Director, Program Management Office

Chicago, IL, US; Downers Grove, IL, US; St. Louis, MO, US

About You:

We are seeking a strategic and results-driven Director of Program Management within our Technology team to lead and evolve our IT Project Management Office, driving enterprise-wide execution excellence across the technology portfolio. This leader will be responsible for establishing and advancing PMO governance, portfolio management practices, and delivery standards to ensure alignment between technology initiatives and business strategy.

As a key member of the Technology Leadership Team, the Director of PMO will oversee a team of Project Managers, define project prioritization frameworks, optimize resource planning, and serve as the executive owner of project execution and delivery performance. This role requires a forward-thinking leader with strong operational rigor, executive presence, a demonstrated capability of managing organizational change management and the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

A Day in the Life:

• Lead, mentor, and scale a team of Project Managers, fostering a culture of accountability, strategic thinking, and continuous improvement.
• Establish and mature enterprise PMO governance, standards, tools, and methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid models) to ensure consistency and delivery excellence.
• Establish and own the demand-to-project lifecycle process, including demand intake, qualification, portfolio prioritization, and capacity planning, partnering with Product Owners to ensure visibility, accountability, and timely progression of initiatives from request through execution.
• Oversee the successful execution of large, complex, cross-functional technology programs from ideation through implementation and value realization.
• Develop and manage portfolio-level reporting, KPIs, financial tracking, and health metrics; provide regular executive updates to senior leadership and the CIO.
• Drive enterprise risk management practices within the project portfolio, ensuring proactive mitigation and effective issue escalation.
• Partner closely with business leaders, technology teams, and external vendors to ensure transparency, alignment, and successful delivery outcomes.
• Champion organizational change management and adoption strategies to maximize the impact of new systems, tools, and processes.
• Optimize resource allocation and financial stewardship across the technology portfolio to drive efficiency and return on investment.
• Continuously assess and improve PMO processes, leveraging data and industry best practices to elevate delivery maturity.

Necessary Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field required; PMP, PgMP, or equivalent certification strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in IT project and program management, including 5+ years of leadership experience.
• Proven experience building, transforming, or leading an enterprise PMO.
• Strong expertise in technology delivery, including software development, infrastructure, SaaS implementations, digital transformation initiatives, and enterprise systems.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex portfolios with significant budget oversight.
• Exceptional leadership and team development skills, with the ability to influence at the executive level.
• Proficiency with project management and portfolio tools (e.g., Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, ServiceNow, portfolio management platforms).
• Strong financial acumen and experience managing capital and operating budgets.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience managing third-party vendors and external delivery partners.
• Familiarity with Agile frameworks, DevOps practices, ITIL service management principles, and change management frameworks preferred.

What We Can Offer You:

We are dedicated to the well-being of our associates and are proud to be consistently recognized as a Best Place to Work. Our compensation and benefits package not only supports our associates and their families but benefits local communities and communities around the world.

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Traditional and Roth 401k
• Tuition reimbursement for associates
• Scholarship for associates’ children up to $28,000 per child
• 1-month paid sabbatical after every five years of employment, plus $5,000 for travel
• 1-week paid volunteer leave each year
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• 100% paid 12-week maternity leave

At ARCO, our first core value is to treat people fairly and do the right thing. We are proud to be a drug-free workplace and an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.

From recruiting, training, and hiring practices to selecting our subcontractors, we understand that the diversity of all those involved in the construction process enhances our ability to deliver the best solutions to our customers. We hire the best and the brightest from across the country – constructing a team of experts in architecture, design, engineering, project management, and business services.

MAKE YOUR MOVE

We are proud to be one of the fastest-growing, privately-owned companies in America, celebrating over 30 years of experience as design-build experts. We have completed over 7,500 design-build projects nationwide. We ranked #9 on ENRs Design-Build Firms list and #34 on ENRs Top 400 Contractors list of 2026. Most importantly, our clients like us, trust us, and want to do business with us. We are looking for people with the same enthusiasm, passion, and respect for the hard work that brought us to where we are today. Are you a person who can make a difference at ARCO? If the answer is "Yes!" we look forward to meeting you.

ARCO does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies without pre-approval from ARCO’s Human Resources team. Pre-approval is required before any external candidate can be submitted. ARCO will not be responsible for fees related to unsolicited resumes and for candidates who are sent directly to our hiring managers. Agencies must have a fully executed vendor agreement in place as well as written approval to submit candidates from an ARCO TA Manager for a specific position before submitting candidates.