Senior Program Manager - Conferences Technology

Gartner, Inc.; Egham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Generous paid time off

Charity match program

Private Medical & Dental Insurance

Parental Leave

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Growth and learning opportunities

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Gartner, Inc. is seeking a highly experienced Senior Program Manager to lead the Conference Technology organization, guiding global programs from planning through delivery.

This role requires strategic planning, people leadership, and ensuring operational excellence across multiple teams. You will partner with stakeholders across Technology and Conference teams to establish standards, manage staffing, and drive continuous improvement, with approximately 10% travel.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in IT program management, including leading teams and large-scale programs.
• Proven ability to drive process improvements and operational excellence.
• Strong leadership, organizational design, and ownership mindset.

Responsibilities

• Oversee global technology programs and projects in support of IT initiatives.
• Lead strategic planning for Conference Technology and translate goals into roadmaps.
• Own staffing, capacity planning, and resource allocation.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and performance management for team members.
• Establish and continuously improve standards of execution across programs and conferences.
• Partner with leadership to assess capabilities and future needs.
• Lead conference execution planning and ensure successful Gartner events.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Stakeholder management

Agile & Waterfall

Strategic planning

People management

Communication

Risk management

Cross-functional collaboration

Resource planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

Microsoft Suite / Microsoft 365

Job description

About Gartner IT

Join a world-class team of skilled engineers who build creative digital solutions to support our colleagues and clients. We make a broad organizational impact by delivering cutting-edge technology solutions that power Gartner. Gartner IT values its culture of nonstop innovation, an outcome-driven approach to success, and the notion that great ideas can come from anyone on the team.

About the role

Gartner is looking for a highly experienced and strategic Senior Program Manager who can provide leadership, direction, and operational excellence for Gartner's Conference Technology organization. This role is accountable for the successful planning, execution, and continuous improvement of complex global programs that support Gartner Conferences.

The Senior Program Manager will lead across four key verticals: Strategic Planning People Management Process Improvement Conference Execution. The role is responsible for defining the operating model, setting standards of execution, ensuring the team has the capabilities and resources required to succeed, and driving operational excellence across the organization. This leader will oversee staffing and resource planning activities, coach and develop team members, and build strong partnerships with stakeholders across Technology and Conference teams. The position requires collaboration with geographically dispersed teams and approximately 10% travel to Gartner Conferences and key planning events. The ideal candidate brings extensive experience managing large-scale programs within Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery environments while balancing strategic priorities with flawless execution.

What you will do

• Responsible for the oversight and management of global technology-based programs and projects in support of IT initiatives and accountable for fostering an environment of collaboration and high-impact results.
• Lead the strategic planning function for Conference Technology, translating organizational goals into executable roadmaps and delivery plans.
• Own staffing, capacity planning, and resource allocation processes to ensure teams are appropriately structured and positioned for success.
• Provide people leadership, coaching, mentoring, and performance management for team members, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous growth.
• Establish and continuously improve standards of execution across programs, projects, and conference operations.
• Partner with leadership to assess team capabilities and determine future talent, process, and technology needs.
• Lead conference execution planning and operational readiness activities to ensure successful delivery of Gartner events worldwide.
• Travel approximately 15% of the time to support conference execution, stakeholder engagement, and planning activities.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging metrics, lessons learned, and best practices across programs and teams.
• Influence and manage expectations of clients, stakeholders, leadership teams, and external partners.
• Direct multiple project plans and cross-functional workstreams into a cohesive delivery strategy.
• Direct project activities alongside project managers, engineers, and testing teams through planning, design, build, testing, and deployment phases.
• Balance operational and delivery priorities across multiple teams.
• Resolve complex operational issues while identifying systemic process improvements.

What you will need

Senior IT leader with 10+ years of experience in program management, including experience leading people, driving strategic planning initiatives, and managing large-scale operational programs. The ideal candidate combines strong leadership, organizational design, process improvement, and execution capabilities with a high degree of ownership and accountability.

