Lead IT Program Manager

Office Depot•Austin, TX

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role is 4 days onsite (Monday - Thursday) at one of the below locations: Boca Raton, FL 33496 Austin, TX 78729 The Lead IT Program Manager will serve as lead program manager for enterprise-wide IT initiatives, driving critical programs that turn strategic goals into reality. This role owns the connection between IT delivery, business objectives, and the customer journey, requiring cross-functional coordination across departments and teams including Supply Chain, HR, Finance, B2B, and Omnichannel/Direct. The incumbent must be able to identify priorities, resolve blockers, and move programs forward on their own initiative without needing regular direction. Strong leadership, proven program management skills, and the ability to communicate effectively across all levels of the organization are required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Project Management; Business Management; IT; or a related field, or equivalent experience
6 years of program/project management experience, with at least 3 years of experience managing medium to large IT application development or infrastructure programs, preferably for a major corporation or large enterprise.
Experience applying standard program/project management disciplines, including scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, stakeholder, communications, and vendor management/procurement.
Experience leading IT initiatives using Agile, waterfall, and hybrid methodologies.
Proven experience partnering cross-functionally with product managers, IT teams, and business stakeholders across multiple departments and time zones.
Demonstrated ability to operate proactively and independently — identifying priorities and driving programs forward with minimal oversight.
Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and issue-resolution skills.
People management skills, with the ability to motivate teams and drive delivery against deadlines.
PMP (Project Management Professional) or an equivalent program/project management certification (e.g., PgMP, PRINCE2) required
Proficient in the Microsoft O365 suite of tools
Smartsheet Project Management Software
SharePoint
Jira, Confluence, and Power BI
Experience with software applications and tools related to project management, process automation, and system integrations.
Team-oriented mindset focused on delivering an exceptional customer experience.
Excellent communication and presentation abilities across all leadership levels, including executive audiences.
Builds strong working relationships across the organization; relates well to people at all levels.
Proactive, go-getter mindset with the ability to identify priorities, resolve blockers, and move initiatives forward independently, without needing regular direction.
Strong cross-functional coordination skills, working effectively across departments, teams, and time zones.
Organized, process-oriented, and effective problem solver with a holistic mindset.
Strong understanding of global cultures and ability to adapt communication style accordingly.
Excellent English written and verbal communication skills
Self-starter and go-getter with strong decision-making skills and efficient, independent execution.
Comfortable operating with ambiguity and minimal direction, taking ownership of outcomes across departments.
Personable and presentable; able to represent the organization as a subject matter expert with strategic partners.
Flexible and willing to support change initiatives and shifting team needs across the enterprise.
Creative, resourceful thinker who finds practical paths forward when priorities or requirements shift.

Nice To Haves

CSM a plus

Responsibilities

Drive medium to large IT programs, developing and maintaining project schedules, timelines, documentation, RAID tracking, and communication.
Establish an effective program structure and cadence that fosters collaboration, communication, and simplified reporting across multiple IT workstreams.
Communicate program goals, objectives, timelines, benefits, and scope clearly across all levels of the organization, including senior leadership.
Partner cross-functionally with product managers, IT teams, and business stakeholders across departments — including Supply Chain, HR, Finance, B2B, and Omnichannel — on requirements, interdependencies, program views, and risk assessments.
Facilitate collaboration between Directors/Product Managers, IT teams, and the business, serving as the connective point across departments and functions.
Track intra/inter-program dependencies, working with all teams to mitigate risks and issues.
Operate independently with a solution-oriented approach — independently identifying blockers, driving resolution, and moving programs forward without needing regular direction.
Partner with PMO and business leadership to identify opportunities, prioritize work, and build and refine frameworks for program delivery.
Operate within an agile application development environment to ensure the work gets done on-schedule and within-budget.
Evaluate complex situations accurately, gather relevant data, and identify viable solutions that drive successful program outcomes.
Builds strong working relationships across the organization; relates well to people at all levels.
Coordinates tasks across multiple projects and business teams in various locations and time zones.
Strong understanding of global cultures and ability to adapt communication style accordingly.
Ability to understand interdependencies across enterprise IT programs and how one initiative impacts another.