Principal Cybersecurity Program Manager
Description
The Principal Program Manager serves as a strategic leader responsible for driving large-scale, complex, cross-functional programs that advance organizational priorities and deliver measurable business value. This role partners closely with executive leadership, business stakeholders, technology teams, and external partners to define program strategies, establish governance frameworks, manage risks, and ensure successful execution of initiatives across multiple workstreams.
The Principal Program Manager operates with a high degree of autonomy and influence, shaping program direction, facilitating executive decision-making, and ensuring alignment between business objectives and implementation outcomes. This role is accountable for program planning, stakeholder engagement, dependency management, financial oversight, change management, and realization of strategic benefits.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Program Leadership
- Lead enterprise-wide, highly complex programs that support organizational strategy and business transformation.
- Define program vision, objectives, success criteria, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
- Translate strategic priorities into executable roadmaps and delivery plans.
- Influence investment decisions through data-driven recommendations and business case development.
Program Governance
- Establish and maintain effective program governance structures, steering committees, and operating cadences.
- Drive executive reporting, milestone tracking, status communications, and decision management.
- Ensure alignment of program activities with organizational priorities, policies, and standards.
- Develop and maintain program charters, RAID logs, dependency maps, and implementation roadmaps.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Build trusted relationships with senior leaders, business sponsors, and cross-functional teams.
- Facilitate executive discussions and drive consensus among diverse stakeholder groups.
- Manage program communications, ensuring transparency, alignment, and timely escalation of issues.
- Influence without authority across organizational boundaries.
Risk & Dependency Management
- Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks and roadblocks.
- Proactively manage interdependencies across initiatives, teams, and external partners.
- Develop mitigation and contingency strategies for critical program risks.
- Escalate issues appropriately to enable timely leadership decisions.
Delivery Excellence
- Oversee planning and execution across multiple projects and workstreams.
- Ensure programs are delivered within agreed scope, timeline, budget, and quality expectations.
- Monitor performance metrics, benefits realization, and business outcomes.
- Drive continuous improvement in program management processes and governance practices.
Organizational Leadership
- Mentor and coach program managers and project managers.
- Promote best practices, standard methodologies, and operational excellence.
- Contribute to organizational capability development and strategic planning efforts.
- Serve as a thought leader for program delivery and business transformation initiatives.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Business, Information Technology, Healthcare, Engineering, or related field.
- 10+ years of progressive experience in program or project management.
- 5+ years leading large, enterprise-scale strategic initiatives.
- Experience managing multiple complex programs with cross-functional stakeholders.
- Demonstrated success influencing senior leaders and driving organizational change.
- Strong verbal, written, and executive communication skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's Degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Engineering, or related discipline.
- PMP, PgMP, Agile, SAFe, Lean, or related certifications.
- Experience within healthcare, technology, cybersecurity, digital transformation, or enterprise operations environments.
- Experience managing programs with global and distributed teams.