Sr Business Program Manager

Northwestern Mutual•Franklin, WI

1d•$98,320 - $169,560

About The Position

Provides program management expertise and consultation to business areas to meet department and cross-department goals. Develops, maintains, and revises program deliverables, and oversees business programs from initiation through rollout and ongoing management. Drives programs of medium complexity. Program management includes managing multiple projects within a program or portfolio, incorporating larger initiatives, and overseeing ongoing programs, portfolios, and initiatives. The role independently leads moderately sized, medium-complexity programs or portfolios, managing scope, risk, business value, schedule, and budget. It helps define program objectives and plans, allocates resources, clarifies priorities and measures, and identifies solutions to program needs. The position builds relationships with business clients, manages delivery expectations, oversees assigned resources and vendors, and addresses obstacles and dependencies across teams. It gathers and delivers program metrics, uses data to inform action plans and ongoing adjustments, and applies tools and techniques to support end-to-end value delivery and rollout. The role also maintains knowledge of company and industry initiatives and products, and analyzes business needs to determine the scope and nature of program deliverables. The position is classified as an Associated Person under NMIS guidelines and requires fingerprinting and completion of a required form. It is designated Non-Registered Fingerprinted – FINRA.

Requirements

At least 5 years of related experience, including project analysis, design, documentation, and project or support management.
Ability to scope, plan, and manage cross-department or multi-department programs with general direction.
Demonstrated ability to lead and manage complex assignments.
Ability to prioritize work, handle multiple tasks simultaneously, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines.
Team-oriented approach and support for group decisions and ideas.
Written and oral communication skills, including the ability to build rapport within the company, in the field, and/or with outside vendors.
High degree of personal initiative and motivation.
Experience with project methodology through project life-cycle phases.
Ability to oversee larger workstreams, define scope and schedules, and manage resources, risks, and dependencies.
Ability to establish program governance processes and structures that clarify decision-making, roles, responsibilities, and oversight.
Ability to identify stakeholder needs, align expectations, influence decisions, and maintain productive relationships.
Ability to communicate complex information clearly and adapt messaging for technical, nontechnical, and leadership audiences.
Ability to prioritize competing work by importance, urgency, business impact, and alignment with strategic goals.
Ability to identify, analyze, prioritize, monitor, and communicate risks while helping stakeholders work toward resolution.
Ability to apply a customer-first mindset when designing and improving programs, processes, and services.
Fingerprinting and completion of the required form.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree with an emphasis in business, project management, or a related field, or significant directly related work experience beyond the minimum required.
Degree with a project management emphasis or PMI certification.

Responsibilities

Independently lead moderately sized, medium-complexity programs or portfolios, managing scope, risk, business value, schedule, and budget.
Help define program objectives and develop program plans.
Manage programs and resource allocation according to objectives, specifications, deliverables, and changes.
Clarify program objectives, priorities, and measures, and identify and recommend solutions for program needs.
Build relationships with business clients to manage delivery expectations and implementation.
Manage assigned resources and vendors by verifying progress and removing obstacles.
Identify and manage interdependencies across teams.
Gather and deliver program metrics, use data to make successes and challenges visible, and develop insights and action plans to pursue program goals.
Use tools and techniques to support end-to-end value delivery, rollout, and ongoing experience.
Maintain knowledge of industry and company initiatives and products and incorporate it into program objectives.
Analyze business drivers and needs to identify the scope and nature of program deliverables.