Program Manager – Data & AI Transformation Programs

Contract to hire positions with a major investment firm.
Hybrid in Newark, NJ 3 days/week

S eeking three experienced Program Managers to support the delivery of strategic Data & AI initiatives across the following initiatives: Enterprise Data Platform, Domain Activation & Data Product Delivery, and Enterprise AI, Intelligent Automation, and Business AI Accelerator programs. These roles will be responsible for driving complex, cross-functional programs that enable Data and AI strategy, serving as trusted partners to senior business and technology leaders while ensuring successful execution, stakeholder alignment, and value realization.

Key Responsibilities
• Lead end-to-end program management for strategic Data & AI initiatives, including planning, execution, governance, and delivery.
• Develop and manage integrated project plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, budgets, and executive reporting.
• Build and maintain strong relationships across business, technology, operations, risk, governance, and vendor teams to drive alignment and successful outcomes.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, facilitating decision-making, resolving conflicts, and navigating complex organizational dynamics.
• Drive communications across all levels of the organization, including executive presentations, governance materials, status reporting, and stakeholder engagement.
• Apply strong business acumen to understand strategic objectives, prioritize work, connect technology investments to business outcomes, and support value realization.
• Coordinate multiple workstreams and stakeholders to ensure delivery commitments are met and risks are proactively managed.
• Support organizational readiness, adoption, and change management activities to maximize business impact.
• Establish effective governance routines and provide transparency into program health, delivery status, dependencies, risks, and key decisions.
• Partner with business leaders, product owners, engineering teams, and external vendors to ensure successful execution of strategic priorities.

Required Qualifications
• 8 years of program or project management experience leading large-scale technology, data, AI, analytics, digital, or business transformation initiatives.
• Exceptional relationship management skills with a demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate across senior leadership, business, and technology organizations.
• Outstanding written, verbal, and executive communication skills, including the ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect strategy, operations, technology, financial objectives, and value realization.
• Demonstrated expertise with Jira and Jira Align, including roadmap management, dependency tracking, risk and issue management, status reporting, dashboard development, portfolio oversight, and executive-level program reporting.
• Advanced proficiency in the Microsoft 365 suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint, with the ability to produce executive-ready presentations, reporting packages, communications, and governance materials.
• Proven success managing complex initiatives in highly matrixed organizations.
• Experience managing vendors, budgets, risks, dependencies, and executive governance processes.
• Experience working within Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery environments.
• PMP or related certifications preferred.

Preferred Experience
Experience supporting enterprise data platforms, cloud modernization, data product delivery, data governance, artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, digital transformation, or other large-scale technology programs is highly desirable.

Work Location
These positions will follow hybrid work model and require candidates to be onsite at the company's headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, a minimum of three (3) days per week. Candidates should be comfortable working in a highly collaborative environment that requires regular in-person engagement with business stakeholders, technology teams, and senior leadership.

Portfolio Alignment
These positions may be aligned to one of three initiatives within the firm's new Chief Data and AI Office:
• Enterprise Data Platform
• Domain Activation & Data Product Delivery
• Enterprise AI, Intelligent Automation & Business AI Accelerators

Successful candidates will combine strong program delivery discipline, executive presence, relationship management, communication skills, business acumen, and stakeholder management capabilities to help the firm accelerate adoption of enterprise data and AI capabilities while delivering measurable business outcomes.

payrate - 60 - 70 per hour depending on experience