Mars Inc

Program Manager - Value Leadership

Mars Inc$134K — $184K *
Business Services
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-8 years experience in portfolio or program management in complex settings
  • Strong analytical skills for data-driven decision making
  • Proficient in governance processes like Stage Gate and project intake
  • Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication abilities
  • Experience with portfolio management tools such as Sopheon and Power BI
  • Comfortable navigating ambiguity and adapting to shifting priorities
  • Experience in financial tracking and strategic planning

Responsibilities

  • Lead portfolio analysis and prioritization efforts for Value Leadership initiatives
  • Translate complex data into clear recommendations for senior leadership
  • Support regular project reviews and ensure consistent documentation
  • Act as a change agent for portfolio processes and governance
  • Develop onboarding materials and strengthen team capabilities
  • Identify areas for improvement in tools and reporting processes
  • Coordinate with project managers and stakeholders to ensure accountability

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical and dental benefits
  • Participation in 401k plan
  • Paid time off benefits
  • Company-wide bonus structure
  • Access to knowledge and skills development resources
Full Job Description
Job Description:

The Program Manager - Value Leadership serves as the operating hub for the Value Leadership portfolio, ensuring project data, governance routines, savings visibility, risks, escalations, and cross-functional actions are captured accurately and advanced with clear ownership. This role brings structure to ambiguity and enables leaders and project owners to make timely, informed decisions.

You will work closely with VL Leadership Director, Portfolio Directors, Project Leads, Finance, R&D, Commercial, Supply, Procurement, Manufacturing, Packaging, Logistics, and other senior stakeholders to maintain a reliable single source of truth for project status, savings, timing, approvals, risks, and decisions. The role supports the recurring VL operating rhythm, including project reviews, prioritization discussions, action tracking, escalation follow-up, reporting, and continuous improvement of portfolio tools and knowledge repositories.

What are we looking for?

  • Ideal candidate profile: A highly organized, analytically strong portfolio/program manager who can bring structure to ambiguity, manage recurring governance routines, synthesize complex project information into clear recommendations, drive follow-through across a matrixed organization, and coordinate (and potentially manage) a small team supporting portfolio execution.


  • Business experience: 5-8 years of experience in portfolio management, program management, PMO operations, financial/savings tracking, strategic planning, change management, or similar roles in a complex, matrixed organization.


  • Governance and process discipline: Familiarity with Stage Gate, project intake, scoping, and other governance processes, including process discipline, required fields, documentation standards, and consistent application across teams.


  • Analytical capabilities: Experience using project data, savings assumptions, timing, risk, and resource inputs to support scenario modeling, prioritization, investment analysis, portfolio trade-off discussions, dashboards, summaries, and leadership-ready materials.


  • Communication and influence: Strong stakeholder engagement, change management, and communication skills, with the ability to influence across levels, simplify complex portfolio trade-offs, and reinforce follow-through through concise, data-driven storytelling.


  • Working style: Comfortable working in ambiguity and shifting priorities, with strong organization, ownership, attention to detail, bias for action, and a continuous improvement mindset.


  • Tools and systems: Experience with portfolio, savings, reporting, and collaboration tools such as Sopheon Accolade/PPM, Sievo, Excel, Power Query, Power BI, SharePoint, Teams, project trackers, and action logs.


What will be your responsibilities?

  • Portfolio analysis and prioritization: Lead and support scenario modeling, prioritization views, and portfolio analysis to evaluate Value Leadership pipeline options, including impact, feasibility, savings potential, timing, risk, and resource trade-offs.


  • Decision support and storytelling: Translate portfolio analytics, project updates, and reporting outputs into clear recommendations and senior leader communications on portfolio health, value delivery, escalation needs, and open decisions.


  • Governance and operating rhythm: Support recurring Value Leadership project reviews, action tracking, decision documentation, escalation follow-up, and consistent use of the portfolio single source of truth.


  • Process adoption: Act as a change agent for portfolio processes, including idea management, DVF/project intake, recurring review routines, standard reporting practices, and non-consumer-facing Stage Gate deployment.


  • Capability building and knowledge management: Strengthen portfolio management capability through playbooks, onboarding materials, process guidance, recurring routines, documentation standards, and shared knowledge repositories.


  • Tool and process improvement: Identify portfolio tool, reporting, and process gaps; map continuous-improvement opportunities; and partner with technology, data, finance, and functional teams to deliver practical improvements.


  • Team and stakeholder coordination: Lead or indirectly guide project managers, workstream owners, coordinating priorities, clarifying ownership, tracking actions, and reinforcing accountability.


What can you expect from Mars?

  • An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.


The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting:USD 134,400.00 - USD 184,800.00

About Mars Inc

Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products. It was founded in 1911 and is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. Mars operates in six business segments: Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks, and Symbioscience. Some of its most popular brands include M&M's, Snickers, Twix, Milky Way, Skittles, and Pedigree. The company is known for its commitment to sustainability and has set a goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 67% by 2050.
Learn more about Mars Inc
Size
125,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1911

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