Program Manager

Ares Operations•New York, NY

About The Position

Ares is seeking a Program Manager to support enterprise infrastructure and broader technology initiatives. The role collaborates with infrastructure, engineering, operations, security, and business teams to manage and report on programs that support strategic short- and long-term goals. The Program Manager leads project prioritization and coordinates activities across multiple projects to ensure alignment with business objectives, technology strategy, and operational priorities. The position focuses on identifying and organizing critical technology initiatives across cross-functional teams, with an emphasis on infrastructure programs and project delivery. It requires skill in program and portfolio reporting and establishing a structured communication cadence for updates, reprioritization, dependencies, risks, issues, decisions, and accomplishments. Cybersecurity or information security experience is helpful but not required. The role reports to the PMO lead in COO Technology and has no supervisory responsibilities. The anticipated base salary range is $160,000–$200,000. Total compensation may also include a discretionary performance-based bonus. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or master’s degree in a related field.
At least 5 years of experience in program and project management or project delivery.
Proficient knowledge of technology projects and program management concepts, from planning and inception through implementation and support.
Demonstrated experience delivering cross-functional infrastructure and enterprise technology programs with dependencies across engineering, operations, vendors, architecture, and business stakeholders.
Experience implementing program strategies, overseeing collaboration, and defining success metrics.
Strong risk and conflict management skills.
Experience developing programs, resource plans, project plans, timelines, and roadmaps.
Experience with Agile project management methods and tools such as Jira, Confluence, or Smartsheet.
Experience working with IT leadership and coordinating focused programs and plans.
Experience managing infrastructure or enterprise technology initiatives in areas such as cloud, network, workplace technology, data center, platform engineering, systems, or IT operations.
Experience with budget planning, tracking, and forecasting.
High-level management and leadership skills.
Excellent client-facing, internal, written, and verbal communication skills.
Proactive approach and ability to reach resolution with minimal supervision.
Solid organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to multitask.
Self-motivation and strong planning, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office products, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.

Nice To Haves

Project Management Professional (PMP) or Program Management Professional certification.
Infrastructure, cloud, IT service management, or cybersecurity certifications.
Program and project management experience in an investment management or big-tech firm.
Cybersecurity or information security program experience, including familiarity with security frameworks and controls.

Responsibilities

Organize programs and activities in accordance with the organization’s mission, goals, and values.
Identify and consolidate priority technology projects from cross-functional groups into a central program.
Prioritize projects with leadership to support the strategic direction and objectives of Technology, Infrastructure, Operations, and the Business.
Implement project review and onboarding processes, including impact analysis and project reprioritization as needed.
Develop a method for evaluating program strengths and identifying areas for improvement.
Establish appropriate success and exit criteria for each project.
Work with project leaders to report project status, health, risks, issues, and progress against criteria.
Manage changes and interventions to help achieve project and program goals.
Produce and communicate accurate, timely program status reporting throughout the program lifecycle.
Analyze, summarize, and report critical program risks to all levels of the organization.
Communicate transparently and directly with stakeholders about project issues and decisions.
Assist and mentor project managers, team leads, and team members in project management, planning, and execution.
Create visually effective documents that clarify objectives and promote, deliver, or confirm goals.
Partner with technology and infrastructure leadership to develop strategic roadmaps and track modernization, resilience, remediation, and operational improvement workstreams.
Perform other related duties as assigned.