Principal IT Program Manager & Product Owner

Pay Rate: Up to $93.05/Hour

Summary:

• Location: Oakland, CA
• Work Mode: Hybrid
• Duration: 12 Months

Responsibilities:

• Define and maintain product vision, strategy, and long-term roadmap.
• Serve as Product Owner for strategic technology products and platforms.
• Develop and prioritize product backlogs based on business value, risk, compliance, and operational requirements.
• Translate business needs into product requirements, epics, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
• Drive product lifecycle management, including modernization, technical debt reduction, and technology refresh initiatives.
• Establish and monitor product KPIs, service metrics, and value realization measurements.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend strategic investments.
• Lead large-scale, cross-functional technology programs with enterprise-wide impact.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects and initiatives within an assigned portfolio.
• Develop multi-year strategic plans, investment roadmaps, and delivery schedules.
• Oversee program governance, issue escalation, risk management, and executive reporting.
• Ensure alignment of program objectives with enterprise and IT strategic goals.
• Track benefits realization and drive continuous improvement across the portfolio.
• Lead quarterly and annual planning activities.
• Develop and manage portfolio budgets, forecasts, and funding strategies.
• Perform resource planning across internal teams, contractors, vendors, and managed service providers.
• Monitor financial performance and ensure effective use of technology investments.
• Develop business cases and investment recommendations for executive review.
• Manage vendor relationships, contracts, and service performance.
• Partner with business leaders, IT executives, architecture teams, and operational stakeholders.
• Present portfolio health, strategic recommendations, risks, and funding requirements to leadership.
• Facilitate decision-making and alignment across multiple organizations.
• Develop strong relationships with key stakeholders to ensure product and program success.
• Lead communication and change management activities for complex initiatives.
• Ensure successful delivery of technology solutions from concept through implementation and operational transition.
• Coordinate across product, engineering, cybersecurity, infrastructure, architecture, and operations teams.
• Remove organizational barriers and resolve complex program issues.
• Establish delivery standards, governance processes, and performance expectations.
• Drive Agile, Hybrid, and Waterfall delivery methodologies as appropriate.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to Program Managers, Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and emerging leaders.
• Promote a culture of accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert across the organization.
• Lead strategic initiatives and special assignments requiring executive-level judgment.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 12 years of technology program, portfolio, project, or product management experience.
• Minimum 8 years leading large-scale enterprise technology initiatives.
• Proven experience managing complex, cross-functional programs with significant budgets and executive visibility.
• Experience serving as Product Owner, Product Manager, Program Manager, or Portfolio Manager.
• Demonstrated success leading digital transformation, infrastructure modernization, cloud migration, application modernization, or technology lifecycle management initiatives.

Preferred Skills:

• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• PMI-ACP
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• SAFe Product Manager/Product Owner (POPM)
• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)
• ITIL Foundation or higher
• Advanced understanding of product management and Agile methodologies.
• Expert knowledge of program and portfolio management principles.
• Strong financial planning, forecasting, and budget management capabilities.
• Exceptional executive communication and presentation skills.
• Strategic planning and roadmap development expertise.
• Strong stakeholder management and influence skills.
• Experience leading in a matrixed organization.
• Risk management, governance, and compliance expertise.
• Vendor and contract management experience.
• Ability to balance business priorities, operational requirements, and technology strategy.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Proven ability to lead organizational change and drive adoption.