Program Manager

Program ManagerLocation: Irvine, CA, 92606Duration: 3 Months Contract to hire.Position Summary:The Program Manager is responsible for governing and driving execution of the company's highest priority strategic initiatives, including CEO level "big rocks" and global transformation programs. This role ensures initiatives are clearly defined, aligned to the overarching organization strategy, actively managed, and delivered on time by enforcing execution discipline, driving accountability, and resolving at-risk items across cross-functional teams.Essential Functions:Strategic Initiative Governance & VisibilityOwn and maintain the centralized portfolio view of all strategic initiatives (enterprise and global).Ensure all initiatives are structured with clear objectives, milestones, owners, and measurable outcomes.Deliver consolidated executive reporting (status, risks, decisions, escalations).Support and coordinate large-scale global initiatives in partnership with HQ and regional stakeholders to ensure alignment between global strategy and regional execution.Act as the primary coordination point for global initiative tracking and visibility.Execution Oversight & Risk ManagementContinuously monitor initiative health and identify risks, gaps, and bottlenecks.Lead deep dives on "red" or at-risk initiatives, including root cause identification.Drive corrective actions and partner with stakeholders to recover timelines and outcomes.Escalate critical issues to leadership with clear recommendations and trade-offs.Monitor financial risks and variances, proactively driving corrective actions for budget overruns or benefit shortfalls.Cross-Functional Alignment & Stakeholder ManagementPartners across Corporate Planning, Finance, Operations, HR, and business teams to ensure all workstreams are captured, aligned, and progressing.Act as a central integrator, bridging gaps between strategy and execution.Translate initiative progress into clear, actionable insights for leadership.Provide decision-ready materials, including status summaries (on track / at risk / off track), key risks and mitigation plans, and required executive actions and support.Action & Deliverable ManagementEstablish and enforce action management discipline to capture actions, ownership, due dates and closures.Lead cadence meetings and working sessions to drive follow through and accountability.Ensure no critical actions or deliverables are missed and proactively escalate to leadership to remove any hurdles.Track key financial deliverables, including business case approvals, funding milestones, and benefit realization checkpoints.Job Requirements:5 –10+ years in program management, corporate planning, strategy execution, or PMO rolesExperience managing complex, cross-functional initiatives across multiple stakeholdersExperience supporting financial planning, budgeting, or business case development for strategic initiativesStrong program and portfolio management skills (governance, tracking, reporting)Proven ability to drive accountability and influence without direct authorityExceptional problem-solving and risk mitigation capabilitiesStrong executive communication and presentation skillsAbility to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, ambiguous environmentStrong financial acumen (budget management, ROI analysis, cost/benefit modeling)Ability to translate financial data into executive-level insights and recommendationsExperience with project/program management tools (e.g., Asana, Jira, Smartsheet)