IT Program Manager

Job Summary

Under limited to minimal supervision, the IT Program Manager is responsible for effective and efficient implementation of software development projects especially in an Agile environment. The IT Program Manager will also manage IT Project Coordinators and IT Project Managers. The IT Program Manager will be accountable for IT Governance, IT PMO and Agile Center of Excellence.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Continuously exhibit and uphold Core Values of Integrity, Accountability, Communication and Teamwork, Innovation and Customer Service
• Manages small to large scale IT projects and complex initiatives under the oversight of the Director
• Interview, select and train new employees
• Responsible for day-to-day tactical team decisions
• Track employee performance and provide regular and appropriate feedback
• Work with employees to collaboratively establish development plans
• Provide employee feedback through regular check-ins and writing and delivering performance reviews
• Participate in the development and implementation of long-term IT roadmaps and strategy, and monitor the alignment of tactical activities
• Provide high-level view of activities occurring within the enterprise and their impacts on information-sharing initiatives
• Perform risk management, including identifying, prioritizing, and mitigating risks, and communicating and escalating risks and issues to leadership
• Communicate with leadership and appropriate business partners on issues or risks that impact scope, schedule or budget
• Plan, manage and execute successful scrum teams
• Collaborate with teams and project stakeholders to prepare and manage objectives, scope, estimates, timeline, budget, and resource plans for Agile projects
• Identify and coordinate cross-team dependencies and collaboration
• Develop relevant metrics and communications that help the team see how they are progressing and that provide management with insight regarding the performance of the team
• Guide the team and the Enterprise on how to use Agile practices and values
• Support the product owner, especially with respect to refinement and maintaining the product backlog
• Identify and eliminate program impediments
• Facilitate Agile ceremonies including daily standups, backlog refinements, product reviews and retrospectives
• Identify, define, implement and maintain the processes and tools that allow the PMO to effectively manage project and product lifecycle
• Own and oversee release management operations in support of project managers
• Support Director to establish process and procedures for IT PMO and Agile Center of Excellence
• Train and coach members of the team to optimize the efficiency for product delivery using SAFe and other scrum methodologies
• Work with senior IT leadership to review and recommend new technology that will help create value for the Enterprise

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, influence, and mentor staff
• Ability to set clear expectations, effectively monitor progress, provide constructive feedback and guidance, and hold staff accountable
• Advanced to expert proficiency in all of the below:
  
  
  
  • Microsoft Azure Dev Ops ins
  • Agile software development (Azure DevOps/VSTS)
  • Agile methodology and frameworks (Scrum, Kanban)
  • Agile techniques (User Stories, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing)
  • Azure DevOps, TFS or similar tools to manage scrum boards and activities
  
  
  
  
• Advanced knowledge of P&C insurance industry
• Expert proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Ability to manage long-term IT programs, perform design evaluations and complete projects within budget and scheduling restraints
• Ability to promote and facilitate design thinking and innovation
• Knowledge of iterative and incremental development
• Ability to establish KPIs to measure effectiveness of teams and systems
• Ability to lead teams in building effective working relationships
• Ability to collaborate with teams, customers and other stakeholders
• Ability to deliver results, creating value for our brands, our system, our customers and key stakeholders
• Ability to convey technical process information in a clear and concise manner
• Ability to exercise sound judgement in making critical decisions
• Knowledge of iterative value delivery and continuous improvement
• Active listening skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Experience and Education

• High School Diploma required
• Bachelor's Degree in related field (IT, IS, Computer Science) preferred, or equivalent combination of education, training and experience required
• Minimum of one year of people management experience (supervision, mentor, lead) required
• Minimum of seven years of related experience, including IT Program and Project management experience, required
• Minimum of five years of experience as an Agile lead, delivery manager or similar role preferred
• Certifications (CSM - Certified Scrum Master, CSPO - Certified Scrum Product Owner, SAFe - SPC or SA, PMI/CAPM or PMP) preferred

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