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Project/Program Manager IT 4
Madison, Wisconsin · Information TechnologyPosition: Project/Program Manager IT 4
Company: Confidential
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, 53713
Employment Type: Contract (6 months, 2/24/26 – 8/22/26)
Experience Level: 8–10 Years
Job ID: NUNYA
Role Overview
We are seeking a highly experienced IT Project/Program Manager to lead enterprise-wide initiatives that drive strategic transformation and cross-functional alignment. This role will manage complex programs from concept to delivery, leveraging SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) to align Agile Release Trains and ensure integrated PI planning. The Program Manager will be responsible for establishing governance frameworks, ensuring schedule, scope, and budget adherence, and enabling clear, proactive communication to senior leadership. Success in this role depends on the ability to manage risk, resolve execution roadblocks, and maintain focus across dynamic stakeholder groups in a fast-paced environment.
Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
Purpose:
This role directly supports high-impact, strategic business initiatives that span multiple departments and technology domains. By integrating agile delivery principles with enterprise governance, you will ensure execution is aligned with organizational priorities, improving time-to-value and cross-team coordination.
Growth:
You will have the opportunity to operate at the intersection of strategy and delivery, building executive-facing capabilities while enhancing your expertise in SAFe, portfolio-level governance, and multi-track Agile execution. This experience is a strong stepping stone to enterprise PMO leadership roles or transformation program oversight.
Motivators:
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in structured complexity and wants to lead meaningful programs that deliver measurable business value. If you enjoy bringing clarity to chaos, working across diverse teams, and influencing at all levels of an organization, this is a strong career-building opportunity.
Major Performance Objectives
1. Establish Portfolio Governance and Drive Strategic Alignment (First 60 Days)
Within the first two months, lead the development and implementation of a portfolio governance structure that enables consistent tracking, prioritization, and escalation across active initiatives. Align program workstreams to enterprise OKRs and strategy roadmaps, ensuring project charters and dashboards reflect business priorities.
2. Lead Execution of High-Visibility Programs to On-Time, On-Budget Delivery (Through Contract Term)
Oversee the day-to-day execution of multiple workstreams, ensuring delivery against defined scope, timeline, and budget parameters. Use structured status reviews, RAID logs, and metrics-based dashboards to track progress and proactively mitigate issues. By end of engagement, demonstrate delivery success with stakeholder satisfaction and measurable outcomes.
3. Coordinate Agile Release Trains and Facilitate Effective PI Planning (By Second PI Cycle)
Act as the release train engineer or program lead across Agile teams using SAFe. Ensure synchronized planning, dependency management, and alignment across teams through structured PI Planning events. By the second PI cycle, reduce coordination delays and improve team alignment metrics.
Critical Subtasks
1. Facilitate Executive Reviews and Enable Data-Driven Decision-Making
Prepare and lead bi-weekly/monthly executive steering committee meetings with clear visuals, KPIs, and decision logs. Ensure alignment and informed trade-offs by surfacing dependencies, conflicts, and funding scenarios.
2. Manage Cross-Functional Stakeholder Communication and Engagement
Establish a cadence for formal and informal updates to functional leads, business owners, and technical SMEs. Track stakeholder sentiment and maintain engagement through structured touchpoints and feedback loops.
3. Lead Financial Management and Resource Planning Activities
Ensure program budget tracking, forecast accuracy, and variance reporting within the first 60 days. Coordinate with resource managers to align staffing plans to delivery needs and resolve capacity issues proactively.
4. Identify, Track, and Mitigate Program Risks and Issues
Implement a formalized RAID log and ensure it is reviewed at least weekly. By Month 3, demonstrate a pattern of issue closure and risk mitigation, preventing escalation or project derailment.
5. Ensure Adherence to SAFe Governance and Agile Delivery Standards
Ensure that all Agile teams participating in the program follow SAFe best practices, with ART-level coordination across sprint cycles. Track ART velocity, dependency resolution, and inspect/adapt session outcomes.
6. Support Change Management and Communication Planning
Collaborate with change leads to prepare stakeholder impact assessments and targeted messaging for internal audiences. Support go-to-market or go-live readiness planning as required, ensuring user readiness and adoption.
7. Continuously Evaluate and Integrate AI to Improve Performance
Within the first 90–180 days, assess how AI-based tools can improve program forecasting, risk identification, stakeholder communication, or PI planning. Pilot one AI-enhanced dashboard or risk model that supports improved decision-making and delivery confidence.
