What are the responsibilities and job description for the Program Manager position at Rocky Mountain Public Media?
Job description
Rocky Mountain Public Media, Inc. (RMPM) is the parent company of Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO JAZZ, and THE DROP 104.7. Over a million Coloradans turn to Rocky Mountain PBS, KUVO JAZZ and THE DROP 104.7 to discover provocative and inspiring local, national and international programming; find diverse viewpoints; score front row center seats to world-class performances; and experience lifelong learning opportunities every month.
About the role
RMPM is building a new Product & Delivery team to help the organization move from a project delivery model toward a product- and audience-oriented way of working. As a Program Manager, you will own a focused portfolio of cross-organizational initiatives spanning digital, technology and engineering. You will work to build the structure, alignment, and momentum needed to turn strategic priorities into measurable outcomes for audiences, partners, and the business.
You will partner closely with product owners, strategic leads, technical leads, and business stakeholders so that the right problems are being addressed, priorities are clear, dependencies are managed, decisions are made at the right time, and progress is measured. You will define and steward roadmaps, manage dependencies and risks across functions, and serve as the connective tissue between strategy and execution.
This role reports to the Director, Product & Delivery and works alongside a peer Program Manager whose body of work focuses on audience, experience and content curation. Together, the team provides a single point of coordination for delivering RMPM’s highest priority initiatives.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Own a focused portfolio of cross-organizational programs end to end, framing each program around the outcomes it must deliver, the audiences and stakeholders it serves, and the measures of success that define “done.”
- Apply a product mindset to program delivery: validate the problem before solutioning, sequence work to learn quickly, retire or reshape initiatives when evidence warrants, and continuously connect day-to-day execution to strategic outcomes.
- Help teams adopt new delivery practices, operating cadences, and cross-functional collaboration models as RMPM evolves toward a product and outcomes-oriented way of working.
- Partner with product managers/strategic leads, technical leads, and business stakeholders to develop and steward roadmaps, scopes, and delivery plans that are realistic, transparent, and aligned to organizational priorities.
- Run the operating cadence for assigned programs: intake, prioritization, planning, status, risk and dependency management, decision logs, and retrospectives, creating clarity for teams and confidence for executive sponsors.
- Surface and resolve cross-functional dependencies, blockers, and trade-offs early, escalating with options and recommendations rather than open questions.
- Define and track program-level KPIs and leading indicators tied to outcomes (audience, revenue, operational, mission), and use that data to drive course corrections and informed go/no-go decisions.
- Develop concise, executive-ready written and verbal communications, including portfolio status, risk narratives, and decision memos for the Chief Digital Officer, executive leadership, and the board as needed.
- Collaborate with peer Program Managers and the Director, Product & Delivery to evolve the Product & Delivery team’s shared standards, templates, and ways of working, contributing to RMPM’s broader shift from a project-delivery to a product-outcomes orientation.
- Actively participates in RMPM’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training program. Uses key standards and teachings of DEI training in day-to-day work.
- Other tasks as assigned and/or required.
Minimum Qualifications of Position
- Bachelor’s degree in business, technology, communications, media, or related field, or equivalent professional experience in program, product, or delivery management.
- 4 years of experience leading complex, cross-functional programs in media, technology, digital products, or comparable mission-driven environments.
- Demonstrated experience operating with a product mindset—framing work around outcomes, hypotheses, and measurable success criteria rather than fixed output checklists.
- Proven track record of delivering a focused portfolio of initiatives on time and on intent, including managing scope, dependencies, risks, and stakeholders across multiple functions simultaneously.
- Strong working knowledge of modern delivery practices (e.g., agile, lean, dual-track discovery and delivery) and the ability to apply them pragmatically rather than dogmatically.
- Experience partnering with product owners, technical leads, and business stakeholders to translate strategy into roadmaps and delivery plans.
- Fluency with program and product management tooling (e.g., Jira, Asana, Confluence, Notion, or equivalent) and with using data and reporting to drive decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce concise executive-ready updates and to facilitate productive cross-functional conversations.
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic, mission-driven public media organization, balancing rigor with empathy and adapting to evolving priorities.
Additional Qualifications of Position
- Must be able to work both independently and as a collaborative contributor across creative, technical, and business functions.
- Must possess strong interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to build trust with content creators, technology teams, executive sponsors, and external partners.
Salary range
- 83,125 – 106,875 USD Annual