Senior Program Manager, Merchandising Operations

Aquent, a global leader in talent solutions, is partnering with a renowned, global athletic brand known for its innovative products and commitment to empowering individuals worldwide. This is an exciting opportunity to join a team that is shaping the future of the industry through strategic project execution.

Are you a seasoned Project Manager eager to make a significant impact within a high-visibility, fast-paced environment? This role offers the unique chance to drive critical initiatives from conception to go-live, directly contributing to a major business transformation and enhancing organizational excellence in project management. You will be instrumental in ensuring a smooth transition with a new vendor, helping to achieve a crucial go-live date and shaping the future of operational efficiency within a key integration organization. This is your opportunity to lead, innovate, and collaborate on projects that have a direct and measurable impact on global operations.

**What You'll Do:**

* Lead end-to-end project and program execution, maintaining clear visibility into the project management lifecycle.
* Proactively identify critical next steps, tradeoffs, and decision points to ensure work progresses with speed and clarity.
* Demonstrate intrinsic motivation by identifying opportunities to improve outcomes, reduce risk, and increase organizational effectiveness.
* Communicate with clarity and confidence at an executive level, utilizing concise storytelling, structured presentations, and data-informed recommendations.
* Translate complex project and portfolio information into clear insights tied to organizational goals, strategic priorities, and business outcomes.
* Apply portfolio management principles to balance priorities, capacity, risk, and value across multiple initiatives.
* Identify, assess, and prioritize risk holistically across business functions and the broader program or portfolio.
* Structure and maintain program governance forums to surface risks early and ensure appropriate mitigation.
* Partner with project sponsors and stakeholders to define business benefits, measurable outcomes, business requirements, and project scope.
* Manage change control processes, clearly articulating impacts to scope, timeline, cost, quality, and organizational priorities.
* Define integrated project schedules, manage task assignments, and track progress against milestones.
* Anticipate dependencies, constraints, and critical path risks, adjusting plans as needed to maintain momentum.
* Facilitate level-of-effort estimation and develop asset acquisition requirements.
* Track and report actuals versus forecasts, elevating variances, risks, and tradeoffs with transparency.
* Provide guidance and direction on project management methodology and best practices, ensuring alignment with standard project methodologies.
* Define and manage project strategies, assign clear ownership, and ensure actions are driven to closure with quality.
* Leverage tools such as Airtable (or similar workflow and portfolio tools) to track initiatives, risks, dependencies, and reporting.
* Continuously improve tools, templates, and processes that enable scalability, transparency, and consistent execution.
* Support a team with a large, critical deliverable on a tight timeline, focused on a new vendor implementation.
* Potentially engage in light portfolio management, overseeing a holistic portfolio of initiatives.

**What You'll Bring:**

* 8-10 years of experience in a project management position.
* Solid understanding of program and project management principles.
* Proven ability to drive initiatives from concept to completion.
* Strong written and verbal communication skills, capable of engaging diverse audiences.
* Proficiency in creating compelling communication artifacts using tools like Keynote, Microsoft Suite, etc.
* Exceptional ability to communicate effectively through decks, presentations, and other mediums.
* Demonstrated success in building and maintaining strong professional relationships.
* A degree is heavily preferred.
* PMP certification is heavily preferred.

**Desired Soft Skills:**

* A curious mindset, with an eagerness to learn and ask probing questions.
* Exceptional ability to ruthlessly prioritize work and incoming communications.
* Strong skills in assessing risk, priority, and impact to guide decision-making.
* Proven ability to perform effectively and maintain composure under pressure.

**Skills That Will Set You Apart:**

* Experience with Airtable or similar workflow and portfolio management tools.
* Background in merchandising, planning, or similar operational roles.
* Prior business experience within a large, global enterprise.
* Experience in portfolio management.
* Agile certifications (CSPO, CSM).

**About Aquent Talent:**

Aquent Talent connects the best talent in marketing, creative, and design with the world's biggest brands.
Our eligible talent get access to amazing benefits like subsidized health, vision, and dental plans, paid sick leave, and retirement plans with a match. We also offer free online training through Aquent Gymnasium. More information on our awesome benefits!
Aquent is an equal-opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We're about creating an inclusive environment-one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.

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