Technical Program Manager

GreatAmerica•Cedar Rapids, IA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

GreatAmerica Financial Services is seeking a Technical Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives within their Platform Engineering Team. This role involves supporting the development, implementation, and delivery of technical products and services, particularly those that span multiple engineering teams, systems, or platforms. The Technical Program Manager will collaborate with engineering, product, operations, security, and business teams to define technical program scope, build execution plans, manage risks and dependencies, and drive delivery against timelines, goals, and budgets. This position requires translating business needs into actionable technical work, aligning stakeholders, tracking progress, resolving blockers, and ensuring clear communication from planning through launch. A successful candidate will combine program management discipline with technical fluency, sound judgment, and the ability to coordinate multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.

Requirements

Strong communication and collaboration skills when partnering with Business and IT Leaders, IT professionals, Engineering and Product team members, and users/customers we serve, both internal and external to GreatAmerica
Ability to work both independently and in a team-oriented, cross-functional, and collaborative environment
Ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment and excels at communicating shifts in prioritization
Ability to adapt to shifting business priorities, demands, and timelines through analytical and problem-solving capabilities
Ability to anticipate needs and proactively solves problems
Driven to excellence and is motivated to learn; consistently desires to improve knowledge in areas of expertise
Ability to help bring a group to consensus or decision
Strong facilitation and presentation skills
Ability to create tracking models for project/program KPIs
Ability to understand and express technical concepts to non-technical individuals
Blend of strategic and tactical thinking and planning
High level understanding of IT infrastructure support (network topology/configuration/components, security, server, remote access/VDI, storage, server administration, web hosting, desktop clients, backup, monitoring, phone, directory services, certificates, internet protocols, etc.)
High level understanding of Microsoft database administration (disaster recovery concepts/availability groups, disks, database structure, database performance tuning, database migration, SISS, SSRS, etc.)
High level understanding of software application development and support (.NET frameworks, application design/architecture, service-based architecture, APIs, etc.)
Leads yet delegates authority to team members
Collaborator who is passionate about knowledge management (curating, storing, and sharing)
Fosters an environment of commitment, pride, trust, and delivery
Builds and maintains networks and support channel
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information systems, business administration, engineering or related field required
5+ years of professional experience in various IT roles (infrastructure, application development, database administration, cloud services etc.)
5+ years of Program or Project Management experience with major programs and/or advanced leadership
Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred
Program Management Professional (PgMP) or Project Management Profession certification (PMP) preferred
Agile or SAFe certification preferred

Responsibilities

Build and manage integrated program plans and roadmaps
Define program scope, milestones, dependencies, and success metrics
Own delivery of multi-team, multi-quarter technical initiatives (e.g., platform migrations, infrastructure modernization, large feature rollouts)
Identify critical paths and proactively manage risks and tradeoffs
Ensure programs are delivered on time, within scope, on budget, and with quality/measurable outcomes
Ensure the business goals are represented into technical requirements and specifications
Collaborate with business stakeholders, system architects, and engineers to ensure optimal technology platforms are evaluated and selected for solution delivery
Partner closely with engineers and architects on: System design reviews, Technical tradeoff discussions, Architecture decisions
Ask the “hard technical questions” to surface risks early
Understand APIs, data flows, infrastructure, system engineering and dependencies
Challenge assumptions about scalability, performance, or reliability
Helping teams break large technical problems into executive phases
Drive alignment across multiple stakeholders with competing priorities
Facilitate decision-making when teams disagree
Communicate clearly between technical and non-technical audiences
Ensure dependencies across teams are visible and actively managed
Identify technical, operational, and organizational risks early
Track and manage cross team dependencies
Escalate issues with clear options and recommendations
Create mitigation and contingency plans
Provide clear, concise program updates to leadership
Translate technical progress into business impact
Surface risks and decisions early—no surprises
Prepare executive readouts, dashboards, and launch reviews
Define and improve program management processes
Drive operational rigor (planning, reviews, retrospectives), also supporting governance and compliance needs
Standardize execution across teams, when needed
Oversee and manage vendor professional services contracts and engagements supporting program execution
Ensure quality by coordinating business stakeholder engagement in activities such as testing and feature validation
Improve predictability and program delivery velocity over time
Work schedule may vary to meet deadlines, including on-call rotations outside normal business hours
Performs additional duties as required

Benefits

Competitive Compensation
Monthly Bonuses for Eligible Employees
401(k) and Company Match
Annual Profit Sharing
Paid Time Off
Paid Vacation - starting at 80 hours annually for employees in their first year of service.
Paid Sick Days - Ten (10) per year with a conversion option for unused time.
Ten (10) Paid Holidays per year
Gym Reimbursement
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Short-Term and Long Term Disability
Company Paid Life Insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
Health Savings Accounts (HSA)
Employee Assistance Program
Parental Leave
Tuition Assistance
Networking Opportunities
Leadership Development Opportunities
Paid Parking
Service Awards
Hybrid work arrangements
Business casual environment
A strong organizational culture focused on our greatest asset: you!