Program Manager

Program Manager

The Program Manager is responsible for delivering strategic, multi-project programs that create measurable value for client and our customers. This role manages all aspects of a program with significant business, technical, commercial, and organizational dependencies to achieve agreed outcomes for stakeholders. Understands the interdependencies and dynamics among projects, partners, stakeholders, contractual commitments, and the broader delivery environment. Anticipates and manages risk by identifying, assessing, and mitigating factors that may affect program performance and outcomes. Defines and operates effective program governance, monitors performance, drives timely decisions, and adapts plans as requirements or business conditions change. Manages the expectations and needs of senior stakeholder groups through a clear and effective communication strategy.

The Program Manager leads multiple related, cross-functional projects that may span business units, geography, technologies, and delivery partners. By directing project managers and workstream leads, this role ensures that each project remains aligned with the program's strategic and commercial objectives and is delivered on time, within budget, and to the expected quality. Using data, analysis, and sound judgment, this leader anticipates trends, evaluates trade-offs, and influences outcomes across the program. The role establishes objectives, milestones, integrated schedules, financial controls, and resource requirements; assembles and leads an end-to-end team with the required capabilities; and provides ongoing direction, mentoring, and coaching to project managers and technical teams. Decisions have material impact on customer satisfaction, financial performance, delivery confidence, and successful program outcomes. The Program Manager also ensures disciplined coordination, communication, and collaboration among project teams, partners, customer teams, stakeholders, and sponsors.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership & Governance: Translate customer and Kyndryl objectives into a clear program vision, success measures, integrated roadmap, and governance model. Provide concise updates and recommendations to senior leadership and executive sponsors.
• End-to-End Service Integration: Lead active collaboration across delivery teams, practices, partners, suppliers, and customer organizations to achieve an integrated outcome, including dependencies beyond directly contracted scope.
• Program Delivery: Direct multi-project, cross-functional programs across geographies and technologies while maintaining alignment to scope, schedule, quality, contractual commitments, and business outcomes.
• Risk & Issue Management: Establish program-level risk, issue, dependency, and decision management; drive mitigation, escalation, and recovery actions when delivery is threatened.
• Financial Stewardship: Manage program financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, cost control, change control, and achievement of customer and Kyndryl financial objectives.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Build trusted relationships with senior customer and internal stakeholders, sponsors, partners, and suppliers; maintain confidence through transparent communication, effective negotiation, and timely decision support.
• Change & Benefits Leadership: Drive adoption, benefits realization, continuous improvement, and sustainable change across the program while keeping teams focused on measurable outcomes.
• Senior-Level Responsibilities: Lead governance forums, present program performance and recommendations, mentor project managers, contribute reusable assets and lessons learned, and strengthen program management capability across the organization.

General Skills:

The Program Manager is an accomplished leader who applies deep program management expertise to new challenges, evaluates alternative points of view and trade-offs, and makes timely decisions with incomplete information. This individual is composed and resilient under pressure, commercially aware, and accountable for outcomes. Equally important, the Program Manager demonstrates a growth mindset, prioritizes customer success, develops others, contributes to the project management profession, and works in an open, borderless, and naturally inclusive manner.

Required Skills and Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of project management experience, including at least 3 years leading programs, with broad business experience.
• PMP certification or an approved equivalent project management certification in good standing.
• PgMP certification in good standing – or – commitment to achieve within 12 months
• Prior experience working as a PM for an enterprise software vendor/SaaS vendor or a technology consultancy firm.
• Experience using Microsoft Project to manage end to end integrated plans
• Excellent verbal and written skills in English
• Experience managing IT programs is required in one or more of the following markets: Manufacturing & Energy, Financial (or Insurance), Consumer & Travel, and Government/Federal.
• Proven track record of successfully leading senior-level IT programs in a services environment and delivering commercial outcomes with high customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated ability to assess multi-year transformation objectives and decompose them into coordinated projects, workstreams, milestones, dependencies, and measurable outcomes.
• Proven ability to align senior stakeholders and delivery actors, manage commitments through governance milestones, and keep projects on schedule, within budget, and aligned to quality expectations.
• Strong executive communication skills, including presenting program plans, performance, financials, risks, decisions, and recommendations to senior management and customer sponsors.
• Experience leading multi-functional teams and cross-practice implementation programs across multiple technologies, organizations, or geographies.
• Expertise in program governance, integrated planning, financial management, scope management, change control, dependency management, benefits realization, and delivery assurance.
• Proven capability to anticipate and mitigate risks, resolve critical issues, and lead recovery actions to protect key milestones and program outcomes.
• Strong commercial judgment, including budgeting, forecasting, cost optimization, contract awareness, change management, and balanced decision-making for customers and Kyndryl outcomes.
• Ability to influence, negotiate, and resolve conflict across organizational boundaries while maintaining accountability and trusted relationships.
• Proficiency in data-driven program management, including KPIs, dashboards, operational reporting, business intelligence, and evidence-based recommendations.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, agile environment, adapt to changing priorities, and remain focused on strategic, commercial, and customer outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience coaching project managers, sharing lessons learned, and contributing methods, assets, or improvements to the project management profession.

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, technology, or a related field.
• Experience leading large-scale or multi-year programs with distributed teams, multiple workstreams, and meaningful revenue, cost, or business impact.
• Experience across multiple industry segments and technology domains.
• Senior stakeholder management experience through C-suite or equivalent sponsor level.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies such as Scrum or Kanban, integrated project planning tools, and DevOps practices.
• Experience managing vendor and partner relationships, commercial commitments, and contract performance.
• Ability to support solutioning, identify follow-on opportunities, and negotiate program scope or commercial changes with senior stakeholders.