Manager, Operational Excellence

Position Summary

The role of the Operational Excellence Program Manager is to lead the execution of Operational Excellence programs including establishing/refining roles & responsibilities, implement standardized agile and other methodologies project processes, managing the program leads through matrix reporting, establish and utilize tools, metrics, communication, escalation/decision‑making and risk management plans, and ensure collaboration and alignment with organizational goals across the enterprise. Role will report to the Operational Excellence leader(s) with accountability to the Finance Leadership Team consisting of Senior Finance leaders.

• Own the operating rhythm: run and maintain the cadence for Program Governance and Program Teams
• Maintain the program playbook: standards for meetings, artifacts, templates, and decisions
• Curate, align and oversee structure of the central dashboard/repository (status, milestones, RAID, decisions, benefits)
• Manage overall program utilizing agile methodology including sprint planning, backlog management, and coordination with leads
• Manage cost for the program including ensuring compliance with purchasing and reporting financial processes
• Manage schedules for the program ensuring alignment of outcomes and capabilities
• Execute and maintain the Communication Plan: audience identification, segmentation, message purpose, channels, and cadence
• Provide talking points and program level materials for the Sponsors, Champions, and Leads to utilize with stakeholders
• Publish executive summaries and circulate pre‑reads before decision forums
• Ensure consistency and standardization of communication templates and artifacts
• Risk Management for Program utilizing RAID Tool (Risk, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies)/Risk Log Management (Owner)
• Own the RAID log: intake, triage, routing, and tracking across decision tiers
• Facilitate resolution by convening the right stakeholders and tracking outcomes to closure
• Analyze RAID patterns and surface trending risks and capacity constraints
• Facilitate RAPID (Recommend, Agree, Perform, Input, Decide): clarify roles for each decision, collect inputs, and drive to timely decisions
• Run escalations: ensure leaders are looped in when needed, with clear pre‑reads and options; log decisions and rationale
• Monitor decision‑making at all tiers
• Responsibility Definition utilizing RACI Tool (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) Maintenance (Owner)
• Maintain the RACI across all program roles
• Publish updates as work streams evolve; resolve overlaps and gaps in accountability
• Ensure compliance with program and project audit requirements
• Reporting Cadence & Benefits Tracking
• Build the reporting pack: dashboards for milestones, costs, schedules, KPIs, benefits realization, and program health
• Maintain the benefits register and coordinate validation with Finance Rep.
• Coordinate quarterly portfolio views for prioritization and capacity
• Stakeholder & Team Onboarding
• Onboard sponsors, champions, and team members:
  Walk Around Deck, roles & responsibilities, operating rhythm, tooling access, and “how we work”
• Run enablement sessions on program governance, artifacts, and expectations
• Track stakeholder engagement and readiness
• Interaction Quality & Ways of Working
• Ensure healthy interactions between roles: clarify decision rights, meeting purpose, and expected inputs/outputs
• Reduce meeting redundancy and shift status reporting to the central dashboard
• Change Management & Communications (in partnership with Change Plan)
• Integrate change into delivery: impact assessments, readiness plans, and role‑based training timelines
• Run feedback loops and incorporate learnings into program operations
• Connect program outcomes to Finance priorities and celebrate wins
• Tools
• Ensure Teams/SharePoint/Reporting Platforms structures are intuitive; manage access and versioning

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, or a related field
• Relevant certifications (nice to have, not mandatory):
• Program/portfolio:
  PgMP
  , or similar
• Governance/PM:
  PMP or PMI‑ACP (hybrid/agile literacy)
• 5+ years leading complex, multi‑workstream programs
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) awareness: Profici…