Program Manager - Federal at CDW Careers

Independently manages projects or programs, or act as a Project Manager within a program. Owns all aspects of a product or service offering for a client, from inception to installation. Integrally involved in interaction with sales, consultants, stakeholders and other members of cross-functional teams. Projects are typically of high complexity or risk and have high visibility in the client or CDW organization. A Program Manager will often work on projects consisting of emerging and/or highly customized technology. Work with enterprise or strategic clients that will often have strict constraints on one or more of the project components. This position often works with mixed teams with multiple practice/solution areas and complex systems integration which could include multiple Service areas and third party vendors. The Program Manager is responsible for leading Project Managers within the associated program or projects. The CDW Program Manager acts as project advocate ensuring success for all stakeholders by driving for results, making the tough call, and building strong relationships with project stakeholders.

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Project Management
• Compares/contrasts client’s methodology and provides guidance to Project Managers on melding customer methodology and processes with CDW methodology.
• Accountable for project profitability. Tracks multiple budgets, consolidates and summarizes for executive stakeholders. Understands budget to actual variations for project phases, makes recommendations and adjustments. Tracks project and program margins against targets. Addresses financial warnings for individual projects and mitigates the effect with the Project Managers. Understands the economics of financial decisions across the portfolio within the client and its impact to CDW. Works with clients to position operational expenses vs. capital expenditures
• Validates initial program/project scope and estimates. Understands and articulates the impact of project changes on the program. Influences and makes program recommendations at executive stakeholder level. Sets strategy for minimizing impact and risk to the client due to project changes.
• Maintains continuous alignment of program scope with strategic business objectives. Makes recommendations to modify the program to enhance effectiveness toward the business results or strategic intent.
• Identifies and interprets risks from dependent CDW projects and client landscapes. Understands how they impact the program and mitigates the risks. Communicates risks and plans to project stakeholders.
• Aligns all dependencies from program work streams.
• Proactively conducts resource planning and optimizing billable schedules, monitoring and adjusting assignments as necessary. Acts as an escalation point to address resource constraints in order to minimize impact to the program.
• Establishes and owns program communication plan. Consolidates, manages and executes project communication plans into program communications plan for all stakeholders and work streams.

Leadership

• Takes accountability for project results. Is fiscally responsible to the client, the project and to CDW. Holds project team accountable.
• Instills trust with our clients by building strong relationships with stakeholders.
• Leverages business acumen and political savvy as well as relevant personal and CDW experience to build credibility.
• Demonstrates ability to diffuse uncomfortable situations with client and/or project team.
• Leads efforts to continuously define, contribute and to improve our overall project management knowledge base across geographies and solution areas. Develops standards, best practices and training for team members.

Communication

• Assimilates information from across all projects in the program and distills the information for the appropriate stakeholders. Integrates new information on the fly, synthesizes the information and charts a new course as appropriate.
• Has clear and concise communication. Leads and facilitates both live and virtual meetings. Keeps meetings on track, on topic and summarizes assigns and publishes follow up items in a timely manner.
• Adapts communication style and medium to the audience needs. Adjusts communications based on complex political landscape.
• Defines strategy and content for formal presentations and coaches project managers on delivery. Creates talking points and strategic messaging.
• Uses political savvy and all channels of communication to finesse key messaging.

Additional Responsibilities:

• Manages Stakeholders: Articulates and summarizes program and highlights the business impact and value. Produces project summary reports for executives. Interfaces regularly with executives on the status and issues of the projects. Is seen as a “Trusted Advisor” by executives and intimately knowledgeable about their business. Leads project managers within the program on managing their project teams and resolving issues.
• Negotiation: Develops negotiation strategy for complex negotiations, bringing solutions to Sales teams to resolve customer and/or project conflict. Negotiates conflicts of resources, due dates and priorities across the projects in their program. Is expected to assist project managers with challenging negotiations or assist in developing negotiation strategy.
• Sales Support: Advocates with sales on the value, experience and best practices of the CDW project management services. Proactively influences sales strategy through client executive relationships. Takes an active role in setting strategy, acting as a communication conduit between client and CDW bringing extensive knowledge of client business objectives and/or clients operational organization to the opportunity.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in business or computer related field or equivalent experience.
• 9 or more years’ experience in delivering quality Infrastructure Project Management.
• Five or more years’ experience in leading significant Microsoft or Advanced Technology projects across all solution areas.
• Ability to work weekends and/or off hours as necessary to meet clients' needs.
• This position may require the ability to travel average of 50%.

Other Required Qualifications

• Significant success leading projects with enterprise or strategic customers that may encompass several technologies
• Suggest and initiate new processes to improve best practices within the Project Management team.
• Demonstrated ability take accountability for projects and their results, be fiscally responsible and lead teams to meet project success factors.
• Working knowledge of one or more formal project management methodologies proficiency with tools such as Microsoft Project/Office
• Ability to leverage business acumen, political savvy, relevant personal and CDW experience, perseverance and communication skills to build credibility
• Excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills. Adjusts communication based on complex political landscape. Ability to assimilate information from across all projects in the program and distills the information for the appropriate stakeholder.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferred certification of PgMP, and PMP
• Understands ITIL Framework
• Experience with Business Value and Impact Analysis
• Experience with large scope Data Center consolidation and/or migrations
• Strong grasp of business and technical acumen related to Federal Cloud initiatives
• Familiar with FISMA and FEDRAMP
• DoD/OPM Active Security Clearance