Principal Program Manager

C2C is not available

Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship

Why you will enjoy Mondays again

• Opportunity to work alongside a talented, diverse team in a collaborative and creative environment
• Ongoing investment in your growth through training, mentorship, and industry certifications
• Hands-on exposure to cutting-edge technologies across multiple industries
• Recognition programs and employee awards within an inclusive culture that celebrates great work, including our AI Innovators Program
• Remote or hybrid work options
• Competitive salary
• Robust benefits package, matching 401(k) plan, and substantial PTO
• Tuition reimbursement

A Day in the Life

• Lead a highly complex, portfolio-aligned IT program from initial discovery and scope definition through execution, transition, and closeout.
• Develop and manage an integrated program plan across multiple concurrent application development projects, ensuring timelines, milestones, and deliverables remain aligned.
• Partner with the Program Sponsor, Portfolio Manager, and other senior stakeholders to establish reporting cadences and provide clear, executive-level updates on program health, progress, financials, risks, and decisions.
• Collaborate across a large, distributed organization to define program scope, navigate ambiguity, build stakeholder alignment, and identify dependencies across projects and business areas.
• Own program financial management, including cost estimates, budget development, forecasting, and forecast-to-actual tracking.
• Work onsite in the St. Louis, Missouri area as business needs require, up to once per week or three times per month.
• Monitor program risks, issues, dependencies, and health indicators, escalating significant concerns and leading resolution of the most complex challenges.
• Direct third-party and vendor activities by integrating external deliverables into the overall program plan and tracking performance against contractual commitments.
• Oversee resource needs across the program, review requests from project managers, and escalate capacity or skill constraints that may affect delivery.
• Apply Waterfall, Agile, or blended delivery approaches based on the needs of the program, projects, and stakeholders.
• Lead interim and post-program reviews to evaluate outcomes, capture lessons learned, and identify opportunities to strengthen future execution.
• Actively use AI tools, including Claude through our Anthropic partnership, to streamline tasks, improve the quality of your work, and share best practices with teammates while continuously seeking new ways to integrate AI into your everyday workflows
• Mentor project managers and reinforce consistent project management standards, governance practices, and reporting expectations across the PMO.
• Support organizational change activities by anticipating stakeholder impacts, strengthening adoption, and maintaining effective relationships throughout the program lifecycle.

What it takes

Consultative approach and problem solving skills to successfully align digital solutions with long-term business goals of the client

Hands-on experience using AI tools to enhance daily work, or a strong desire to do so, including a willingness to experiment, learn, and champion AI adoption within your role

Claude Certified Developer or Architect highly preferred; possible opportunity to obtain as a Sparq colleague

Commitment to understanding and exceeding client expectations

Ability to perform project oversight and execution of deliverables

Flexibility to adapt within a high-growth organization

Ability to lead, mentor and motivate those around them

Hunger for continuous learning and professional development

Intellectual curiosity to provide creative solutions

Full understanding of the software development life cycle

Ability to positively impact fellow colleagues through effective leadership, presentations, coaching, etc.

Desire to work in a team environment

Good interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills

Regardless of your specific role, we seek individuals who are excited to explore, adopt, and evangelize AI tools and methodologies. If you have experience in AI or a proven track record of rapidly learning and mentoring others on emerging tech, you’ll fit right in.

Equal Employment Opportunity Policy: Sparq is proud to offer equal employment opportunity without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities and believe in an inclusive workplace. If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, please let us know by contacting [email protected]

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