Program Manager

About Us

AstrumU™ is a 40-person software company based in Kirkland, WA that was created to translate educational experiences into economic opportunity. We are on a mission to quantify the return on education investment for learners, education providers, and employers. We help institutions measure the value created for incoming and returning students, while assisting them in securing industry partnerships that lead students seamlessly into high-demand career pathways. Institutions partner with AstrumU to drive enrollment and increase alumni and corporate engagement, while extending economic mobility opportunities inclusively to all learners.  Our investors currently include Kingdom Capital, Ignition Partners, Correlation Ventures, City Light Capital, the University of Kansas, Arizona State University, and private investors.

Program Manager Job Description

We are looking for a program manager to be responsible for organizing programs and activities for our organization. You will be tasked with developing programs to support the organization's strategic direction, as well as creating and managing long term goals. You will also oversee developing budgets and operating plans for programs and writing program funding proposals.

You will understand the overall system design, data flows and other technical aspects of AstrumU. Considering the business, legal, and marketing aspects of the product delivery, coordinate cross-organizationally to ensure alignment on deliverables from product design to marketing. Translate the product requirements and technical architecture. Above all, you feel strongly about protecting customers.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have prior experience in both program management and team management.  You must possess a unique blend of business and technical savvy; a big-picture vision, and the drive to make that vision a reality.  You will report to the PMO Director.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Work with Executives and Product Managers to define product objectives and requirements.
• Prioritize requirements and define product & platform scope to meet strategic objectives and business needs.
• Work with Product Management to develop, maintain, and distribute (as appropriate) comprehensive Backlogs of cross-organizational priorities including implementation plan, project schedule, issues, risks assessment and contingencies.
• Work with PMO Director, Product Manager, and Product Design to ensure on-time delivery with the quality required.
• Manage each release through a cross-functional Release Team launch process.
• Work with Executive Leadership, Product Design and Development to identify areas in need of improvement to increase the business value of AstrumU and overall customer satisfaction.
• Anticipate problems and complications to formulate solutions so as not to impede the progress of the project.
• Assume responsibility and drive ownership for issue resolution.
• Accountable for on time product delivery, product quality, cost, and operations.
• Managing a team with a diverse array of talents and responsibilities.
• Ensuring goals are met in areas including customer satisfaction, safety, quality, and team member performance.
• Meeting with stakeholders to make communication easy and transparent regarding project issues and decisions on services.
• Producing accurate and timely reporting of program status throughout its life cycle.
• Analyzing program risks.
• Working on strategy with the marketing team.

COMMUNICATION ABILITY

Ability to effectively present information to executives and cross-functional teams for understanding the decision making.  Be open to the ideas of others and effectively collaborate on both processes and deliverables. Clearly establishing a leadership role and point view on both problems and solutions.

REASONING ABILITIES

Ability to understand and analyze complex business problems to define and develop both business and technology-based solutions.  Ability to work inclusively to make decisions. Demonstrate strong judgment in working with others to solve practical problems, assessing plan of actions, and recommending appropriate real-time course corrections.

Job Qualifications

• A Bachelor of Science (BS) or Bachelor of Arts degree (BA) is required. A Master’s degree or equivalent is desired.

• 2-5 years of experience in Project/Program Management; 2-5 years of experience in Product Management
• Strong verbal and written communication skills required.
• Facilitating collaborative problem solving and leading the decision making with cross-organizational teams.
• Experience transforming emerging technologies into viable products and solutions.
• Ability to adapt the Agile Methodologies as needed to ensure successful product delivery
• Track record of delivery.
• Sharp analytical abilities and proven reasoning skills.
• Experience building processes, project management, and release schedules.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and discuss technical concepts, and a consideration for scale, efficiency, and performance.

AstrumU is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.