Principal Program Manager

Job Title: Principal, Program Manager, OCTO Program Office

Role Summary:

The Principal Program Manager in the Office of the CTO’s (OCTO’s) Program Office plays a central role in driving shared ways of working across a portfolio of initiatives. This position is responsible for designing agentic-enabled processes that enable teams to operate with autonomy while remaining aligned to organizational priorities. The role emphasizes strong, transparent information flows across stakeholders and workstreams to support collaboration, shared understanding, and effective decision-making. Key to success is the ability to develop agentic solutions that enable program managers to drive value and for executives to get delivery insight. Additionally, the Program Manager designs experiences and frameworks that reinforce best practices in software development, Agile ways of working, and project controls, supporting consistency, predictability, and continuous improvement across OCTO’s portfolio.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and evolve agentic-enabled solutions that balance autonomy, accountability, and adaptability across programs.

• Establish and sustain clear, inclusive information flow frameworks that support timely, accurate, and actionable communication among stakeholders and delivery teams.

• Develop, implement, and continuously refine shared processes and frameworks for program delivery, integrating Agile principles and project control practices.

• Create and maintain transparent tracking and reporting approaches to support visibility into program progress, risks, dependencies, and outcomes.

• Partner with cross-functional teams to gather, analyze, and synthesize data-driven insights that inform decisions and support strategic alignment.

• Support operational effectiveness by identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, coherence, and learning across program execution.

• Ensure program office activities remain aligned with OCTO’s strategic priorities and broader organizational goals.

• Communicate program status, risks, insights, and recommendations in a clear, thoughtful, and accessible manner to senior leaders and stakeholders.

• Define, track, and share KPIs and OKRs for programs and teams, supporting measurable progress and shared accountability.

Desired Qualifications:

• Ability to design and support agentic workflows, reporting and tracking systems, and data-informed practices.

• Demonstrated experience in program management within technology-focused or transformation-oriented environments.

• Strong experience with process improvement, change enablement, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Solid understanding of Agile frameworks, the software development lifecycle, and project control approaches.

• Experience defining, managing, and aligning KPIs and OKRs to strategic priorities across teams.

• Strong communication, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with a collaborative leadership approach.

Impact:

To succeed in this space, the Principal Program Manager must be able to drive agentic solutions while understanding the needs and activities of program owners. This role supports the establishment of shared practices, agentic ways of working, and transparency across OCTO’s programs . By strengthening information flows, embedding Agile and project control principles, and supporting the effective use of KPIs and OKRs, the Program Manager helps enable informed decision-making, organizational learning, and resilience in a dynamic technology environment.

Skills:

• Agentic Development

• Analytical Thinking

• Business Acumen

• Interpersonal Effectiveness

• Communication Skills

• Collaborative Problem Solving

• Program & Project Management

• Stakeholder Partnership

• Progress Monitoring & Sensemaking

• Stakeholder Engagement

• Facilitation & Influencing Skills

• Program Governance

• Change Enablement

• Artificial Intelligence & Data Literacy

Compensation at Pearson is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. As required by the California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York State, New York City, Vermont, Washington State, and Washington DC laws, the pay range for this position is as follows:

The minimum full-time salary range is between $135,000 - $165,000.

This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program, and information on benefits offered is here.

Applications will be accepted through 27th July 2026. This window may be extended depending on business needs.

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Who we are:

At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. We are the world's lifelong learning company. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. To learn more: We are Pearson.

Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as defined under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act.

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Job: Program Management

Job Family: ENTERPRISE

Organization: Corporate Strategy & Technology

Schedule: FULL_TIME

Workplace Type: Hybrid

Req ID: 22952

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