Western Governors University

Technical Program Manager

Western Governors University$127K — $191K *
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience
  • 6+ years in progressive project management
  • Experience leading technical projects in an Agile environment
  • Familiarity with software architecture and engineering concepts
  • Strong skills in Jira, Confluence, and Agile lifecycle tools
  • Experience influencing teams without formal authority
  • Background in managing large-scale, multi-team technical initiatives

Responsibilities

  • Lead planning and delivery of complex, multi-team technology programs
  • Collaborate with engineering and business teams to define program requirements
  • Coordinate cross-team workstreams and manage technical milestones
  • Facilitate Agile and SAFe program activities
  • Identify and mitigate risks and blockers early
  • Communicate program status and impacts to stakeholders
  • Ensure solutions comply with security and operational requirements
  • Support change management activities for impacted teams

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Flexible paid time off and paid sick leave
  • Paid parental leave up to 12 weeks
  • Retirement savings plan options
  • Discounted tuition for WGU programs
  • Wellbeing programs and various insurance coverages
  • Occasional travel opportunities for conferences and company summits
Full Job Description
The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Technical 409 Pay Range: $127,700.00 - $191,500.00 Job Description The Program Manager - Technical leads complex, multi-team technology programs from concept through delivery, ensuring alignment across engineering, architecture, product, security, and business stakeholders. This role drives program strategy manages technical dependencies at scale, and ensures delivery of high quality, secure, resilient solutions that meet business objectives, quality, secure, resilient solutions that meet business objectives. This role blends deep technical understanding with program leadership, Agile methodology expertise, and strong cross functional communication. They anticipate risks, remove impediments, guide teams through ambiguity, and connect long term program roadmaps to organizational goals. This is a role that operates with broad autonomy and influence, serving as a bridge between technical teams and business leaders to ensure technology investments deliver measurable value. They anticipate risks, remove impediments, guide teams through ambiguity, and connect longterm program roadmaps to organizational goals. This is a role that operates with broad autonomy and influence, serving as a bridge between technical teams and business leaders to ensure technology investments deliver measurable value. Duties: • Lead theend-to-endplanning and delivery of complex, multiteam technology programs, ensuring clear scope,objectives, and success criteria. • Partner with engineering, architecture, product, and business teams to define program requirements, technical direction, and integrated delivery plans. • Coordinatecross teamworkstreams, manage dependencies, and drive alignment on technical milestones, sequencing, and key decisions. Manage dependencies, and drive alignment on technical milestones, sequencing, and key decisions. • Facilitate Agile andSAFeprogram activities, including PI planning, backlog refinement, dependency management, and programlevel retrospectives. • Identifyand mitigate risks, blockers, and technical challenges early; escalate issues appropriately and drive resolution. • Deliver clear, consistent communication of program status, risks, decisions, and impacts to stakeholders and leadership. • Ensure solutionscomply withenterprise security standards, technical design patterns, and operational readiness requirements. • Support change managementactivities, including training, readiness planning, and adoption support for impacted teams. • Maintainaccurateprogram documentation, including roadmaps, decision logs, requirements, risks, and performance metrics. • Conduct post-implementation validation and help measure program outcomes against expected businessvalue. implementation validation and help measure program outcomes against expected business value. • Performs otherjob-relatedduties asassigned. Knowledge, Skills, Abilities: • Strong understanding of software development lifecycle, systems architecture, integrations, cloud concepts, and technical design patterns. • Ability to engage with engineering teams, understand technicaltradeoffs, and translate complex concepts for diverse audiences. • Demonstrated ability to manage multiteam technical programs using Agile/SAFeframeworks. • Skilled in planning, dependency management, risk management, andcrossteamcoordination. • Proficient with Jira, Confluence, and other delivery lifecycle and visualization tools. • Strong collaboration and facilitation skills with the ability to lead through influence rather than authority. • Effective at navigating ambiguity, driving alignment, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. • Excellent verbal and written communication, including the ability to create clear executive summaries. • Strong analytical andproblem-solvingabilities, with a datainformed approach to decisionmaking. AI & Innovation Expectations: • Hands-on experience using AI tools such as Claude, Kiro, ChatGPT, or similar in a professional context • Demonstrated ability to apply AI to: - Improve workflows - Automate repetitive tasks - Enhance decision-making • Strong curiosity and adaptability in adopting emerging AI technologies • Ability to guide teams in integrating AI into daily practices responsibly and effectively Qualifications Education • Bachelor's Degree in Business, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, or a related field • Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements.Generally, equivalentrelevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager. Experience • 6+years of progressive project management experience • Demonstrated experience leading technical projects or programs in an Agile environment. • Experience working closely with engineering teams and understanding technical architecture concepts. • Strong experience with Jira, Confluence, or other Agile lifecycle tools. • Experience influencing without authority in matrixed organizations. • Experience managing large-scale, multi-team technical programs or initiatives. Preferred Qualifications • SAFe, PMP, ACP, CSM, or equivalent Agile/PM certifications. • Experience with cloud technologies (Azure, AWS, GCP), APIs, microservices, or enterprise integrations. Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager. This position requires occasional travel of up to 20%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year).Additionaltravel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed.Additionaltravel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements. Position & Application Details Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave. How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday. Additional Information Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. Its not all-inclusive. Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

About Western Governors University

Western Governors University (WGU) is a private, nonprofit online university based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The university was founded by 19 U.S. governors in 1997 with a mission to expand access to higher education. WGU offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in business, information technology, education, and healthcare. The university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and has been recognized by the White House as an example of excellence in education innovation. WGU has a competency-based learning model, which allows students to progress through their coursework at their own pace based on their mastery of the material.
Learn more about Western Governors University
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