Sr Director, Project Management Office

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As Senior Director, Program Management Office you will be in a central leadership role across a technology portfolio that spans across many programs that cut across our Business and Technology teams. You will need to be well versed in working across all levels of a cross-functional organization and will be held accountable to supporting the delivery of defined outcomes and value, through the lens of influence, management and, when relevant, execution.

The Senior Director, Program Management Office is responsible for establishing and leading the PMO to ensure projects and programs are executed effectively and align with the organization's strategic objectives. This is a pivotal, newly created role aimed at embedding project management as a core discipline across the organization. The ideal candidate will be responsible for developing and implementing enterprise-wide standards, templates, governance, and training programs to ensure project management maturity aligns with strategic goals. This role requires a strategic thinker with a proven track record in setting up and leading PMOs, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to right-size practices for the organization's maturity level. The Enterprise PMO Leader will manage a small team of enterprise project managers and collaborate closely with functional project managers across the business to drive project excellence and business transformation.

JOB DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
In this role, you will oversee a select group of direct reports and manage cross-functional teammates within the technology sphere to achieve key deliverables for enterprise initiatives.

The Senior Director PMO (Program Management Office) will oversee the planning, implementation, and tracking of a diverse portfolio of related projects across various technology departments while creating a team that delivers a repeatable, scalable project platform aligned with our business objectives. This role requires exceptional leadership skills, a deep understanding of project management methodologies, and a proven track record of successfully delivering complex projects on time and within budget ultimately driving quick and agile execution.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Mobilize cross-functional teams using evidence-based influencing skills.
• Lead workshops with stakeholders and technology partners to align strategy and work.
• Collaborate with executive leadership to define project scope, goals, and deliverables that support business objectives.
• Provide executive-level updates on prioritization and progress.
• Translate stakeholder insights into prioritization and product vision.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to enhance business proficiency and promote human-centered design principles.

Leadership & People Management

• Influence teammates and peers without formal authority using organizational agility.
• Lead and mentor project managers, providing guidance, coaching, and professional development opportunities.
• Foster a people-first culture where teammates thrive. Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement within the team.
• Demonstrate confidence and deep understanding in cross-functional initiatives.

Form Strategy & Prioritize Work

• Lead high-complexity, high-impact enterprise initiatives.
• Define and support strategy across multiple projects.
• Co-author roadmaps based on strategic enterprise needs.
• Use decision support tools to weigh competing factors.
• Communicate the rationale behind prioritized work to executives.
• Share the cross-functional roadmap strategy with relevant leaders and stakeholders.

Identify Opportunities and Communicate Effectively

• Prioritize problems for optimal business outcomes.
• Set long-term vision for large strategic projects.
• Oversee project portfolio management, including monitoring progress, resource allocation, and risk management.

Deliver Programs

• Identify and mitigate dependencies across cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Identify, communicate and mitigate risks across projects, ensuring proactive risk management strategies are in place.
• Guide the creation of the release plan, including feature prioritization.
• Provide oversight in developing discovery objectives and goals in collaboration with product teams and stakeholders.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, IT, or related field.
• Professional certification in project management (PMP) is highly desirable.
• Extensive experience in project management and PMO leadership, preferably in a large, complex organization.
• Proven track record of successfully managing large-scale, cross-functional projects from initiation through completion.
• Deep understanding of project management methodologies (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) and best practices, and proficiency in project management software (e.g., Microsoft Project, SiteTracker, Asana, JIRA). Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems upgrade or deployment experience, a plus.
• Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and communication skills.
• Strategic thinker with a keen attention to detail and the ability to prioritize competing demands.
• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills.
• Strong leadership abilities with a demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate cross-functional teams to achieve project goals.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, interpersonal and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate the value of PMO to both project teams and executive leadership.
• Ability to build consensus and drive decision-making.
• Ability to thrive in a high paced and at times stressful environment
• Passion for people development and creating an engaged and positive culture

This role will have an annual salary of $185,000 - $200,000.

Macmillan Publishers is the U.S. trade company that is part of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned group of media companies headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Holtzbrinck Publishing Group's publishing companies include prominent imprints around the world that publish a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.

U.S. publishers include Celadon Books, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt & Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, The St. Martin's Publishing Group, and Tor Publishing Group. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, companies in the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group publish under the Pan Macmillan name. The German publishing company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are actively seeking job applicants who reflect a broad representation of differences, including race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical ability, neurodiversity, age, family status, economic background and status, geographical background and status, and perspective. We believe that the best companies reflect the incredible diversity in viewpoints, backgrounds, and identities of the world in their staffs, and are committed to inclusive hiring across departments and levels. The successful candidate for this position will be an employee of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.