Company: Confidential
Location: Madison, Wisconsin, 53713
Employment Type: Contract (6 months, 2/24/26 – 8/22/26)
Experience Level: 8–10 Years
Job ID: NUNYA
We are seeking a highly experienced IT Project/Program Manager to lead enterprise-wide initiatives that drive strategic transformation and cross-functional alignment. This role will manage complex programs from concept to delivery, leveraging SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) to align Agile Release Trains and ensure integrated PI planning. The Program Manager will be responsible for establishing governance frameworks, ensuring schedule, scope, and budget adherence, and enabling clear, proactive communication to senior leadership. Success in this role depends on the ability to manage risk, resolve execution roadblocks, and maintain focus across dynamic stakeholder groups in a fast-paced environment.
Purpose:
This role directly supports high-impact, strategic business initiatives that span multiple departments and technology domains. By integrating agile delivery principles with enterprise governance, you will ensure execution is aligned with organizational priorities, improving time-to-value and cross-team coordination.
Growth:
You will have the opportunity to operate at the intersection of strategy and delivery, building executive-facing capabilities while enhancing your expertise in SAFe, portfolio-level governance, and multi-track Agile execution. This experience is a strong stepping stone to enterprise PMO leadership roles or transformation program oversight.
Motivators:
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in structured complexity and wants to lead meaningful programs that deliver measurable business value. If you enjoy bringing clarity to chaos, working across diverse teams, and influencing at all levels of an organization, this is a strong career-building opportunity.
1. Establish Portfolio Governance and Drive Strategic Alignment (First 60 Days)
Within the first two months, lead the development and implementation of a portfolio governance structure that enables consistent tracking, prioritization, and escalation across active initiatives. Align program workstreams to enterprise OKRs and strategy roadmaps, ensuring project charters and dashboards reflect business priorities.
2. Lead Execution of High-Visibility Programs to On-Time, On-Budget Delivery (Through Contract Term)
Oversee the day-to-day execution of multiple workstreams, ensuring delivery against defined scope, timeline, and budget parameters. Use structured status reviews, RAID logs, and metrics-based dashboards to track progress and proactively mitigate issues. By end of engagement, demonstrate delivery success with stakeholder satisfaction and measurable outcomes.
3. Coordinate Agile Release Trains and Facilitate Effective PI Planning (By Second PI Cycle)
Act as the release train engineer or program lead across Agile teams using SAFe. Ensure synchronized planning, dependency management, and alignment across teams through structured PI Planning events. By the second PI cycle, reduce coordination delays and improve team alignment metrics.
1. Facilitate Executive Reviews and Enable Data-Driven Decision-Making
Prepare and lead bi-weekly/monthly executive steering committee meetings with clear visuals, KPIs, and decision logs. Ensure alignment and informed trade-offs by surfacing dependencies, conflicts, and funding scenarios.
2. Manage Cross-Functional Stakeholder Communication and Engagement
Establish a cadence for formal and informal updates to functional leads, business owners, and technical SMEs. Track stakeholder sentiment and maintain engagement through structured touchpoints and feedback loops.
3. Lead Financial Management and Resource Planning Activities
Ensure program budget tracking, forecast accuracy, and variance reporting within the first 60 days. Coordinate with resource managers to align staffing plans to delivery needs and resolve capacity issues proactively.
4. Identify, Track, and Mitigate Program Risks and Issues
Implement a formalized RAID log and ensure it is reviewed at least weekly. By Month 3, demonstrate a pattern of issue closure and risk mitigation, preventing escalation or project derailment.
5. Ensure Adherence to SAFe Governance and Agile Delivery Standards
Ensure that all Agile teams participating in the program follow SAFe best practices, with ART-level coordination across sprint cycles. Track ART velocity, dependency resolution, and inspect/adapt session outcomes.
6. Support Change Management and Communication Planning
Collaborate with change leads to prepare stakeholder impact assessments and targeted messaging for internal audiences. Support go-to-market or go-live readiness planning as required, ensuring user readiness and adoption.
7. Continuously Evaluate and Integrate AI to Improve Performance
Within the first 90–180 days, assess how AI-based tools can improve program forecasting, risk identification, stakeholder communication, or PI planning. Pilot one AI-enhanced dashboard or risk model that supports improved decision-making and delivery confidence.