Senior Program Manager

Techstra Solutions•Pittsburgh, PA

13d•Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking an experienced Senior Program Manager to lead a complex mainframe modernization and rewrite initiative through planning, execution, testing, migration, and production go-live. This individual will be responsible for managing a large, cross-functional program involving mainframe applications, technology modernization, data migration, integration, testing, business readiness, and cutover. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record leading mainframe rewrite or modernization programs from inception through successful production deployment, with particular strength in managing the final stages of implementation, cutover, and go-live.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or related field (Master's degree preferred).
10+ years of experience in program/project management within large-scale technology environments.
Demonstrated experience leading mainframe modernization, mainframe rewrite, migration, or transformation programs.
Proven experience taking a major technology program through testing, cutover, production deployment, and go-live.
Strong understanding of mainframe environments and technologies such as COBOL, JCL, DB2, CICS, VSAM, and batch processing.
Experience coordinating application rewrites, platform migrations, data conversion, and system integrations.
Strong understanding of SDLC, testing methodologies, release management, and production implementation processes.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing detailed cutover/go-live plans and production readiness assessments.
Excellent risk, issue, dependency, and stakeholder management skills.
Experience working with senior executives and steering committees.
Strong communication, leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to manage multiple workstreams and competing priorities within a highly complex environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with large-scale financial services, healthcare, insurance, or other highly regulated environments.
Experience leading programs involving legacy-to-modern technology transformations.
Experience with cloud migration or integration of modern platforms with legacy mainframe environments.
PMP, PgMP, or similar program/project management certification.
Experience managing large vendor teams and system integrators.
Experience leading high-pressure production cutovers and post-go-live stabilization.

Responsibilities

Lead the end-to-end program delivery for a major mainframe rewrite/modernization initiative, including planning, execution, migration, cutover, and production go-live.
Develop and maintain an integrated program plan covering technology, application development, data migration, testing, infrastructure, security, operations, and business readiness.
Drive the program toward key milestones, ensuring scope, schedule, budget, risks, dependencies, and resources are effectively managed.
Lead cross-functional teams consisting of application developers, mainframe engineers, architects, infrastructure teams, QA, data teams, business stakeholders, vendors, and production support.
Establish and manage the go-live and cutover strategy, including detailed runbooks, sequencing, dependencies, rollback plans, command-center procedures, and contingency planning.
Coordinate multiple testing phases, including system integration testing, regression testing, performance testing, user acceptance testing, and production validation.
Oversee data conversion and migration activities and ensure reconciliation and validation requirements are met prior to go-live.
Manage production readiness assessments and ensure all technical, operational, business, and support requirements are completed before deployment.
Lead go/no-go decision meetings and provide executive leadership with clear status, risks, recommendations, and readiness assessments.
Coordinate the go-live command center, managing issues, escalations, decision-making, and communications throughout the deployment.
Ensure post-go-live stabilization, defect resolution, production monitoring, and transition to business-as-usual support.
Proactively identify and manage critical program risks, issues, assumptions, dependencies, and interdependencies.
Manage third-party vendors and technology partners supporting the modernization effort.
Prepare executive-level status reporting, dashboards, steering committee materials, and program communications.
Drive accountability across workstreams and ensure teams meet committed deliverables and milestones.
Ensure appropriate governance, change management, documentation, and operational handoff processes are in place.