Principal IT Program Manager

Title: Principal IT Program Manager

Location: Sterling, Virginia (Onsite)

Job Type: Contract

ROLE OVERVIEW: The Principal IT Program Manager leads complex enterprise programs, shapes program strategy, guides executive decision-making, mentors delivery teams, and improves PMO standards. This role influences delivery outcomes across teams and prepares the progression toward people's leadership and portfolio ownership.

• Leads complex, high-impact, cross-functional IT programs by providing program strategy, executive decision support, delivery recovery, and mentorship that prepares the next step toward people leadership and portfolio ownership.
• Owns integrated planning and execution across multiple workstreams, platforms, business functions, vendors, and leadership stakeholders.
• Shapes program strategy, governance, roadmap sequencing, dependency management, risk mitigation, and executive decision support.
• Partners with senior business and IT leaders to clarify objectives, define outcomes, align priorities, and resolve competing demands.
• Provides expert-level guidance to program managers, project managers, business analysts, and workstream leads on delivery discipline and stakeholder management.
• Develops executive-ready communications that clearly frame decisions, risks, options, trade-offs, and recommendations.
• Drives program recovery, stabilization, and escalation management when initiatives are at risk or require cross-functional executive alignment.
• Improves PMO standards, governance models, templates, reporting practices, and delivery playbooks based on lessons learned and business needs.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL:

• Deep experience leading complex enterprise IT programs involving multiple systems, business functions, vendors, and executive stakeholders, especially enterprise application platforms such as Oracle Fusion, Workday, ServiceNow, Salesforce, or comparable business systems.
• Advanced understanding of program governance, integrated planning, dependency management, risk management, budget awareness, and benefits realization.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence without authority and guide decisions in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.
• Proven ability to mentor others and raise the delivery capability of the broader PMO team.
• Ability to connect program execution to business value, operational readiness, adoption, and long-term sustainability across complex enterprise application and business transformation efforts.

COMPETENCIES:

• Enterprise program strategy
• Executive communication and influence
• Integrated planning and governance
• Mentorship and delivery leadership
• Program recovery and continuous improvement

WHAT YOU BRING TO US:

• 7–10+ years of experience in IT program management, enterprise applications delivery, business transformation, technology implementation, or related senior delivery roles.
• Experience leading complex, cross-functional enterprise programs across multiple systems, vendors, business functions, and executive stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business, Engineering, or related discipline preferred; Master’s degree or MBA a plus.
• PMP, PgMP, Agile, Scrum, Prosci/Change Management, ITIL, Lean, or related certifications preferred.

PERFORMANCE GOALS / SUCCESS MEASURES:

• Lead complex, cross-functional programs to defined outcomes by managing integrated plans, dependencies, risks, decisions, and executive alignment.
• Provide clear executive-level communications that frame program health, risks, trade-offs, decisions, and recommendations.
• Improve delivery predictability by identifying systemic constraints, dependency conflicts, or governance gaps and driving practical resolution plans.
• Mentor program managers, project managers, or workstream leads by improving their planning, reporting, stakeholder management, and escalation practices.
• Drive program recovery, stabilization, or risk mitigation plans when initiatives are off track or require senior-level intervention.
• Advance PMO maturity through improved governance models, templates, reporting standards, playbooks, or lessons learned that can be reused across programs.