Head of Program Management

Clearwater Analytics•New York, NY

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

ABOUT THE ROLE We are seeking an accomplished senior leader, Head of Program Management Office (PMO) to lead and scale our enterprise program execution capability within the R&D organization. This is a senior leadership role that sits at the intersection of Product, Engineering, and Client Delivery. You will inherit and lead an established PMO team of 9-10 Technical Program Managers and take them to the next level of execution maturity. The ideal candidate brings deep domain knowledge in investment management and capital markets, strong business acumen, and a track record of driving complex, multi-workstream programs to successful delivery in a SaaS / platform environment. You will be the connective tissue between our senior Product and Engineering leadership and our clients, ensuring that our R&D investments translate into measurable business outcomes with predictable, high-quality execution. This role reports directly to the VP of R&D Strategy and is a key member of the R&D leadership team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. MBA or advanced degree (strongly preferred)
12+ years of progressive experience in program management, product operations, or delivery leadership within financial services technology, investment management, or capital markets.
Deep domain knowledge of the investment management life cycle — including portfolio management, trading, order management, performance attribution, risk management, fund accounting, investor reporting, and regulatory compliance.
Proven ability to partner with and influence senior Product and Engineering leaders in a technology-driven, fast-paced environment.
Track record of running large-scale, cross-functional programs in a SaaS or platform product company, with direct accountability for client-facing delivery outcomes.
Strong business acumen with the ability to connect technology execution to business value, revenue impact, and client satisfaction.
Experience managing programs that involve AI/ML, data engineering, or advanced analytics initiatives.
Demonstrated experience leading and developing a team of Technical Program Managers (10+ direct reports), with a focus on raising execution quality and domain expertise.
Exceptional communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills; comfortable presenting to C-suite executives, clients, and senior leadership audiences.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience working at or with buy-side firms (asset managers, hedge funds, pension funds, wealth management platforms) or sell-side technology providers serving these segments.
Familiarity with investment management platforms and systems such as OMS/EMS, portfolio accounting systems, data warehouses/lakes, and client reporting engines.
Experience with Agile at scale and modern delivery tooling (Jira, Aha! Confluence, etc.).
PgMP, PMP, SAFe SPC/RTE, or equivalent program management certifications.
Background in navigating regulatory and compliance-driven delivery requirements (SOC 2, GDPR).
Experience scaling and maturing an existing PMO function in a growth-stage or mid-market SaaS company.

Responsibilities

Lead and evolve the Program Management Office (PMO) as a center of excellence for program execution across the R&D organization, managing a team of Technical Program Managers.
Define and own the program governance framework, including intake, prioritization, milestone tracking, risk management, and executive reporting.
Drive alignment between product roadmap commitments, engineering capacity, and client delivery timelines to ensure the organization delivers on its promises.
Serve as a senior point of accountability for high-visibility client implementations, platform migrations, and strategic delivery programs.
Translate complex client requirements rooted in investment management workflows (e.g., portfolio accounting, NAV calculation, reconciliation, compliance reporting) into actionable program plans for R&D teams.
Proactively managing client expectations, programming risks, and escalation paths, working together with Client Onboarding, Client Servicing and Sales leadership.
Leverage deep understanding of the investment management life cycle (front, middle, and back office) to inform program priorities and trade-off decisions.
Speak the language of our clients — portfolio managers, operations teams, compliance officers, and CIOs/ CROs (Risk) and translate their needs into technology delivery strategies.
Stay current with industry trends, regulatory changes (e.g., SEC, MiFID II, T+1 settlement), and competitive dynamics to advise R&D leadership on market-driven priorities.
Champion the disciplined execution of AI-powered product initiatives, ensuring these high-complexity programs are delivered with appropriate rigor, experimentation frameworks, and stakeholder communication.
Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to manage programs involving intelligent automation, predictive analytics, NLP-driven document processing, and AI-assisted investment workflows.
Lead, mentor, and elevate an established team of Technical Program Managers embedded across product and engineering teams, raising the bar on execution discipline, domain fluency, and stakeholder management.
Develop individual growth paths for TPMs, fostering specialization in investment management domains while maintaining cross-functional versatility across the R&D portfolio.
Foster a culture of transparency, ownership, and proactive communication within the PMO and across the R&D organization.
Serve as a trusted advisor to the VP – R&D Strategy and R&D leadership team on organizational effectiveness, resource planning, and strategic execution.