Wave

Sr Lead Engr Proj / Prog Mgr

Wave$120K — $145K *
Enterprise Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in relevant field or equivalent experience in technical project management (8+ years).
  • Demonstrated success with enterprise-scale engineering projects involving multiple teams and stakeholders.
  • Strong understanding of various engineering delivery methodologies (waterfall and agile).
  • Technical credibility in understanding architectures and modern cloud infrastructures without being the design authority.
  • Ability to influence strategy and governance decisions through executive communication and data-driven recommendations.
  • Experience in designing scalable project management frameworks and governance processes.

Responsibilities

  • Lead complex projects and strategic programs across multiple technical teams and organizational priorities.
  • Provide leadership throughout the entire project lifecycle from initiation to post-implementation review.
  • Collaborate with Professional Services and engineering teams to deliver technical initiatives effectively.
  • Apply technical judgment to manage delivery dependencies and mitigate implementation risks.
  • Serve as a subject matter expert to guide stakeholders on delivery strategy and execution.
  • Own strategic portfolios, balancing priorities and risks to maximize business value.
  • Pilot new workflows and governance models while documenting and operationalizing lessons learned.

Benefits

  • Opportunities for professional development and advancement.
  • Access to cutting-edge technology and tools.
  • Collaborative work environment with cross-functional teams.
  • Leadership opportunities through coaching and mentoring initiatives.
Full Job Description
Job Summary

The Senior Lead Project / Program Manager leads large, complex, enterprise initiatives that span multiple technical teams, business functions, and organizational priorities. This role provides strategic leadership across the full project and program lifecycle while serving as a trusted partner to professional services leadership, , Operations, Architecture, and executive stakeholders. As a recognized subject matter expert, the Senior Lead Project / Program Manager drives execution of highly complex technical initiatives, establishes scalable governance and delivery frameworks, pilots new operating models, and influences strategy through disciplined program management, risk mitigation, and operational excellence. This role owns strategic portfolios of related initiatives, balances competing priorities across multiple stakeholders, and continuously improves how Engineering delivers business value.

Responsibilities

Duties & Responsibilities
  • Lead large, complex projects and strategic programs involving multiple technical teams, cross-functional dependencies, executive stakeholders, and organizational priorities.
  • Provide leadership across the complete project and program lifecycle, including intake, planning, estimation, governance, dependency management, risk assessment, execution, implementation, scope management, change management, and post-implementation review.
  • Partner closely with Professional Services leaders, architects, Operations, and business stakeholders to successfully deliver complex technical initiatives involving cloud infrastructure, platform engineering, networking, security, software delivery, automation, and operational systems.
  • Apply strong technical judgment to understand engineering architecture, delivery dependencies, implementation risks, and operational impacts while facilitating informed decision-making and removing delivery obstacles.
  • Serve as a recognized subject matter expert within Engineering, Sales, and Project Management, providing guidance on delivery strategy, governance, prioritization, issue resolution, and organizational execution.
  • Own strategic portfolios of related initiatives, balancing competing priorities, organizational risk, resource constraints, funding considerations, and executive expectations to maximize customer and business value.
  • Pilot new project workflows, delivery methodologies, governance models, and project types; document lessons learned; and operationalize successful practices across the Professional Services organization.
  • Define, implement, and continuously improve enterprise project and program management standards, governance frameworks, and delivery best practices that improve consistency, predictability, and execution quality across Professional Services.
  • Build strong partnerships with senior leaders, directors, vice presidents, and executives by developing business cases, executive presentations, ROI analyses, status reporting, and strategic recommendations that support informed decision-making.
  • Identify systemic delivery risks, organizational dependencies, and process improvement opportunities that enhance engineering execution, operational efficiency, customer outcomes, and business performance.
  • Manage scope across multiple engagements and prevent scope creep through proper documentation, escalation and change control processes.
  • Establish meaningful success metrics across engineering programs, including delivery predictability, customer satisfaction, operational performance, resource utilization, financial outcomes, quality, and organizational effectiveness.
  • Coach and mentor project managers and cross-functional team members by sharing best practices, strengthening delivery capabilities, and advancing project and program management maturity across the organization.


Qualifications

Qualifications & Attributes
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, or a related field and 8 or more years of experience leading complex engineering projects, enterprise programs, technical product delivery, or management consulting. The right candidate could also have a master's degree with 6 or more years of experience, a Ph.D. with 3 or more years of experience, or 12 or more years of related professional experience.
  • Demonstrated success leading enterprise-scale engineering projects and strategic programs spanning multiple organizations, technologies, executive stakeholders, and business functions.
  • Strong understanding of engineering delivery methodologies (waterfall and agile), project and program governance, portfolio management, dependency management, risk management, tight scope management, software development lifecycles, cloud infrastructure, and operational delivery models.
  • Demonstrated technical credibility with the ability to understand technical architecture, infrastructure modernization, cloud platforms, software delivery, technical dependencies, and implementation risks without serving as the technical design authority.
  • Proven ability to influence strategy, delivery approaches, governance decisions, and organizational priorities through data-driven recommendations and executive-level communication.
  • Experience designing and implementing scalable project management frameworks, governance processes, operating models, playbooks, and delivery standards that improve organizational effectiveness.
  • Demonstrated ability to oversee the coordinated work of multiple teams and individuals, influence without direct authority, and successfully lead complex cross-functional initiatives in highly matrixed organizations.
  • Exceptional executive communication, presentation, facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to build trust and influence decisions at all organizational levels.
  • Strong business acumen with experience applying financial analysis, ROI evaluation, prioritization frameworks, and strategic planning to engineering investments and delivery decisions.
  • Demonstrated success operating independently in ambiguous environments while managing competing priorities, organizational change, and evolving business objectives.
  • Passion for continuous improvement, operational excellence, and advancing the maturity of consulting and professional services project and program management practices across the organization.

About Wave

Wave is a Canadian financial services company that provides accounting, invoicing, and payment processing software for small businesses. The company was founded in 2010 by Kirk Simpson and James Lochrie. Wave's software is used by over 4 million small businesses around the world. In 2019, the company was acquired by H&R Block for $405 million. Wave is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
Learn more about Wave
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2011

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Wave

More Enterprise Technology Jobs

Find similar Sr Lead Engr Proj / Prog Mgr jobs: