Sr. Program Manager, Mission Advancement

American Heart Association•Dallas, TX

29d•$76,800 - $100,000•Remote

About The Position

Since our founding in 1924, we've cut cardiovascular disease deaths in half, but there is still so much more to do. To overcome today’s biggest health challenges and accelerate this progress, we need passionate individuals like you. Join our movement, be part of the progress, and help ensure a healthier future for all. You matter, and so does the impact you can make with us. The Association offers many resources to help you maintain work-life harmonization through your changing needs and life situations. To help you be successful, you will have access to Heart U, our award-winning corporate university, as well as additional training and support, locally. #TheAHALife is more than a company culture; it is our way of life. It embodies our commitment to work-life harmonization and is guided by our core values where our employees can thrive both personally and professionally. Discover why you will Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Valued at the American Heart Association by following us on LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook , X , and at heart.jobs . The American Heart Association has an excellent opportunity for a Senior Program Manager, Mission Advancement Operations . This position can be home-based . Mission Advancement is a 100+ person department accountable for outright and deferred major and principal gift revenue development from individuals, as well as for foundation giving and government funding. Mission Advancement Operations provides the strategies, programs, processes, systems, and workforce capabilities that enable the department to achieve its annual goals and advance its long-term transformation. Mission Advancement revenue has doubled during the past five years through the combined strength of donor- and volunteer-facing teams and strategically designed operational infrastructure. We intend to build on this trajectory through integrated processes and systems, workforce development, and emerging technologies that strengthen future capabilities. Mission Advancement Operations provides revenue-generation infrastructure and business operations services. Revenue-generation infrastructure includes individual and foundation prospect research, portfolio management, lead-generation and content marketing communications, donor and professional advisor engagement, operation of the American Heart Association Professional Advisor Network, proposal development, and resource management. Business operations services include budget management, talent development and training, performance management, gift processing, reporting and compliance submissions. The division also manages a robust technology portfolio comprising an average of 10–15 active projects across these service areas.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Minimum five (5) years of management experience in the nonprofit setting, to include project management, program management, campaign management, and/or P&L responsibility.
Experience leading complex, cross-functional programs or projects from planning to execution to final reporting.
Experience translating a senior leader’s vision and priorities into implementation plans, coordinated workstreams, and measurable results.
Experience applying project management, operational improvement, and change enablement practices.
Demonstrated ability to establish structure, clarify ownership, manage dependencies, drive accountability, and advance work through completion.
Experience developing and using KPIs, project plans, dashboards, performance measures, status reports, and decision-support materials.
Experience with strategic business development and management related to technology projects.
Working knowledge of foundation giving, major and legacy gift development, and the infrastructure supporting this area of development operations.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, facilitation, stakeholder management, and organizational skills.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to influence and coordinate work across teams in a hierarchical culture without relying on formal authority.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work with limited supervision.
Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, GenAI, project management, and collaboration tools.
Experience supervising, coaching, or directing the work of a staff member.
Ability to travel up to 5%, including occasional overnight travel.

Nice To Haves

Direct experience and/or working knowledge of lead generation marketing, prospect research, proposal development, and stewardship communications.
Experience or working knowledge of the financial and estate planning advisory industry.
Experience in a national nonprofit organization.
Hands-on experience supporting operational transformation, process automation, artificial intelligence, Copilot, agent-enabled workflows, CRM, data, or digital transformation initiatives.
Experience coordinating onboarding, offboarding, professional development, employee engagement, or workforce activation programs.
Experience measuring adoption, efficiency, quality improvement, operational impact, and benefit realization.
Project management, change management, Lean, Six Sigma, or comparable certification or training.
Change management frameworks and models.
CFRE, CAP, or IPA Preferred.

Responsibilities

Leads planning, implementation, and performance reporting for a broad portfolio of operational and transformation priorities.
Provides the structure, coordination, and execution discipline needed to advance work across the full scope of Mission Advancement Operations and to communicate progress, outcomes, and return on investment.
Translates operational vision, priorities, and assignments into structured implementation plans, delivery, and measurable results.
Translates operational vision and priorities into clear and actionable program plans, workstreams, milestones, ownership, dependencies, and success measures.
Develops and manages the portfolio of Mission Advancement Operations goals and projects.
Maintains visibility into progress, risks, decisions, outcomes, and staff contributions across the portfolio; elevates matters requiring National Vice President action or direction; and drives timely decision-making and follow-through.
Leads cross-functional planning and implementation for annual and multi-year operational priorities in partnership with the National Vice President, Operations Leadership Team, and other stakeholders.
Facilitates planning and solution development, establishes roadmaps and project plans, clarifies participant roles, maintains action-item accountability, monitors progress, and recommends corrective action when needed.
Ensures completed projects and initiatives transition successfully to operational owners with appropriate documentation, controls, and sustainment plans.
Manages day-to-day delivery across the technology project portfolio.
Coordinates follow-up with Business Technology implementers, monitors milestones and dependencies, resolves execution barriers, and provides the National Vice President with clear updates on progress, exceptions, decisions, and escalation needs.
Works closely with the VP and operations leadership colleagues to implement the ELEVATE vision for technology-enabled transformation.
Ensures the identification, documentation and establishment of the semantic layer needed for future transformative technology projects across Mission Advancement.
Establishes and maintains Mission Advancement agent register.
Coordinates approved artificial intelligence, automation, Copilot, and agent-enabled initiatives including support for engagement related to workforce upskilling.
Manages the Mission Advancement onboarding and offboarding process and resources, including the strategic content development of role-specific plan templates, development and maintenance of Mission Advancement subject matter expert presentations, coordination with national HR onboarding, and engagement/notification of stakeholders.
Projects manage the implementation of prioritized improvements arising from employee engagement surveys and other department feedback.
Plans and oversees Mission Advancement department meetings and Operations Division meetings.
Develops agendas with leadership input; coordinates presentations, executive talking points, production, and stakeholder readiness; and ensures decisions and follow-up actions are documented and advanced.
Prepares for and oversees production of the annual Mission Advancement Awards, Operations Division awards and related processes and materials.
Coordinates approved professional development initiatives for Mission Advancement, including implementation planning, stakeholder communication, participation support, and progress tracking, as directed by the National Vice President.
May supervise, coach, and develop up to one staff member.
Establishes clear priorities, performance expectations, development objectives, and workload alignment.
Delegates appropriate project coordination, documentation, reporting support, meeting logistics, and action tracking while maintaining accountability for timely, high-quality delivery.
Maintains an operating model that distinguishes senior program management responsibilities from project coordination support.
Partners with the National Vice President and Operations leaders to establish a layered portfolio of key performance indicators across the division’s scope.
Tracks and analyzes results, develops clear reports and infographics, and validates data with workstream owners to ensure accurate, timely, and consistent reporting.
Alerts to opportunities, recommendations for action, and escalation points for the National Vice President.