Principal Program Manager

Wintrust provides community and commercial banking, specialty finance and wealth management services through its 16 bank charters and nine non-bank businesses. Wintrust delivers the sophisticated solutions of a large bank while staying true to the relationship-focused, personalized service of our community banking roots. We serve clients in all 50 states with more than 200 branch banking locations in Illinois, southwestern Florida, northwestern Indiana, west Michigan and southern Wisconsin and commercial banking offices in Chicago, Denver, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Mich., and in key branch banking locations throughout Illinois. Our people are the heart of our business and we are proud to rank consistently as a top place to work. Wintrust is a $66 billion financial institution based in Rosemont, Illinois, and listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “WTFC.”

Why join us?

• An award-winning culture! We are rated a Top Workplace by the Chicago Tribune (past 12 years) and Employee Recommended award by the Globe & Mail (past 6 years)

• Competitive pay and discretionary or incentive bonus eligible

• Comprehensive benefit package including medical, dental, vision, life, a 401k plan with a generous company match and tuition reimbursement to name a few

• Promote from within culture

Why join this team?

• This position has the opportunity to interface with and have a positive impact on multiple areas of Wintrust's business

• We hold ourselves accountable to high standards, share wins, operate ethically, and have fun

Position Overview

The Principal Program Manager is the most senior program management position and responsible for leading and coordinating strategic business initiatives, operational priorities, and cross-functional programs that support the Senior Vice President and the overall business line. They are leaders driving execution through collaboration, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. They are accountable for ensuring business initiatives, operational priorities, and enterprise projects consistently deliver business value, align with business and technical strategy and provide exceptional customer experience for our business partners. This role serves as a strategic partner to the Senior Vice President, leading execution of key business initiatives, operational improvements, and organizational priorities and will work closely with executive leadership, cross-functional business partners, operations, finance, compliance, technology, and external partners.

The Principal Program Manager will organize, coordinate and provide status on strategic initiatives, operational performance, executive priorities, and enterprise projects to ensure delivery of current and future business needs. Collaborates with functional areas for effective use of resources to meet business needs.

What You’ll Do

• Develop proactive relationships with senior leaders of supported business units that are built on trust, transparent communication, and a spirit of collaboration

• Forecast IT resource requirements and equipment needs based on business units; pipeline of planned projects

• Support executive communications, leadership presentations, board materials, and strategic planning activities

• Partner with Risk, Compliance, Finance, and Operations to ensure adherence to organizational policies, regulatory requirements, and governance standards

• Partner with the Senior Vice President to translate strategic priorities into actionable business plans, business cases, and measurable outcomes

• Represent the business line’s priorities across the organization, ensuring stakeholders remain informed, engaged, and aligned throughout strategic initiatives and operational projects

• Partner with business leaders and cross-functional teams to remove operational roadblocks, improve processes, and accelerate high-priority business initiatives

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business or technology

• 10+ years working in a financial services environment with special emphasis on coordinating large cross functional programs and stakeholder management

• 8+ years of management experience in which one or more of the following has occurred:

  • Demonstrated high competency in the prioritization of various competing deliveries of efforts

  • Demonstrated competency in strategic thinking and leadership with strong abilities in relationship management

  • Experience in managing resources to meet goals across multiple projects

  • Experience in leading multidisciplinary, high-performance work teams/groups

  • Demonstrated competency in developing efficient and effective solutions to diverse and complex business operations

• Working knowledge of general IT and business operations

• Must possess exceptional leadership, time management, facilitation, and organizational skills

Benefits

Medical Insurance • Dental • Vision • Life insurance • Accidental death and dismemberment • Short-term and long-term Disability Insurance • Parental Leave • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) • Traditional and Roth 401(k) with company match • Flexible Spending Account (FSA) • Employee Stock Purchase Plan at 5% discount • Critical Illness Insurance • Accident Insurance • Transportation and Commuting Benefits • Banking Benefits • Pet Insurance

Compensation

The estimated salary range for this role is $117,000.00 - $158,000.00, along with eligibility to earn an annual bonus. Actual salaries may vary based on several factors, such as a candidate’s qualifications, skills and experience.

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From our first day in business, Wintrust has been proud to serve a variety of unique communities and people from all walks of life. To build a company that reflects the communities we serve, we believe that fostering a unique and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to succeed will support our ongoing success. Wintrust Financial Corporation, including community banking and financial services subsidiaries, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.