Role: Principal Program Manager - Contract to Hire
Contract Start Date: 1/5/2026
Contract End Date: 6/30/2026
Rate: $67.28 - $87.75/hour W2, dependent on skills and qualifications
Location: Local to MN, need to be open to coming on-site
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Principal Program Manager role is responsible for the leadership and delivery of Enterprise programs that include multiple projects spanning across business verticals and impact significant organizational Strategic Initiatives. This position operates at an expert level to ensure strategic program deliverables and goals are clearly defined and successfully achieved. Programs include a collection of projects or complex multiple workstreams to achieve a strategic goal. This role will use the organization’s defined project delivery lifecycle and company/industry standard project management methodologies and tools. The Principal Program Manager is accountable for ensuring program scope, budget and timelines are managed within defined tolerance. This includes ensuring the optimization of budget and resources utilization across projects and workstreams within the program. The Principal Program Manager will provide stakeholder management and communications at the executive and board level, ensure risks are identified and have a mitigation plan. This role will be responsible for providing insights and recommendations to sponsors and executives on how to successfully deliver the maximum value against program goals. The Principal Program Manager will lead the team in innovative ways to solve unique and complex problems and manage risk.
ACCOUNTABILITIES:
· Defines the overall objectives and key deliverables at the program level; proactively manages and tracks key measures of success using leading indicators. Ensures the development of a comprehensive plan that incorporates deliverables, accountabilities, and timelines across the program.
· Ensures there is clarity on how the metrics are achieved and governs the process. Appropriately escalates issues to ensure success of the program. Provides regular status reporting on plan progress as defined by the enterprise project management office (EPMO) standards.
· Recommends and manages delivery approach at a program level, ensuring alignment across all teams to deliver the expected value.
· Mentors and directs project managers within a program to ensure consistency and ensuring value is delivered across projects and program goals are achieved.
· Ensures program level and project alignment/adhere to program/project delivery framework/methodology.
· Proactively manages and leads risk management and mitigation. Appropriately escalates risks and champions recommendations to sponsors and steering team members to enable effective decision making.
· Provides leadership to program and project resources in a manner that ensures timely delivery on commitments/tasks in support of broader program deliverables. Aligns cross-organizational resources to ensure successful delivery of program goals. Effectively identifies program resource requirements and works with sponsors and project managers to ensure adequately skilled resources are available to deliver on program commitments. Ensures most efficient use of resources across workstreams/projects within a program.
· Partners with business sponsors, subject matter experts, vendors and other key stakeholders to drive and define value and ensure the overall program objectives and agreement/adoption of program and project objectives/deliverables are achieved. Accountable for effective project communication to project sponsor and key stakeholders providing transparency and driving decisions where needed. Ensures cross-organizational interdependencies are understood and manages risks to ensure appropriate integration to program deliverables and plans across projects.
· Key partner in leading and ensuring there is effective change management at the program level. Ensuring consistency across workstreams/projects contributing to the overall program goals.
· Optimizing use of funding to maximize value with clear scope, delivery milestones and proactively driving risk decisions. Leads key stakeholders and sponsors through changes or key decisions regarding program goals.
· Leads and recommends course correction to senior executives and program sponsors to optimize value of program outcomes.
· Provides work direction to multiple stakeholders including project managers supporting the program.
· Leads and recommends process improvement initiatives related to the EPMO.
· Provides coaching and mentoring to EPMO staff on effective project management, stakeholder management and other key PM skillsets.
· Provides leadership across business and technology at a strategic level. Acts as the connection point across business process, technology and change management.
· Other duties as assigned.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
Knowledge of:
· Experience leading the successful implementation and integration for large transformational programs to support healthcare clients, ensuring seamless migration and adoption.
· Proven experience implementing large-scale platforms such as Salesforce, CTI, and Omnichannel solutions to optimize end-to-end value stream processes and scale enterprise operations.
· Track record of implementing technology to improve sales and service soft skills, including capabilities like conversation frameworks and next best action. · Demonstrated extensive experience with project management principles, project management and software development methods and tools in a complex environment.
· Experienced with industry-standard project management methodologies and tools.
· Demonstrated capability in standard office and project management applications such as Asana and Jira
· Demonstrated success in building trusted working relationships; exceptional communication skills that include ability to effectively articulate information to others at multiple levels of the organization across multiple stakeholder groups.
· Demonstrated ability to manage risk at a program level and drive decisions/tradeoffs to achieve program value in a timely manner.
· Experience assisting with IT capability maturity including User Centered Design
· Experience working with Implementation Partners.
Ability to:
· Leads others in a complex, high speed environment with the ability to remain focused on organizational goals under conditions of uncertainty and change.
· Demonstrate organizational agility and courage to ensure program value is achieved, including stopping non-value work and changing course if value will not be delivered.
· Understand and communicate broader objectives at the program level.
· Align multiple workstreams/projects and dependencies to achieve overall program goals.
· Manage complexity and drive overall value at the program level.
· Accountable for the overall program communication including executive and board level communications.
· Effectively manage and maximize value through others including employees, vendors/implementation partners, contractors, and external business partners.
· Effectively communicate and influence at all levels including executive level sponsors, middle management, peers and individual contributors. · Courageously influence, lead change and inspire engagement.
· Demonstrate advanced written and oral communication and presentation skills at the appropriate level of detail for the audience.
· Advanced proven ability to use diplomacy in working relationships to address conflict and arbitrate solutions successfully
· Demonstrate high degree of business acumen and ability to lead through influence at all levels.
Education and/or Experience:
· Bachelor’s degree, preferably in business, science or computer science. However, upon evaluation, equivalent related experience and/or education may be substituted for the degree.
· 12+ years of experience in program/project management.
· 5 or more years of supervisory/people management experience.
· 3-5 years of experience with User Centered Design (UCD)
· 6+ years of project management experience in multiple software development, lifecycle (SDLC) methodologies and project management including Waterfall, Scrum/Agile and hybrid.
· 6+ years of experience leading operational and technology initiatives with demonstrated success in cross functional initiatives and implementation of large-scale complex projects within a healthcare environment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: (Additional qualifications that may make a person even more effective in the role, but are not required for consideration)
· Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
· Experience working with off-shore teams.
Performance expectations:
- Extensive Experience: Typically requires 10+ years of experience in program or project management, with significant experience managing large-scale, complex technology implementations, ideally within CRM/Salesforce or digital transformation. Preferably in the Health Care Industry
- Technical Proficiency: Strong understanding of CRM/Salesforce platforms and related technologies, including architecture, data management, and integration.
- Leadership & Communication: Exceptional leadership, negotiation, influence and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders, build consensus, and motivate cross-functional teams. Ability to build trust across teams. Change management experience and storytelling abilities.
- Strategic & Analytical Thinking: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex business challenges into actionable program strategies and solutions.
- Methodology Expertise: Proficiency in various project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Scrum, hybrid) and experience implementing PMO processes and best practices. Specific experience working with Product Roadmaps and Agile delivery teams is desired. PMP Certification strongly desired
- Business Acumen: A strong grasp of end-to-end business process to ensure program deliverables align with core business functions and deliver maximum value.