Program Manager

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Hybrid (2-3 days a week in office)

We have partnered with a Canadian-based marketing agency that is part of an independent Network of Agencies strategically located across the world to provide global reach and capabilities.

As Program Manager you will be part of the Strategic Projects Group servicing our clients on program and project delivery. You will be tasked with a range of strategic programmes, owning their entire life cycle from inception to planning, execution and closure. These can range from implementing 3^rd party software solutions, managing rollout of new capabilities, new market entries, to opening new operational centres for our clients.

You will play a crucial role in mobilizing, developing, planning, and delivering innovative strategic programmes. You will drive these programs to success, ensuring objectives are clearly defined and met within time, cost and quality constraints. You will collaborate with clients and stakeholders to deliver impactful outcomes and realize significant benefits.

This role requires a Program Manager with a depth of experience in driving delivery, setting expectations and direction to create a high performing team that delivers.

You will be an enthusiastic and dynamic professional who is passionate about delivering a great product and would be excited by the challenges associated with a wide range of complex strategic programs.

You are comfortable working independently, collaborating with teams in various locations, time zones and managing several concurrent programmes. You will have a strong character and a willingness to try new things and “get stuck in”. You will be an excellent communicator, have strong organizational skills and have the confidence to challenge stakeholders where necessary.

Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Delivery:

• Lead large strategic program encompassing multiple critical workstreams. Drive the progress of these programs towards key business objectives, utilizing multiple techniques to plan, own and deliver the end-to-end program and project plans, milestones and timelines.

• Manage multi-disciplinary teams in the analysis, planning and execution of delivery work that maximize return on investment and pace of delivery to underpin the desired outcomes, against scope, value, budget, and time
• Structure and set up programs ensuring adherence to the appropriate governance, risk, and guardrails. Utilize the appropriate planning techniques and delivery methodologies and align the programs to our project and risk frameworks.

• Oversee the delivery of all projects and workstreams within the delivery teams and monitor each project’s health to ensure they are all progressing as appropriate.
• Ensure that the projects and programs deliver the promised functionality to agreed quality standards.

Stakeholder & Risk Management:

• Lead in the proactive management and development of effective and influential working relationships, ensuring Senior Client’s needs are understood, and conversely delivery expectations are understood across the internal stakeholder groups.
• Collaborate with and manage stakeholders to ensure alignment of work and expectations, tensions in priorities and risk and dependencies are managed to deliver the right outcomes for clients.
• Proactively disseminate relevant information to all key stakeholders.
• Conduct weekly leadership updates for senior stakeholders, ensuring that program and progress is communicated effectively, and the true status is clearly understood by all parties.

• Ensure stakeholders understand the project management lifecycle and framework, providing training if necessary 
• Proactively identify and manage risks and issues across all projects and program

Communication:

• Ensure timely and accurate governance and oversight of all milestones, RAIDS, and governance materials.
• Plan for, and proactively disseminate upwards and outwards communication and regular status reports to stakeholders.
• Take ownership of functional reporting

Team Management:

• Lead and manage a team of project managers and implementation resources. Provides guidance, mentorship, structure, and support to project teams, ensuring their effectiveness, productivity, and professional growth
• Ensure Project Managers understand and use project management principles 
• Identify skills gaps and training opportunities for direct reports 
• Proactively identify and implement team process improvements 
• Act as role model for project management best practice; both technically and behaviorally

Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant project management experience, ideally with 2+ years as a program manager
• Strong leadership skills, with a focus on meeting program and project objectives, seeking trade-offs and alternatives when required to ensure program/project success
• Self-motivated and driven with the ability to work independently in a fast-paced team
• Highly organized and skilled at coordinating efforts between multiple teams across multiple time zones
• Proficient in managing multiple programmes and stakeholders simultaneously
• Ability to build strong relationships across the business, with clients, project teams, and 3rd party vendors
• Ability to manage stakeholders and communicate effectively at all levels - clearly and succinctly conveying ideas and options
• A proactive and action-oriented approach, driving progress via self and others
• Demonstrates the ability to manage multiple tasks and competing priorities
• Exceptional project management skills, extremely organized with attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, as well as great interpersonal and teamwork skills
• Ability to work well under pressure
• Experience working with both Agile and Waterfall methodologies
• Experience with issue, risk, resource and dependency management
• Experience of managing & achieving tight deadlines with the appropriate quality
• Experience working with 3^rd party vendors
• Strategic and creative thinking is valued
• Project Management qualification required (PMI/Prince 2/ITL)
• Fluent in English
• Willingness to travel on an ad hoc basis – as required

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a growing agency based in Halifax.

The company offers a competitive annual salary, group term life insurance, medical and dental benefits and long-term disability coverage, RRSP contributions, wellness allowance and much more!

If this sounds like the ideal position for you then apply today!