Senior Technical Program Manager

Job Title

Senior Technical Program Manager – Public Sector & Higher Education IT

Overview / Summary

We are seeking an experienced and driven Senior Technical Program Manager to lead complex, multi-stakeholder IT product and program delivery initiatives across public sector and higher education client environments. This role will own program strategy and execution from initiation through successful handoff, ensuring programs are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with the mission-driven goals of government agencies and academic institutions.

The ideal candidate will bring deep program management expertise, strong client-facing leadership, and a strong understanding of procurement cycles, compliance requirements, and organizational dynamics within public sector and higher education environments.

Key Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Execution

• Define and manage end-to-end program roadmaps, governance frameworks, milestone plans, and risk registers across multiple concurrent client programs
• Lead cross-functional delivery teams including architects, engineers, business analysts, and change managers
• Own program-level budget, resource planning, and schedule performance throughout the program lifecycle
• Apply and adapt Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery methodologies based on client context and program complexity
• Drive program kick-offs, executive steering committees, design authority reviews, and go/no-go decisions

Client & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the senior point of contact for CIO-, VP-, and Director-level stakeholders at public sector agencies and higher education institutions
• Build long-term client relationships grounded in transparency, accountability, and understanding of institutional priorities
• Translate complex technical program status into executive-level written and verbal updates for non-technical audiences
• Manage stakeholder expectations, scope boundaries, and change request processes
• Represent programs in procurement reviews, board presentations, and governance forums as required

Risk, Governance & Compliance

• Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks, issues, and interdependencies across workstreams
• Ensure compliance with public sector regulations, procurement frameworks, data governance policies, and accreditation requirements where applicable
• Establish and maintain program dashboards, RAID logs, status reporting cadences, and lessons-learned registers
• Champion PMO standards, delivery frameworks, and continuous improvement initiatives across the program portfolio

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop project managers, business analysts, and delivery leads
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning
• Provide coaching, performance feedback, and career development guidance for direct reports
• Build delivery capability and bench strength across the program organization

Required Qualifications

Experience

• 15–20 years of progressive experience in technical program or project management
• At least 8 years managing large-scale IT product programs
• Experience delivering programs in public sector and/or higher education environments
• Experience managing multi-vendor, multi-workstream programs with budgets exceeding $10M
• Experience managing organizational change, stakeholder alignment, and institutional readiness
• Prior experience working with IT product teams including SaaS platforms, ERP/CRM implementations, data platforms, or enterprise integrations

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline
• Master’s degree preferred

Certifications (Preferred)

• PMP or PgMP certification
• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), Scrum Master (CSM/PSM), or equivalent Agile certification
• PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent structured delivery framework certification
• AWS, Azure, or GCP certifications are a plus

Technical & Domain Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of SDLC, system integration, cloud infrastructure, APIs, and enterprise architecture concepts
• Proficiency with Jira, MS Project, Smartsheet, Confluence, ServiceNow, or equivalent platforms
• Familiarity with government IT infrastructure
• Understanding of public procurement processes including RFP/RFI lifecycle, contract vehicles, compliance reporting, and vendor management
• Ability to interpret program metrics, build executive dashboards, and communicate performance trends

Leadership Competencies

• Executive presence with the ability to navigate senior institutional environments
• Strong structured thinking and prioritization skills in complex situations
• Ability to influence diverse stakeholders, vendors, and teams without direct authority
• Resilience in managing changing priorities and institutional constraints
• Excellent communication skills across technical and non-technical audiences
• High integrity and accountability in program delivery

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