Programme Manager @ Merkle Inc

We are seeking a highly experienced Program Manager to lead a multi-year, multi-million-dollar enterprise-scale product development program. This program consists of multiple interrelated projects, requiring strategic planning, execution excellence, and strong stakeholder engagement.
The ideal candidate will be an expert in SAFe Agile methodologies, driving alignment across multiple teams while ensuring timely and high-quality delivery. They will own the end-to-end program lifecycle, from planning to execution, risk mitigation, and program success measurement through well-defined KPIs.

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities:

Program Strategy Planning:

• Define the overall program roadmap and strategy, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Develop comprehensive program plans, schedules, milestones, and dependencies across multiple projects.
• Manage resource planning, budget forecasting, and cost optimization.

SAFe Agile Execution Delivery

• Drive SAFe Agile Release Train (ART) ceremonies, including PI Planning, Scrum of Scrums, Inspect Adapt, and System Demos.
• Collaborate with Project Managers/Scrum Masters, Product Managers, and Engineering leaders to ensure smooth program execution.
• Enable continuous delivery, DevOps, and automation best practices for improved efficiency.

Stakeholder Communication Management

• Facilitate frequent program review meetings, ensuring executive visibility and alignment.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for leadership team, program stakeholders, and technical teams.
• Provide clear, concise, and data-driven reporting on program status, risks, and dependencies.

Risk Issue Management

• Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks proactively to avoid delivery roadblocks.
• Drive issue resolution across multiple teams, ensuring minimal impact on timelines.

KPIs Success Measurement

• Define and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for program success, including:
• On-time delivery of milestones.
• Product quality metrics (defect leakage, customer satisfaction, etc.).
• Agile maturity continuous improvements over time.

Process Documentation Excellence

• Ensure comprehensive documentation of program objectives, decisions, and retrospectives.
• Drive continuous process improvements to enhance execution efficiency.

Must-Have Qualifications:

• 15+ years of experience in program/project management within the software industry.
• Strong expertise in SAFe Agile (Scaled Agile Framework) and Agile best practices.
• Proven track record in managing large-scale, enterprise software product development programs.
• Self-starter, Strong strategic planning and execution capabilities.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, including executive-level communication.
• Hands-on experience in Jira, Confluence, or similar Agile tools.
• Expertise in risk management, dependency management, and budget tracking.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills with a data-driven mindset.
• Working for Creative Industry is plus!

Preferred Qualifications:

• PMP, PgMP
• CSM, CSPO or equivalent
• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) or SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE).
• Experience working with Cloud, Gen-AI, or Full-stack Enterprise SaaS product development.
• Experience in budgeting, cost control and financial management.

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