Program Manager

Key Responsibilities o Lead project management for department initiatives, covering all project phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring/control, and closeout. o Serve as Agile/ScrumMaster, facilitating ceremonies and progress using Scrum, Kanban, or
Waterfall as appropriate. o Oversee analytical and IT product development, ensuring risk mitigation and proper documentation. o Develop and improve PMO standards, tools, processes, and governance; manage related financial and operational activities. o Manage and monitor budgets and prepare financial forecasts for the managed projects. o Communicate proactively with project teams and stakeholders, ensuring alignment and transparency. o Facilitate meetings and present project status and outcomes clearly. o Identify and implement process improvements for greater efficiency.

Qualifications: o 5+ years managing large-scale projects from feasibility to deployment. o 3+ years leading analytical software development teams; strong understanding of SDLC. o Leadership experience in complex, AI-enabled data projects within hybrid delivery environments. o Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., MS Planner, Smartsheet, Jira, GitLab). o Ability to lead cross-functional teams, drive consensus, and mentor others. o Strong communication and presentation skills. o Bachelor''s degree in a technical or analytical field (or equivalent).

Preferred: o Master''s degree with 3+ years'' experience. o PMP or Certified ScrumMaster. o Consulting experience and Disney business knowledge. o Familiarity with travel/hospitality industry and analytics in statistics, engineering, marketing, sales, or revenue management.

1. Project Overview and Business Need
Eric explained that the project is already well underway and has been active for approximately 18 months. The initiative is entering its final phase, with several remaining releases still needing to be delivered.
Key points:

• The contractor will join an established and mature project rather than a newly launched effort.
• The primary responsibility will be ensuring successful execution of the final releases and driving the project to completion.
• The current project manager is being reassigned to another strategic initiative beginning in October.
• The contract resource is being brought in specifically to provide continuity and finish the existing effort.

2. Duration and Extension Expectations
The discussion covered expected assignment length and long-term planning.

Key points:

• The target project timeline runs through August of the following year.
• Eric stated that while not guaranteed, he is highly confident the contractor would receive an extension beyond the initial term.
• After the primary deliverables are completed, additional scope items are expected to continue during an ongoing maintenance phase.
• Leadership has expressed interest in maintaining project management oversight during post-delivery work.

Decision

• The manager''s expectation is that the role will likely extend beyond the initial contract period due to remaining work following the main delivery milestones.

Key qualifications discussed:

• Experience leading large-scale projects from planning through deployment.
• Experience supporting software development teams and SDLC-driven environments.
• Strong project management background.
• Ability to manage complex delivery efforts involving multiple stakeholders and teams.

Eric emphasized that practical experience is more important than formal certifications.
Preferred (but not required)

• PMP certification.
• Scrum-related certifications such as Certified Scrum Master.

Decision

• Experience, delivery capability, and interpersonal effectiveness are more important than certifications alone.

6. AI Experience Expectations
A substantial portion of the meeting focused on clarifying the AI-related requirement listed in the role.

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