IT Program Manager

Ascend Learning, LLC•Leawood, KS

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company, is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning. Ascend Learning products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers. Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to work for Mental Well-Being for 2025. We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. As an IT Program Manager, you will lead the planning, execution, and delivery of cross-functional technology initiatives that support our Enterprise Services teams, including Infrastructure, Information Security & Compliance, Database, and Service Delivery. You will partner closely with internal teams, business stakeholders, and external vendors to organize work within Enterprise Services, and to drive projects from initiation through completion, ensuring high-quality objectives are delivered within time and budget constraints. In this role, you will establish clear project plans, manage risks and dependencies, track progress against milestones, and communicate status to stakeholders at all levels of the organization. You will bring structure, visibility, and accountability to complex initiatives while helping teams stay aligned on priorities and outcomes. This role is critical to enabling successful project delivery, supporting operational excellence, and driving value across the organization.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED required.
7+ years’ experience in program and project management within the IT function
Understanding of multiple process methodologies, including Agile and Scaled Agile (SAFe) experience
Strong knowledge and understanding of project management principles, methodologies, and best practices
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with keen attention to detail.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
Experience creating project budgets and assessing projects/programs financial data

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's degree in project management, business administration, or equivalent experience preferred.
Prior experience managing software development lifecycles, cloud migrations, and/or IT infrastructure preferred
Experience with using AI tools to gain efficiencies and drive speed to market preferred
Certification such as Project Management Professional (PMP) or Six Sigma highly desirable

Responsibilities

Collaborate with stakeholders to identify critical business needs and translate them into project initiatives
Maintain a comprehensive inventory of all projects in the program, including their status, budget, milestones, and dependencies.
Lead end-to-end delivery of cross-functional IT projects from initiation through completion.
Develop and manage project plans, timelines, budgets, and resource needs.
Coordinate internal teams and external vendors to ensure alignment on scope, priorities, and deliverables.
Track and manage project risks, issues, and dependencies to minimize delivery impacts.
Facilitate program and project meetings and provide clear status reporting to stakeholders and leadership.
Ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in alignment with business objectives.
Support implementation readiness, change management, and handoff to operational teams.
Recommend and apply improvements to project management processes and governance.
Facilitate and support team and program processes for efficiency and value outcomes.