Strategic Program Manager

Effectual Strategic Program Managers (SPMs) are members of the Customer Experience Management (CEM) Practice within Effectual’s Professional Services (PS) organization. They are responsible for ensuring that Effectual’s largest and most strategic customers receive exceptional service that leverages the full breadth of Effectual’s experience, expertise, and execution capabilities. SPMs oversee all delivery activities for their customer(s) across the entire portfolio of offerings Effectual provides. SPMs always operate at both a tactical and strategic level playing both the role of Engagement Manager (EM) on select work streams and providing strategic oversight and leadership for Engagement Manager(s) serving their customer(s). SPMs develop a deep understanding of their customer(s) and use this knowledge to collaborate with Account Executives, Solution Architects, and senior members of Effectual’s PS organization, to develop strategic plans to drive incremental growth and value delivery.

What makes a successful Strategic Program Manager?
SPMs exhibit mastery in the areas of engagement and relationship management. While they understand how to successfully deliver short, tactical, projects, they are at their best when presented with highly complex, multi-faceted, engagements for which there are significant financial implications for the customer and Effectual. SPMs are force multipliers that enjoy working across multiple work streams – in the weeds and at a strategic level – since this enables them to fully understand how Effectual is serving their customer(s). They are detail oriented and nothing that could negatively impact how Effectual is perceived or the achievement of the customer(s)' desired outcome goes unnoticed. The successful SPM is someone who quickly establishes themselves as the go-to person within Effectual.

• Ensuring customer retention through exceptional delivery quality to customer(s) by:
  • Developing, refining, and enforcing delivery standards for assigned customer(s)
  • Coordinating staffing of customer(s) work stream(s)
  • Leading Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs)
  • Serving as an escalation point for risk management and mitigation of customer concerns
• Furthering Effectual’s relationship with assigned customer(s) by:
  • Cultivating productive, trusted relationships with key customer executives and stakeholders
  • Developing a deep understanding of customer(s) business objectives and strategic plans
  • Acquiring detailed knowledge of the market space within which customer(s) operate, leading to an understanding of the competitive landscape and what actions competitors are taking that may impact the services Effectual provide
• Aiding in the strategic development of Effectual’s PS organization by:
  • Providing input to Capability and Practices leads regarding key skills required by customer(s) to address current and emerging needs
  • Providing input and recommendation to Effectual’s PS Strategy Capability Lead regarding potential offerings based on identified and validated customer needs
• Being fully billable by serving as (and performing at the level of) a Senior Engagement Manager, which consists of:
  • Establishing and maintaining excellent working relationships with customers achieved through:
    • Preparing, scheduling and conducting project kick-off meetings
    • Preparing and delivering weekly project status reports
    • Conducting weekly checkpoint meetings to review project status
    • Researching client questions, including technical questions and billing issues and providing timely responses
    • Communicating and negotiating adjustments to project delivery timelines
    • Preparing and delivering change orders
  • Establishing and maintaining rigorous project governance and execution achieved through:
    • Allocating, scheduling, and managing project-related resources, inclusive of managing resource conflicts
    • Meeting daily with team members to review progress
    • Holding team members and work stream engagement managers accountable and challenging staff on task delivery timelines to ensure timeliness and accuracy
    • Ensuring team members are entering time on a daily / weekly basis
    • Reviewing and approving time submissions in a timely fashion
    • Regularly monitoring project financials (e.g.: total project budget, cost, margin, etc).
    • Notifying PS leadership and the Account Executive (AE) of any risks to the delivery timeline, budget ,or other aspect of the project as soon as it is known
    • Preparing level-of-effort (LOE), and duration estimates for review and cost estimation by PS leadership and AEs
  • Supporting project delivery team members by:
    • Scheduling meetings with stakeholders
    • Gathering information being requested from the client in a timely fashion
    • Clarifying deliverables, defining the client’s expectations, and negotiating a mutually acceptable “definition of done” for each project deliverable
  • Supporting AEs by:
    • Notifying and inviting AEs to key meetings (e.g.: project kickoff and close-out)
    • Listening for and communicating potential opportunities for follow-on work and / or other opportunities
  • Establishing and maintaining excellent working relationships with third-party vendors / partners through:
    • Providing ongoing visibility into project delivery
    • Maintaining open lines of communication responding to questions in a timely fashion

• Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. 
• 5-7 years as a Strategic Program Manager or similar role within a professional services organization. Focus on Financial Services or Banking preferred.
• Located in the mid-West region with the ability to travel and be on-site with client in the Chicago area.
• Project management skills with a track record of successfully delivering complex projects on time and within budget.Able to manage multiple streams concurrently.
• Excellent client-facing and communication skills, with the ability to build rapport, manage expectations, and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to understand client needs and align solutions to achieve their strategic objectives.
• Demonstrated experience in business development, including identifying opportunities, crafting proposals, and driving revenue growth.
• Leadership skills with the ability to motivate and inspire cross-functional teams.
• Knowledge of industry best practices and trends in professional services.
• Proficiency in project management software and tools.
• AWS certifications (e.g.: Cloud Practitioner)

• Prior experience using Jira and Financial Force
• Project management certification(s) (e.g.: PMP)
• Agile certifications (e.g.: Scrum Alliance Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC), PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), etc.)

Full-time employees are eligible to participate in our employee benefit programs:

• Medical, dental, and vision health insurances,
• Short term disability, long term disability and life insurances,
• 401k with Company match
• Paid time off (PTO) (120 hours PTO that accrue over one year)
• Paid time off for major holidays (14 days per year)
• These and any other employee benefit offerings are subject to management’s discretion and may change at any time. 

Salary Range for this position: $140,000-$160,000

CA ID: IT10000620

"Salary ranges provided are for informational purposes only and may vary depending on factors such as experience, qualifications, and geographic location. The final salary offer will be determined based on the candidate's skills and alignment with the role requirements."

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended anytime at the sole discretion of the Employer. Duties and responsibilities are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship. Effectual Inc. is an EEO employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected classification in its hiring, promoting, or any other job-related opportunity.