Senior Program Manager

Job Title: Senior Program Manager
Location: Remote
Duration: 7 Months (potential for extension based on project needs)
Position Summary:

Lead the design, alignment, and pilot implementation of a future-state third-party diligence and vendor onboarding operating model for a Fortune 500 enterprise.
Serve as the central coordinator across Legal, Procurement, Information Security, Privacy, Compliance, Data Governance, Vendor Management, and business stakeholders to transform how third-party engagements are reviewed, approved, contracted, and governed.
Drive consensus across diverse stakeholder groups, establish governance structures, define operating models, streamline complex cross-functional processes, and pilot new ways of working.
Drive the program by facilitating working sessions, managing deliverables, and ensuring successful execution against project objectives, while partnering with functional leaders and a steering committee that retain decision-making authority.
Operate strategically, navigate organizational complexity, and drive business transformation through influence, structured program leadership, and disciplined execution.

Key Objectives:
The successful candidate will lead the program to:
Establish a Cross-Functional Governance Model

Design and operationalize a cross-functional diligence governance framework.
Establish and facilitate a diligence council and supporting working groups.
Define roles, responsibilities, decision rights, and escalation paths.
Align governance mechanisms with existing Vendor Management and related enterprise workstreams.
Create accountability structures for process performance and continuous improvement.

Streamline Contracting Processes

Partner with Legal and Procurement to identify opportunities to simplify and standardize contracting workflows.
Support development of streamlined NDA guidance, pilot agreement approaches, and standardized contractual templates.
Identify opportunities to reduce negotiation cycle times and increase consistency across engagements.

Establish Service Levels and Accountability

Define review ownership across participating functions.
Develop service-level targets and performance expectations.
Design escalation procedures for unresolved issues and bottlenecks.
Facilitate stakeholder alignment around operational commitments.

Measure and Improve Performance

Establish baseline metrics and reporting capabilities.
Monitor process performance, cycle times, rework, and stakeholder feedback.
Lead governance discussions focused on continuous improvement opportunities.
Recommend process changes based on data-driven insights.

Responsibilities:

Serve as overall program lead for the transformation initiative.
Develop and manage the program roadmap, workplan, milestones, risks, dependencies, and stakeholder communications.
Facilitate executive steering committee meetings, governance forums, and cross-functional working sessions.
Drive alignment among Legal, Procurement, Security, Privacy, Compliance, Data Governance, Vendor Management, and business stakeholders.
Document current-state and future-state processes, governance structures, and operating models.
Manage competing stakeholder priorities and drive decisions through appropriate governance channels.
Prepare executive-ready presentations, status updates, recommendations, and decision materials.
Coordinate pilot activities and track outcomes against success criteria.
Ensure project deliverables are completed on schedule and meet agreed business objectives.

Required Qualifications:

10+ years of program management, process transformation, operating model design, or business transformation experience.
Demonstrated success leading large-scale cross-functional initiatives in Fortune 500 or similarly complex organizations.
Experience facilitating executive-level and cross-functional governance forums.
Strong stakeholder management and consensus-building skills.
Experience designing and implementing business processes that span multiple functional areas.
Proven ability to drive projects forward without direct authority over participating teams.
Exceptional written, verbal, and executive presentation skills.
Strong organizational, planning, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with third-party risk management (TPRM), vendor onboarding, supplier governance, procurement operations, legal operations, compliance programs, or related functions.
Experience working with Legal, Procurement, Security, Privacy, Compliance, or Data Governance organizations.
Knowledge of risk-based review frameworks and governance models.
Experience leading process simplification, cycle-time reduction, and operational efficiency initiatives.
PMP, PgMP, Lean Six Sigma, Prosci, or similar certification preferred.
Management consulting or enterprise transformation experience is a plus.

Deliverables
The program manager will be expected to deliver: