Program Manager

Position Objective


Oversee and execute Product Innovation projects, ensuring timely delivery of new products that meet specifications. Orchestrate project resources and track progress to guarantee successful outcomes. Implement high-impact initiatives across Interswitch, adapting to evolving business needs and establishing sustainable practices for product growth and scalability. Empower product management teams to efficiently deliver large-scale solutions by translating high-level strategies into actionable plans.


Key Duties

Project Scope Definition


Coordinate research activities and workshops to define and agree upon project deliverables. Utilize appropriate project management methodologies to ensure intended outcomes are achieved. Collaborate with Product Managers to establish goals, create roadmaps, and develop operational models for cross-functional team engagement. Define program roadmaps with a macro-view of all supporting workstreams and drive initiatives to completion. Facilitate regular status and design review meetings, ensuring appropriate stakeholder involvement and follow-up on action items.


Stakeholder Engagement


Develop and implement stakeholder engagement strategies to foster effective working relationships and address concerns. Act as a liaison between critical business functions, aligning stakeholders and guiding teams through the process of realizing strategic initiatives. Communicate with cross-functional stakeholders and executives on work standards, processes, and performance expectations. Manage workflow through delegation and scheduled check-ins, facilitating process improvements and feedback.


Risk and Issue Management


Assess portfolio performance against key metrics, implementing corrective actions as needed. Provide executives with transparent insights into project status, dependencies, issues, and risks, along with improvement recommendations. Identify and evaluate potential obstacles, proactively developing and implementing solutions to mitigate risks. Employ structured change management methodologies to foster acceptance of change and embed desired organizational culture.


Resource Management


Oversee allocation of program and project budgets, controlling costs and addressing deviations promptly. Develop strategic plans for optimizing resources and assets within programs and projects, creating workforce planning reports and budgets. Efficiently manage project resource deployment, forecasting costs, and presenting variances with explanations at appropriate review points.


Innovation Portfolio Management


Transform strategic product initiatives into a cohesive program portfolio, aligning with PM&I and Interswitch's objectives. Prioritize programs and projects to maximize resource utilization, manage time and budget constraints, and create synergies. Develop comprehensive project plans that identify all activities necessary to achieve program objectives. Ensure project compliance with Interswitch's portfolio management structures and processes. Create program management frameworks and tools, adhering to specified design principles. Compile review reports and presentations to support the evaluation process and facilitate stakeholder decision-making.


Fostering Innovation


Champion a culture of innovation by implementing solutions that enhance creativity, collaboration, and idea generation, such as brainstorming platforms and hackathons. Provide resources and insights to prototype innovative business cases that have the potential to shape the company's innovation strategy and roadmap.


Essential Competencies

Accountability


Demonstrate personal responsibility and hold others accountable for meeting commitments. Monitor performance, learn from successes and failures, and willingly take on challenging tasks. Build a reputation for consistently delivering on promises.
Effective Communication Craft and deliver multi-modal communications tailored to diverse audiences. Share knowledge and updates in a polished, precise, and compelling manner. Actively listen to others' input and create comprehensive documents and reports.
Stakeholder Management Anticipate and balance the needs of multiple stakeholders. Commit to identifying all relevant issues and making decisions that optimize outcomes for key stakeholders. Engage effectively with various parties and develop well-balanced, mutually beneficial solutions.
Strategic Planning Align work plans with organizational goals, prioritizing tasks to meet commitments. Maintain focus on plans while adapting to changes and considering risks. Coordinate team efforts with other workgroups and secure necessary resources to execute plans successfully.


Collaboration


Build partnerships and work cooperatively with others to achieve shared objectives. Engage a diverse range of stakeholders to add value, keeping them well-informed and avoiding surprises. Challenge divisive attitudes and promote unity, demonstrating appreciation for others' contributions toward common goals.


Resource Optimization


Efficiently secure and deploy resources, seeking innovative approaches to conserve assets and minimize waste. Consistently find creative solutions to accomplish tasks with limited resources, skillfully matching resource types to specific challenges.


Results-Driven


Consistently achieve outstanding results, even in challenging circumstances. Set ambitious personal performance goals and demonstrate passion for excellent outcomes and significant contributions. Exhibit great tenacity in completing initiatives in a timely manner.


Resilience


Bounce back from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations. Maintain composure and professionalism in challenging circumstances, serving as a stabilizing influence for others. Skillfully overcome obstacles, learn from failures, and apply lessons to improve future efforts.


Work Direction


Provide clear guidance, delegate tasks effectively, and remove obstacles to ensure work completion. Assign responsibilities with clear expectations to team members. Coordinate and integrate team efforts to minimize duplication. Utilize appropriate indicators to measure progress and identify problems or shortfalls.


Customer-Centric Approach


Develop strong customer relationships and deliver solutions that meet their needs. Gather customer feedback and data, communicate service levels clearly, and take action when standards are not met. Align business processes with customer requirements.


Innovation Cultivation


Create novel and improved methods for organizational success. Motivate others to find innovative solutions to challenges and provide support for promising ideas. Encourage the incorporation of diverse perspectives to enhance the innovation process.


Educational Background


Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Project Management, or a related field.


Professional Experience


Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in Program or Project Management roles, preferably within reputable financial institutions or the payments industry.


Leadership Experience


At least 3 years of experience in coordinating and directing personnel and other resources to achieve specific outcomes within defined timeframes.