Sr Program Manager, Higher Ed Disciplines

Cengage Group•Virtual US OH, OH

11d•$117,100 - $187,300

About The Position

Cengage is seeking an accomplished Sr. Program Manager to help accelerate new innovations and capabilities for Higher Education customers. The role works across Higher Education disciplines to connect priorities, identify shared capability needs, and coordinate complex, multifunctional programs from planning through customer rollout. It creates alignment across discipline groups and functional teams by providing visibility into priorities, dependencies, risks, and decisions, and establishes repeatable approaches for cross-discipline planning and capability rollouts.

Requirements

Experience leading complex programs across product strategy, content, technology, and commercial teams.
Experience establishing operating models, governance, planning processes, and decision frameworks for complex multifunctional initiatives.
Ability to translate strategy into coordinated portfolios, roadmaps, workstreams, and measurable outcomes.
Ability to identify patterns and common needs across multiple initiatives and drive alignment around shared capabilities and reusable solutions.
Strong relationship-building and partner management skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across functions and organizational levels.
Strong executive communication skills, including synthesizing complex information, framing tradeoffs, and facilitating decisions among senior stakeholders.
Experience operating in a matrixed organization where authority is distributed across multiple teams and leaders.
Strong facilitation, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PgMP, or similar certification.
Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, or similar delivery tools.
Experience managing vendors and third-party partners.

Responsibilities

Maintain a portfolio view across disciplines, connecting priorities, opportunities, capability needs, and planned work to create visibility and alignment.
Identify common capability needs across subjects and disciplines, find opportunities for reuse, and coordinate prioritization and sequencing for shared capabilities and aligned roadmaps.
Define and track objectives and measurable outcomes, relating program progress to business and customer impact.
Identify and manage dependencies, risks, and unresolved questions across disciplines and workstreams, making them visible and driving them to resolution.
Surface decisions and tradeoffs, convene relevant stakeholders, and drive alignment on a path forward.
Coordinate Product, Content, Engineering, Go-to-Market, and other teams through delivery, launch, and adoption of new capabilities.
Facilitate communication and collaboration across teams to remove blockers and drive execution.
Ensure work is prioritized, well-defined, and aligned with strategic priorities and business goals.