Head of Program Management

Job Summary:

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking an accomplished senior leader, Head of Program Management Office (PMO) to lead and scale our enterprise program execution capability within the R&D organization. This is a senior leadership role that sits at the intersection of Product, Engineering, and Client Delivery. You will inherit and lead an established PMO team of 9-10 Technical Program Managers and take them to the next level of execution maturity. The ideal candidate brings deep domain knowledge in investment management and capital markets, strong business acumen, and a track record of driving complex, multi-workstream programs to successful delivery in a SaaS / platform environment.

You will be the connective tissue between our senior Product and Engineering leadership and our clients, ensuring that our R&D investments translate into measurable business outcomes with predictable, high-quality execution. This role reports directly to the VP of R&D Strategy and is a key member of the R&D leadership team.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Program Leadership

·         Lead and evolve the Program Management Office (PMO) as a center of excellence for program execution across the R&D organization, managing a team of Technical Program Managers.

·         Define and own the program governance framework, including intake, prioritization, milestone tracking, risk management, and executive reporting.

·         Drive alignment between product roadmap commitments, engineering capacity, and client delivery timelines to ensure the organization delivers on its promises.

Client-Centric Program Execution

·         Serve as a senior point of accountability for high-visibility client implementations, platform migrations, and strategic delivery programs.

·         Translate complex client requirements rooted in investment management workflows (e.g., portfolio accounting, NAV calculation, reconciliation, compliance reporting) into actionable program plans for R&D teams.

·         Proactively managing client expectations, programming risks, and escalation paths, working together with Client Onboarding, Client Servicing and Sales leadership.

Domain Expertise & Business Acumen

·         Leverage deep understanding of the investment management life cycle (front, middle, and back office) to inform program priorities and trade-off decisions.

·         Speak the language of our clients — portfolio managers, operations teams, compliance officers, and CIOs/ CROs (Risk) and translate their needs into technology delivery strategies.

·         Stay current with industry trends, regulatory changes (e.g., SEC, MiFID II, T+1 settlement), and competitive dynamics to advise R&D leadership on market-driven priorities.

AI & Technology Program Enablement

·         Champion the disciplined execution of AI-powered product initiatives, ensuring these high-complexity programs are delivered with appropriate rigor, experimentation frameworks, and stakeholder communication.

·         Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to manage programs involving intelligent automation, predictive analytics, NLP-driven document processing, and AI-assisted investment workflows.

Team Leadership & Culture

·         Lead, mentor, and elevate an established team of Technical Program Managers embedded across product and engineering teams, raising the bar on execution discipline, domain fluency, and stakeholder management.

·         Develop individual growth paths for TPMs, fostering specialization in investment management domains while maintaining cross-functional versatility across the R&D portfolio.

·         Foster a culture of transparency, ownership, and proactive communication within the PMO and across the R&D organization.

·         Serve as a trusted advisor to the VP – R&D Strategy and R&D leadership team on organizational effectiveness, resource planning, and strategic execution.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

·         Bachelor’s degree in business, Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. MBA or advanced degree (strongly preferred)

·         12+ years of progressive experience in program management, product operations, or delivery leadership within financial services technology, investment management, or capital markets.

·         Deep domain knowledge of the investment management life cycle — including portfolio management, trading, order management, performance attribution, risk management, fund accounting, investor reporting, and regulatory compliance.

·         Proven ability to partner with and influence senior Product and Engineering leaders in a technology-driven, fast-paced environment.

·         Track record of running large-scale, cross-functional programs in a SaaS or platform product company, with direct accountability for client-facing delivery outcomes.

·         Strong business acumen with the ability to connect technology execution to business value, revenue impact, and client satisfaction.

·         Experience managing programs that involve AI/ML, data engineering, or advanced analytics initiatives.

·         Demonstrated experience leading and developing a team of Technical Program Managers (10+ direct reports), with a focus on raising execution quality and domain expertise.

·         Exceptional communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills; comfortable presenting to C-suite executives, clients, and senior leadership audiences.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

·         Direct experience working at or with buy-side firms (asset managers, hedge funds, pension funds, wealth management platforms) or sell-side technology providers serving these segments.

·         Familiarity with investment management platforms and systems such as OMS/EMS, portfolio accounting systems, data warehouses/lakes, and client reporting engines.

·         Experience with Agile at scale and modern delivery tooling (Jira, Aha! Confluence, etc.).

·         PgMP, PMP, SAFe SPC/RTE, or equivalent program management certifications.

·         Background in navigating regulatory and compliance-driven delivery requirements (SOC 2, GDPR).

·         Experience scaling and maturing an existing PMO function in a growth-stage or mid-market SaaS company.

LOCATION & TRAVEL

·         This role is based in New York City. Occasional travel (up to 15-20%) may be required for client engagements, leadership meetings and engagements.

WHAT WE OFFER

·         Business casual atmosphere in a flexible working environment 

·         Team focused culture that promotes innovation and ownership 

·         Access cutting edge investment reporting technology and expertise

·         Defined and undefined career pathways allowing you to grow your own way 

·         Competitive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits

·         Maternity and paternity leave 

·         Personal Time Off and Volunteer Time Off to give back to the community

·         401(k) retirement plan with company match

·         Work from anywhere 3 weeks out of the year 

·         Work from home Fridays