Program Manager Enterprise Transit Fare System Upgrade

Job Title: Program Manager Enterprise Transit Fare System Upgrade
Location: Saint Paul, MN / Minneapolis, MN (Hybrid Onsite Required Weekly)
Interview: In-Person Interview Required (Mandatory)

Job Description

The Metropolitan Council is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead the end-to-end delivery of the Enterprise Transit Fare System Upgrade initiative a large, multi-million-dollar, cross-functional program critical to the organization. This hybrid role requires on-site presence at least one day per week at the Met Council offices in Saint Paul or Minneapolis.

The Program Manager will oversee planning, execution, stakeholder alignment, vendor management, and operationalization of complex technical and business projects. The ideal candidate brings strong leadership abilities, extensive program management experience across Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid methodologies, and the ability to coordinate diverse teams and vendors to deliver strategic outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Program Management
Develop and manage comprehensive program, portfolio, and project plans using Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid methodologies.
Define scope, objectives, timelines, and deliverables for large, cross-functional initiatives.
Apply advanced vendor management skills to ensure successful delivery of contracted scope.
Oversee testing strategy and execution, including unit, functional, performance, and user acceptance testing.
Utilize PMO tools for program tracking, reporting, and governance compliance.

Team Leadership
Communicate effectively with senior leaders through presentations, reports, and structured updates.
Facilitate prioritization, road-mapping, and decision-making discussions with stakeholders.
Guide and support project managers and cross-functional teams to ensure program delivery success.
Foster collaboration, alignment, and a positive PMO environment.
Lead change management, conflict resolution, and team coordination efforts.
Ensure clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability across the program.

Stakeholder Management
Build strong relationships with program sponsors, business leaders, and technical teams.
Provide timely communication of program status, risks, issues, and dependencies.
Align program objectives with organizational goals through proactive engagement.

Risk & Issue Management
Identify and mitigate program risks and issues through structured analysis and action planning.
Monitor and report progress, performance, deliverables, and overall program health.

Budget & Resource Management
Develop, manage, and track program budgets in alignment with governance requirements.
Allocate resources effectively through demand planning and capacity management.
Ensure financial discipline and adherence to budget constraints.

Transformation & Change Management
Lead organizational change and process adoption required for successful program rollout.
Support transition to new technologies, workflows, and operational models.

Process Improvement
Contribute to PMO methodology enhancement and continuous improvement efforts.
Stay current with industry best practices, tools, and emerging program management trends.

Minimum Qualifications
High school diploma or GED AND nine (9) years of experience managing multiple IT and business projects
Associate degree counts as 2 years toward experience
Bachelor s degree or higher counts as 4 years toward experience
At least two (2) years in a lead role requiring multi-division collaboration.
Active PMP or PgMP certification.
Active CSM or SAFe certification.
Minimum two (2) years of experience with MS Project.
Minimum one (1) year of experience using Azure DevOps or Jira.

Desired Skills
Experience managing large, complex SaaS implementations.
Experience leading programs in the transit domain.
Strong communication, interpersonal, and executive-level stakeholder management abilities.
Demonstrated success delivering high-impact initiatives under challenging constraints.
Experience with PPM tools and enterprise governance frameworks.