Manager - Program Management

Job-ID: 34769Category: TechnologyLocation: Pittsburgh, PA, United States; New York, NY, United StatesSchedule: Full timePosted: 2026-10-27Title: Manager - Program ManagementReports To: Director - Program & Project ManagementLocation: Pittsburgh, PA American Eagle is a youth culture brand grounded in denim. Our purpose extends beyond making the best jeans–we embrace self expression, culture, optimism and connection. Through the brand platform Live Your Life, we empower our community to be who they want to be all while wearing the clothes that make them most confident.Get to Know the Role: We are seeking a versatile and strategic Manager - Program Management to oversee program execution, strategic resource allocation, capacity planning, and product/project portfolio alignment across our core technology domains. Combining strategic governance and operational alignment, this role sits at the intersection of business strategy, technical product roadmaps, and execution capacity. You will serve as the primary leadership link between executive sponsors, Product Managers, Project Managers, and engineering teams—translating executive strategy into actionable priorities, managing shared resource capacity across domains, and establishing foundational governance framework to ensure seamless global operations.What You’ll Do: Program Leadership & Strategic Alignment Drive Cross-Domain Execution: Act as the operational right hand to the Director, translating enterprise business strategy into prioritized, multi-quarter roadmaps across Enterprise Services (Platform, Networking, Operations) and IT Security (GRC, SecOps, ITDR). Govern Complex Interdependencies: Proactively map critical paths and resolve cross-functional blockers across engineering teams, corporate stakeholders, logistics/supply chain, and retail environments. Lead Executive Stakeholder Alignment: Deliver transparent portfolio health scorecards, milestone tracking, and executive dashboards that align technical investments with business outcomes. Establish Enterprise Risk & Cutover Governance: Define proactive risk mitigation strategies and cross-domain change-management guardrails to protect 24/7 retail and distribution center operations during major implementations. Resource Management & Capacity Planning Establish Shared Resource Capacity Models: Design data-driven allocation frameworks to balance engineering and PM capacity against competing multi-domain initiatives. Eliminate Operational Noise & Protect Velocity: Quantify planned vs. unplanned demand to shield delivery teams from unscheduled disruptions, balancing operational firefighting against strategic roadmaps. Direct People Leadership (6 Direct Reports): Supervise, mentor, and conduct performance reviews for a hybrid team of 6 direct reports (4 Enterprise Services PMs/Product Managers, 2 IT Security PMs), cultivating career pathways and execution accountability. Optimize Vendor & Partner Staffing: Partner with procurement to forecast contractor needs, negotiate statements of work (SOWs), enforce vendor SLAs, and manage staff augmentation models.Product & Project Governance (PMO Foundation) Build Formal Work Intake Guardrails: Stand up an end-to-end intake and triage framework (leveraging Atlassian Cloud) to evaluate incoming demand, establish prioritization criteria, and enforce healthy operational boundaries. Drive Capex/Opex Planning & Forecasting: Partner with Corporate Finance to build annual multi-domain budgets, track capital vs. operational expenditures, and execute monthly variance and re-forecasting reviews. Standardize Delivery Methodologies: Establish standardized project/product management practices, lifecycle gates, and PRD/brief templates across Hybrid, Agile, and Waterfall workflows. Optimize Tooling & Performance Metrics: Configure and champion enterprise usage of Jira, Jira Product Discovery, Confluence, and Miro to measure velocity, resource utilization, and delivery predictability.What You Bring: Experience & Leadership 10+ years of progressive technology leadership leading enterprise infrastructure, systems integration, or IT security programs. 4–5+ years of direct people-management experience, with proven authority managing and developing technical Project and Product Managers (not solely matrixed project leadership). Demonstrated track record standing up or maturing a PMO/governance practice, specifically creating work intake gates and triage systems from scratch. Domain & Financial Acumen Hands-on fluency in Enterprise IT Infrastructure (networking, cloud, data centers, platforms) and/or IT Security (GRC, SOC 2/PCI-DSS, security operations, disaster recovery). Proven financial governance experience, including building annual Capex/Opex budgets, financial forecasting, and variance tracking alongside Corporate Finance. Experience in high-availability environments such as retail store technology, supply chain distribution centers, or 24/7 mission-critical operations. Tooling & Certifications Advanced Atlassian Cloud proficiency (Jira, Jira Product Discovery, Confluence) with hands-on experience designing intake workflows, automations, and portfolio roadmaps. PMP, PgMP, CSM, or PMI-ACP certification are strongly preferred. Perks: Why You’ll Love it Here Generous Associate Discount: Treat yourself to the best our brands offer! Summer Fridays (For Pittsburgh, NYC and Remote Corporate Associates): More time for the sun and the weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Casual Dress Code: Come as you are (and stay comfy). Hybrid Schedule: Enjoy a blend of home-office focus and in-office collaboration. In-Person Connection: While we love our digital tools, we love our people even more! To keep our culture thriving, in-person presence is required at one of our Pittsburgh or NYC headquarters, distribution centers or field locations for interviews, orientation and periodic quarterly meetups. In-Office Events: Exciting company-wide events you won’t want to miss!PAY/BENEFITS INFORMATION:Actual starting pay is determined by various factors, including but not limited to relevant experience and location.Subject to eligibility requirements, associates may receive health care benefits (including medical, vision, and dental); wellness benefits; 401(k) retirement benefits; life and disability insurance; employee stock purchase program; paid time off; paid sick leave; and parental leave and benefits.Paid Time Off, paid sick leave, and holiday pay vary by job level and type, job location, employment classification (part-time or full-time / exempt or non-exempt), and years of service. For additional information, please click HERE.AEO may also provide discretionary bonuses and other incentives at its discretion.#LI-CH1About the companyGet to Know AEO American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (NYSE: AEO) is a leading global specialty retailer with a portfolio of beloved apparel brands including American Eagle, Aerie, OFFL/NE by Aerie, Todd Snyder and Unsubscribed. Rooted in optimism, inclusivity and authenticity, AEO’s brands empower every customer to celebrate their unique personal style by offering casual, comfortable, timeless outfitting and high-quality products that are made to last. In addition to a robust e-commerce business, we operate stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with merchandise available in more than 30 countries through a global network of license partners. At AEO, we believe in the power of our people and our brands. Our Better Together culture creates a mutual desire to succeed–inspiring our community to excel, while driving future growth for the business and associates. Through experience, exposure and education we empower associates to build their unique career journey. Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access at AEO We remain committed to building an inclusive culture that is welcoming and fosters a sense of belonging for everyone. Please see more about our initiatives here. AEO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to complying with all federal, state and local equal employment opportunity ("EEO") laws. AEO prohibits discrimination against associates and applicants for employment because of the individual's race or color, religion or creed, alienage or citizenship status, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, marital or partnership status, domestic violence or stalking victim status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristics, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. This applies to all AEO activities, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, compensation, assignment, training, promotion, performance evaluation, discipline and discharge. AEO also provides reasonable accommodation of religion and disability in accordance with applicable law. Applications will be accepted until the Apply Before date (if applicable), but may be extended based on applicant volume.