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Director, Program Management

Topeka, KS-Hybrid

 

WHO WE ARE:

Zinnia is the leading technology platform for accelerating life and annuities growth. With innovative enterprise solutions and data insights, Zinnia simplifies the experience of buying, selling, and administering insurance products. All of which enables more people to protect their financial futures. Our success is driven by a commitment to three core values: be bold, team up, deliver value – and that we do. Zinnia has over $180 billion in assets under administration, serves 100+ carrier clients, 2500 distributors and partners, and over 2 million policyholders.

WHO YOU ARE:

The  Director, Program Management  is accountable for execution on the client project work prioritized to meet key client targets and outcomes. You will have a keen understanding of the SDLC to delivering projects in both waterfall and agile methodologies, and an ability to quickly assess impact and risk mitigation approaches across client programs. Working with peers, Account Executives, and technology teams in the organization, you will help achieve your clients’ target outcomes within the overall Zinnia portfolio of programs. You will lead a team of Program Leads/Project Leads working to support your clients’ initiatives and will drive adherence to key standards and practices to increase predictability in our delivery outcomes.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

  • Support client discussions and planning activities to outline high level full year portfolio roadmap, driven by prioritized requests and client defined business value
  • Work with Client Account Manager to prepare and facilitate strategic client planning sessions at least quarterly to prioritize work needed for client to achieve key business outcomes for the upcoming year
  • Collaborate with peer Delivery Leads, Client Account execs, and internal Technical Lead resources to forecast resource demands and manage prioritization on a recurring and as needed basis by working with internal stakeholders
  • Monitor and manage Client portfolio status, including delivery progress, project spend, cross projects dependencies, P&L, risks and issues
  • Work with Program and Project Manager client teams to drive consistent use of defined reporting and dashboards for project tracking and proactive identification of risks to timelines, scope, budget and quality
  • Act as the first point of escalation for project delivery, working to identify remediation steps with internal stakeholders including impact of remediation to overall Zinnia portfolio, and reporting back to client with mitigation plan
  • Support periodic (at least monthly) leadership Client discussions, including key Zinnia constituents (Client Account Executive, others as needed) to assess key wins, areas of opportunity with resulting plan of action and readout in subsequent monthly 
  • Drive Client conversations on scope management with proactive data to reflect trends and options to meet targets based on priority of time, cost, scope
  • Improve team performance by leading, mentoring, training, motivating, and building team cohesiveness, Work with the teams to continually improve project/program controls, methods and tools
  • Drive contract review and approval process, working with internal legal teams and Client Account Exec team member prior to submission to Client
  • Support Program and Project Manager client teams review and approve of billable effort/cost weekly, in addition to monthly invoice generation
  • Participate in monthly finance discussions to review P&L by providing proactive information on potential project risks and mitigation steps actioned

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

  • Bachelor’s degree in business or a closely related field, Master's Degree preferred,  or equivalent work experience.
  • 10 plus years of Project Management Experience – CAPM, PMP or similar designation preferred
  • 15 plus total technology experience
  • Demonstrated ability to manage a project using a variety of methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, Scrum, Kanban, etc). 4-6 years in an Agile environment preferred
  • Demonstrated understanding and experience within full software development project lifecycle in complex technical environments.
  • Knowledge of project management tools and software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, SharePoint, Jira, etc.
  • Experience with third-party system support with preference given to insurance / financial services platforms.
  • Knowledge of IT systems, governance and compliance.
  • Proven problem solving, decision making, analytical and organizational skills are required.
  • Ability to tailor communications and influence critical decisions with a variety of stakeholders.
  • Capability to work within broadly defined parameters.
  • Strong results orientation, organization and management skills.
  • Lead and focus the efforts of others to established goal.
  • Effectively drive results with cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization.
  • Experience with conversions and implementations.
  • Mentor Technical Project Managers as required.
  • Develop relationships, with a strong focus on communication and change management.
  • Knowledge of annuities and life products
  • PMI- ACP, CSM or equivalent preferred
  • Able to travel a minimum of 10% of the time.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

Zinnia offers excellent career progression and competitive compensation. We offer great benefits, including health/dental insurance, parental leave, profit sharing, 401(k), incentive/bonus opportunity, tuition reimbursement, and so much more. The expected salary range for this position is $180,000 - $200,000, dependent on skills and location. The salary range is a good faith estimate based on what a successful candidate might be paid in certain Company locations. All offers presented to candidates are carefully reviewed to ensure fair, equitable pay by offering competitive salaries that align with the individual’s skills, education, experience, training, and geographic location and may be above or below the stated amounts. We’re looking for the best and brightest innovators in the industry to join our team. At Zinnia, you collaborate with smart, creative professionals who are dedicated to delivering cutting-edge technologies, deeper data insights, and enhanced services to transform how insurance is done. Visit our website at www.zinnia.com for more information. Apply by completing the online application on the careers section of our website. We are an Equal Opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.

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