Senior Manager - Program Management

WHO WE ARE:

Zinnia is the leading technology platform for accelerating life and annuities growth. With innovative enterprise solutions and data insights, Zinnia simplifies the experience of buying, selling, and administering insurance products. All of which enables more people to protect their financial futures. Our success is driven by a commitment to three core values: be bold, team up, deliver value – and that we do. Zinnia has over $180 billion in assets under administration, serves 100+ carrier clients, 2500 distributors and partners, and over 2 million policyholders.

WHO YOU ARE :

You are an experienced project management leader ready to direct a diverse team in a forward-thinking organization that constantly pushes boundaries. In this role, you will take charge of strategic project portfolios, ensuring alignment with corporate goals and flawless execution. You'll oversee project managers and collaborate across functions to deliver transformative internal business solutions. Your strong leadership skills and ability to drive project teams towards achieving high-stakes objectives will be crucial.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

As the Sr Manager into Program Management, you will lead strategic initiatives and manage a team of project managers to ensure successful delivery of significant outcomes.

Program Management and Execution

• Scope Management: Define, control, and continuously refine the scope of different global ops programs, ensuring alignment with business objectives while managing scope creep.
• Schedule Management: Create detailed project schedules, including timelines, critical paths, and key milestones, while ensuring all interdependent projects are synchronized and meet delivery deadlines.
• Cost Management: Oversee the financial aspects of the program, including budget creation, expenditure tracking, and variance reporting.
• Resource Management: Efficiently allocate resources across multiple projects, ensuring appropriate staffing, tools, and support are available to meet program demands.
• Risk Management: Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate program risks and issues. Develop contingency plans and maintain a risk register to track all risks and mitigation actions.
• Support Change Adoption: Execute change management strategies to ensure smooth adoption of new technologies, processes, and workflows.
• Operational Efficiency: Lead efforts to streamline processes and improve operational efficiencies through lean sigma practices. Implement solutions to reduce manual effort and ensure consistent, repeatable processes that enhance scalability and improve long-term efficiency.

Stakeholder Engagement and Monitoring:

• Stakeholder Engagement: Proactively engage with a diverse group of stakeholders across all levels of the organization. Build strong relationships to ensure clear communication, secure stakeholder buy-in, and address concerns early in the process. 
• Stakeholder Alignment: Lead the alignment of stakeholders by setting a unified vision and common objectives for global ops programs. Manage competing interests and priorities through negotiation and structured decision-making processes.
• Communication Strategy: Develop and implement a robust communication plan that ensures transparency across the organization for various programs. 

Performance and Reporting

• KPI Tracking and Performance Monitoring: Establish and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to evaluate the success of each initiative, such as cost savings, operational efficiencies, and customer satisfaction improvements. 
• Metrics: Utilize metrics such as return on investment (ROI), internal rate of return (IRR), time-to-value, and adoption rates to measure the effectiveness of the global ops programs. 
• Benefit Realization: Measure whether expected benefits of the programs (e.g., efficiency improvements, increased revenue, reduced costs) are being realized, using a benefits realization plan to track short- and long-term goals. 
• Risk Monitoring: Conduct ongoing risk assessments to ensure that new risks are identified and mitigated proactively. Use a risk management framework to classify, prioritize, and resolve risks. 
• Program Metrics Reporting: Generate comprehensive program status reports and executive summaries for leadership and stakeholders, detailing cost, scope, schedule performance, and key milestones.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• Proven Experience: A minimum of 10 years of program management experience., preferably in the insurance or financial sectors. 

• Demonstrated experience in driving successful change initiatives across large organizations
• Strong experience in program & project management methodologies such as Agile, Scrum, or Waterfall.
• Analytical Skills: Strong ability to analyze program metrics, make data-driven decisions, and adjust programs as necessary.
• Education: MBA or a related field preferred. 
• Strategic Skills: Strong analytical abilities, adept in market analysis and strategic decision-making. Leadership:
• Proven leadership skills with experience managing cross-functional teams and complex projects. 
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to engage and manage stakeholders at all levels.
• Demonstrated understanding of business processes & controls
• Strong collaboration and organizational skills.
• Certification: PMP, PgMP, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), and Lean Six Sigma certifications are highly preferred.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

We’re looking for the best and brightest innovators in the industry to join our team. At Zinnia, you collaborate with smart, creative professionals who are dedicated to delivering cutting-edge technologies, deeper data insights, and enhanced services to transform how insurance is done. Visit our website at www.zinnia.com for more information. Apply by completing the online application on the careers section of our website. We are an Equal Opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

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