What You’ll Do
The Program Manager owns the program of related technology initiatives for a single business domain. For this position, the domain is two shared programs: Ascent's customer-facing shipment visibility platform, which serves every business unit, and the final-mile business unit and its operating application. The Program Manager aligns that work to the domain's strategic objectives and carries it from framing through delivery and benefits realization. It is a strategic, hands-on role: the Program Manager is the connective owner across the domain's initiatives, the primary partner to its business sponsors, and the internal IT subject-matter expert for the domain's applications, with agentic AI as primary leverage. The core of the role is translating business needs into a clear, sequenced program roadmap that product owners and delivery teams can build against.
Program Ownership and Strategic Alignment
- Own the domain's portfolio of related initiatives as a single program; align it to the business area's objectives and shape sequencing and roadmap.
- Frame major project outcomes with the business and translate them into a coherent program plan.
- Serve as the internal IT subject-matter expert for the domain's applications, maintaining deep knowledge of how those systems work and how the business uses them.
- Maintain one integrated roadmap for the shared customer visibility platform with its product owner, so requests from every business unit are sequenced in a single plan.
Business Need to Program Roadmap
- Understand how the business units operate and how the platforms are used by employees and customers, so requests are evaluated against how the work is done.
- Work with the business to define the current state, the target state and the process change in between before a build begins, so requirements reflect the real workflow rather than assumptions.
- Turn business needs into outcome statements, scope and sequencing on the program roadmap; make the trade-offs visible and get them decided.
Cross-Initiative Coordination and Dependencies
- Manage interdependencies across the domain initiatives and across the IT delivery teams, so the program advances.
- Coordinate timing, handoffs, and sequencing across initiatives; surfacing conflicts early.
- Governance and Reporting
- Run the program's governance and cadence: decisions, transparency, and status to sponsors and leadership.
- Champion PMO methodology and standards to ensure consistency across the program.
Benefits Realization
- Determine the business value of program initiatives based on defined outcomes.
- Provide visibility into progress toward program outcomes and value delivery
Business UAT Engagement (major and higher-risk projects)
- Identify, recruit, and engage business UAT testers.
- Responsible for UAT schedule and milestones; UAT team owns validation protocols and sign-off.
Stakeholder and Program Risk
- Own the sponsor and stakeholder relationship for the domain and keep expectations aligned as the program evolves.
- Manage program change management communication to promote clear, timely messaging about what is changing and when.
- Track program-level risks and issues and escalate to the appropriate level with context, options, and a recommendation.
Agentic AI
- Use AI to draft plans, status, and reporting, accelerate program documentation, and reduce routine coordination overhead.
What You’ll Bring
- 7+ years managing programs or large, cross-functional initiatives, ideally within a PMO.
- Strong command of program governance, dependency management, and benefits realization.
- Experience partnering with senior business stakeholders to align technology outputs with business outcomes.
- Strong executive communication skills: able to brief senior leaders concisely, present options and recommendations, and communicate key decision points for leaders to act on.
- Proven ability to translate business needs into program roadmaps: outcome statements, scope, actionable plans for sequencing and trade-offs that product owners and delivery teams.
- Strong experience in logistics or supply chain, including time spent in or supporting an operation’s role and its business processes.
- Working knowledge of Agile and structured delivery methods.
- Demonstrated fluency using AI tools to accelerate program and reporting work.
- Bachelor's degree in a related field; PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2, or similar certification preferred.
Ascent’s Competitive Benefits
- 401(k) and employer matching
- Health, Dental, Vision Insurance
- Short- & Long-Term Disability
- Employee Assistance Program
- Employee Wellness Program
- Employee Recognition Programs
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
- Health Savings Account (HSA)
- Overtime, Differential & Bonus Pay
Salary Range: $115,000 - $130,000
