Strategic Project​/Program Manager

Role Overview

The Strategic Program Manager is a skilled delivery practitioner who independently manages, strategically guides, and prepares the organization for change, enterprise transformation and/or ensures successful adoption of new software solutions (from design to delivery).

They are a consultative leader that operates with a high degree of discipline, attention to detail, and emotional intelligence. As an individual contributor, they will lead complex, cross-functional programs and bridges tactics and strategy by orchestrating readiness plans, mitigating risks, and driving stakeholder engagement.

They proactively identify risks, navigate organizational complexity, gain alignment, prepare for organizational readiness, and translate program status into clear narratives that enable faster decisions. They are expected to apply AI-powered practices to their work, contribute to the evolution of PMO standards, and model consultative behaviors. They’ll operate in a highly matrixed environment in close partnership with product, engineering, marketing, performance management, sales, and business stakeholders — and are expected to influence without authority at the Director and VP level.

This role will be aligned to a specific focus area within the PMO — spanning product solution module delivery, enterprise cross-functional programs, or foundational transformation initiatives — based on organizational need and candidate fit.

• Operates with a high degree of autonomy — identifies what needs to happen, drives it forward, and closes the loop without waiting to be directed.
• Independently manages complex, cross-functional projects and spanning multiple business or technical domains, owning the full lifecycle from initiation through delivery, close, and adoption.
• Works on projects / programs that have strategic importance to the business, ensuring alignment to vAuto’s overall strategy.
• Translates ambiguous strategies and program objectives into actionable integrated plans, schedules, and delivery milestones; identifies dependencies, critical path, and resource needs.
• Produces and maintains high-quality program artifacts including charters, risk and issue logs, communication plans, dependency maps, and status reports calibrated to stakeholder audience.
• Manages scope, change control, and budget tracking; escalates proactively when constraints threaten delivery outcomes.
• Plays a consultative role with business partners and stakeholders to define the right approach, process, and tools for program success.
• Coordinates and leverages shared resources across concurrent work streams or programs within their portfolio.
• Defines and implements PM standards and processes for the programs they manage; contributes to broader PMO playbooks, templates, and delivery frameworks.
• Leads structured retrospectives on programs they manage; surfaces learnings that inform continuous improvement and PMO capability-building.
• Manages third-party vendor engagements and internal partnerships — including data strategy stakeholders — as required by program delivery scope.
• Continually evaluates processes, methodologies, and tools as opportunities for innovation and efficiency.

• Drives clarity and reduces uncertainty across work streams by communicating program status, risks, and decisions proactively — calibrating message and medium to the audience and fostering open collaboration across teams.
• Produces high-quality program narratives for program sponsors and cross-functional leaders — translating execution detail into business-relevant insights that enable faster decisions.
• Establishes and maintains productive working partnerships with business owners, product leads, and technology teams.
• Identifies and escalates risks and issues with a clear point of view on mitigation; does not wait to be asked.
• Facilitates effective working sessions and decision forums at the program level, including steering and status meetings.
• Actively communicates program milestones and wins to maintain stakeholder engagement, team momentum, and PMO visibility.
• Demonstrates political acumen and…