Director Program Management

Horace Mann•Madison, WI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Horace Mann is seeking a Director of Program Management a senior leadership role responsible for leading large-scale, enterprise-wide technology programs with significant business and operational impact. This role operates autonomously and provides strategic oversight across complex initiatives while leading, mentoring, and developing program and project management professionals. This position plays a critical role in ensuring that information technology solutions—particularly Life and Health insurance systems—are delivered at scale, meet company standards, align with regulatory and business requirements, and drive measurable outcomes across the enterprise. This role is hybrid with commute to either Dallas/Plano, Tx office or Madison, WI.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree required.
15+ years of experience leading large-scale IT programs, including enterprise insurance system implementations.
Must have Life and Health insurance industry experience, with deep understanding of insurance operations and systems.
Must have IT program management background, managing complex, multi-year, multi-vendor initiatives.
PMP or Agile certification is required (PMP, PgMP, SAFe, Scrum Master, or equivalent).
Proven experience operating at the executive and board-facing level, managing senior stakeholders and steering committees.
Demonstrated success leading cross-functional, geographically distributed teams.
Strong financial acumen, including experience managing large program budgets.
Exceptional leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing core insurance platform implementations, system modernization, or digital transformation initiatives.
Experience working within regulated financial services environments.
Advanced degree in Business, Technology, or related discipline preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee large, complex IT programs and portfolios, including enterprise insurance system implementations.
Carry out procedures to ensure all information technology solutions and services meet company standards and user requirements.
Assist with the development of business cases, including scope, benefits realization, cost models, and resource planning.
Define and clarify program and project scope, objectives, and success metrics.
Develop, monitor, and manage program plans, schedules, and budgets.
Monitor program progress, risks, dependencies, and deliverables across multiple workstreams.
Identify critical program risks and develop mitigation and recovery strategies to ensure successful outcomes.
Determine program organizational structure; define roles and responsibilities across project and program teams.
Lead, mentor, and develop direct reports, including program managers and project managers.
Direct and monitor other project managers to ensure delivery discipline, consistency, and quality.
Set clear direction, motivate teams, and assign work to deliver results consistent with approved plans.
Coordinate activities across technology, product, operations, compliance, and business teams.
Serve as the primary point of contact for program sponsors, steering committees, and executive leadership.
Prepare and deliver executive-level program status reports, dashboards, and communications.
Communicate complex program issues and decisions clearly to leadership, up to and including the executive level.
Think strategically across the enterprise, ensuring programs align with long-term business and technology strategies.
Apply deep Life and Health insurance domain knowledge to guide prioritization, solution design, and execution.
Champion continuous improvement in program governance, delivery methodology, and execution maturity.
Support and promote ongoing education and excellence in project and program management practices across the organization.