Senior R&D Program Manager

R&D Sr. Program Manager- Hybrid, Cary,NCWe’re a leader in data and AI. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence - and questions into answers.If you're looking for a dynamic, fulfilling career with flexibility and a world-class employee experience, you'll find it here. We're recognized around the world for our inclusive, meaningful culture and innovative technologies by organizations like Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek and more.About the jobThe SaaS team is looking for a R&D Sr. Program Manager to lead the overall Customer Intelligence program, driving clarity, alignment, and predictable delivery across a complex, cross-functional SaaS environment. Our team is sitting at the cutting edge of Software at SAS. We are shaping how SAS products grow and evolve into cloud native CI/CD delivered products ready for the future.This role exists to help the Customer Intelligence organization operate more effectively at scale, bringing visibility to priorities, surfacing risks early, and enabling leadership to make informed, timely decisions. You will partner closely with Engineering, Product Management, and Project Management teams to strengthen program execution while improving the experience for both internal teams and customers.You will operate at both strategic and execution levels to help shape priorities, guide program direction, and ensure delivery outcomes align with business objectives. While primarily focused on program leadership, you may also directly manage select initiatives where appropriate..As a R&D Sr. Program Manager, you will:Lead end-to-end execution of the Customer Intelligence program, ensuring alignment across scope, priorities, dependencies, and delivery timelines.Serve as the central point of coordination across globally distributed engineering, product, and project teams, driving clarity and alignment in a dynamic SaaS environment.Proactively identify, manage, and communicate risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs to maintain the program momentum.Shape and maintain a clear program roadmap aligned to strategic business objectives.Own select features or technical initiatives end-to-end, coordinating across engineering, product, and project management teams to drive definition, delivery, and customer outcomes.Drive program transparency through structured reporting, dashboards, and communication that enable confident decision-making by leadership.Establish a consistent view of program health, including status, risks, dependency impacts, and delivery confidence.Translate complex program information into clear, actionable insights for both technical and executive audiences.Monitor overall program effectiveness and identify opportunities to improve processes, coordination, and delivery outcomes.Lead or recommend operational reviews and process improvements that increase predictability and reduce friction across teams.Build and communicate business cases for improvements, including cost/benefit analysis and expected impact.Influence decision-making at multiple levels of the organization, including senior leadership.Provide guidance and mentorship to project managers, helping improve consistency and execution quality across the program.Support program-level financial planning, including budget tracking, forecasting, and identifying trends and optimization opportunities.Ensure alignment between program execution, business objectives, and customer outcomes.Leverage Jira Cloud and advanced reporting capabilities to provide cross-program visibility and actionable insights.Continuously improve data quality and reporting practices to enable better program decisions.Identify and apply AI-driven capabilities to improve planning, risk detection, and overall program management effectiveness. Required qualifications8 years of experience in software program or project management, preferably in agile environments.Bachelor's degree in a quantitative field, preferably in Computer Science or a related disciplineProven experience delivering projects end-to-end across planning, execution, and deliveryStrong experience working in SaaS or continuous delivery environmentsStrong stakeholder management skills, including negotiation, communication, and conflict resolutionEquivalent combination of related education, training and experience may be considered in place of the above qualifications. Additional competencies, knowledge and skillsCommunication - Conveying information and ideas clearly and concisely to individuals or groups in an engaging manner that helps them understand and retain the message; listening actively to others.Driving for Results - Setting high goals for personal and group accomplishment; using measurement methods to monitor progress toward goals; tenaciously working to meet or exceed goals while deriving satisfaction from that achievement and continuous improvement.Building Trusting Relationships - Using appropriate interpersonal styles to establish effective relationships with customers and internal partners; interacting with others in a way that promotes openness and trust and gives them confidence in one’s intentions.Strategic Planning - Obtaining information and identifying key issues and relationships relevant to achieving a long-range goal; committing to a course of action to accomplish a long-range goal after developing alternatives based on logical assumptions, facts, available resources, constraints, and organizational values.PMP, CSM or equivalent certificationsAbility to influence without authorityAbility to manage pressure, deadlines, and competing prioritiesWorld-class benefits Highlights include...Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental and vision plans.Medical plan options include:PPO with low annual deductible and copays.HDHP combined with a health savings account with a contribution from SAS (no access to on-site health care center).Onsite Health Care Center (HQ) that’s free to employees and family members enrolled in the PPO plan. There's a pharmacy too! Not local to HQ? The pharmacy will ship prescriptions for no additional charge!An industry-leading 401k plan.Tuition Assistance Program and programs and resources to support your developmentGenerous time away including vacation time, a variety of paid holidays, and our much-loved U.S. Winter Wellness Break between December 25 and January 1.Volunteer Time Off, parental leave and unlimited paid sick days.Generous childcare benefits for all full-time employees.You are welcome here.At SAS, it’s not about fitting into our culture – it’s about adding to it. We believe our people make the difference. Our inclusive workforce brings together unique talents and inspires teams to create amazing software that reflects the diversity of our users and customers.Additional Information:To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status. SAS is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by law. Read more: Know Your Rights. Resumes may be considered in the order they are received. SAS employees performing certain job functions may require access to technology or software subject to export or import regulations. To comply with these regulations, SAS may obtain nationality or citizenship information from applicants for employment. SAS collects this information solely for trade law compliance purposes and does not use it to discriminate unfairly in the hiring process.SAS only sends emails from verified “sas.com” email addresses and never asks for sensitive, personal information or money. If you have any doubts about the authenticity of any type of communication from, or on behalf of SAS, please contact View email address on click.appcast.io's stay in touch! Join our Talent Community to stay up to date on company news, job updates and more.Job SummaryRequisition ID: 20070212Category: Research and DevelopmentTravel Requirements: None