Must have

• 10+ years of experience working with IT Development and/or IT Infrastructure teams in a program or project management capacity.
• Proven experience leading and managing teams, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, and career development.
• Demonstrated success driving process improvement and operational excellence initiatives.
• Strong strategic planning capabilities with experience translating business objectives into actionable programs and measurable outcomes.
• Strong experience with Agile and Waterfall methodologies.
• Demonstrated leadership skills working with matrixed teams, management, and executive stakeholders in a dynamic growth environment.
• Strong program leadership skills, including risk management, stakeholder management, release management, conflict resolution, and cross-functional team leadership.
• Strong ability to understand client expectations and proactively resolve delivery risks.
• Ability to establish organizational standards, governance frameworks, and execution methodologies across teams.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and executive communication skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Suite, JIRA, and Confluence.
• Experience supporting large-scale event, conference, or operational execution environments is highly desirable.

Who you are

• Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent degree in Computer Science or a related field required.
• Strong people leader with a passion for coaching, developing, and empowering teams.
• Demonstrated leadership skills, especially communication, collaboration, people management, and influencing skills.
• Strategic thinker capable of balancing long-term organizational priorities with near-term execution demands.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a proven ability to simplify processes and improve team effectiveness.
• Comfortable operating in highly visible environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and multiple project deliverables.
• Critical thinker with a demonstrated ability to learn beyond formal training and a strong aptitude for delivering quality outcomes.
• Excellent communicator, both written and verbal, to all levels of the organization.

Don t meet every single requirement? We encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the right candidate for this, or other roles.

What you will get

• Competitive compensation, generous paid time off policy, charity match program, and more!
• Private Medical and Dental Insurance, Parental Leave, Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Limitless growth and learning opportunities.
• A collaborative and positive culture - join a diverse team of professionals that are as smart and driven as you.
• A chance to make an impact - your work will contribute directly to our strategy.
• Hybrid Work Environment - enjoy the flexibility of working from home and the energy of collaborating with peers in our dynamic offices.

Who are we?

At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world. Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective business and technology insights, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical priorities. Since our founding in 1979, we have grown to 20,000 associates globally who support over 13,000 client enterprises in ~90 countries and territories. We do important, interesting and substantive work that matters. That s why we hire associates with the intellectual curiosity, energy and drive to want to make a difference. The bar is unapologetically high. So is the impact you can have here. What makes Gartner a great place to work? Our vast, virtually untapped market potential offers limitless opportunities - opportunities that may not even exist right now - for you to grow professionally and flourish personally. How far you go is driven by your passion and performance. We hire remarkable people who collaborate and win as a team. Together, our singular, unifying goal is to deliver results for our clients. Our teams are inclusive and composed of individuals from different geographies, cultures, religions, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and generations.

Gartner is the world authority on AI

At Gartner, you ll join a company at the very center of the AI revolution. Gartner has proactive, objective guidance throughout clients AI journeys. We set the standard for how organizations leverage artificial intelligence to drive meaningful impact. You ll have access to unmatched resources, expertise, and technology, and play a key role in helping Gartner and our clients innovate and grow as we lean on AI to transform business and technology landscapes. It s an exciting time to be at Gartner, with limitless opportunities to make a real impact, grow your skills, and build a lasting, meaningful career in a field that s reshaping the way we operate. If you re passionate about AI and want to be part of a team that s guiding the leaders who shape the world, Gartner is the place for you.

What do we offer?

• Gartner offers world-class benefits, highly competitive compensation and disproportionate rewards for top performers.
• In our hybrid work environment, we provide the flexibility and support for you to thrive - working virtually when it s productive to do so and getting together with colleagues in a vibrant community that is purposeful, engaging and inspiring.

Ready to grow your career with Gartner?

Join us.

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If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access the Company s career webpage as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by calling Human Resources at [phone] or by sending an email to [e-mail].

At Gartner, we guide the leaders who shape the world. Over 13,000 client enterprises worldwide rely on Gartner for actionable, objective business and technology insights. Our teams of thinkers and doers know that staying curious is the best way to shape the future, for ourselves and our clients. Our sustained success creates limitless opportunities for you to grow professionally and flourish personally. We have a vast, virtually untapped market potential ahead of us, providing you with an exciting trajectory long into the future. How far you go is driven by your passion and performance. In our hybrid work environment, we provide the flexibility and support for you to thrive - working virtually when its productive to do so and getting together with colleagues in a vibrant community that is purposeful, engaging and inspiring.