identify and address risks and issues, and ensure compliance with company requirements.

Stakeholder & Change Enablement

• Facilitate stakeholder communication and decision forums:
  Deliver clear updates, manage exceptions, and document key decisions for sponsors and stakeholders.
• Drive adoption and operational stabilization:
  Partner with Change Enablement and Learning & Development to deliver training, communications, and seamless handoffs.
• Resolve conflicts and align teams:
  Lead sponsor and stakeholder meetings, resolve escalations, and ensure alignment with project and organizational goals.
• Champion continuous improvement:
  Lead retrospectives, propose EPMO procedure updates, and implement enhancements to project delivery.
• Coach teams on metrics and outcome measurement:
  Mentor team members in flow efficiency, lead time, and benefits tracking.
• Utilize AI tools to optimize project management deliverables, coach team members in responsible AI use, and lead continuous improvement initiatives by…