Program Manager (Insurance)

Cognizant; Hong Kong; On-site; HKD 800,000 - 1,700,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant in Hong Kong seeks an accomplished Program Manager to own end-to-end governance across diverse programs, ensuring alignment with strategy and delivery commitments. You will lead cross-functional coordination and drive integrated roadmaps and governance forums.

The role requires 10+ years’ experience in program management, strong PM method knowledge, and a track record of managing executive stakeholders and complex escalations. MBA or PMP preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; MBA or equivalent is preferred.
• 10+ years of overall experience across program management, project delivery, consulting, technology delivery, or business transformation.
• Proven experience managing multiple programs or large-scale initiatives with cross-functional and distributed teams.
• Strong understanding of PM methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, hybrid) and governance frameworks.
• Experience in managing executive stakeholders, client relationships, delivery reviews, and complex escalations.
• PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe, Scrum Master, or equivalent certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end governance and execution oversight across multiple programs.
• Develop and maintain integrated program roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, and decisions logs.
• Partner with PMs, delivery leads, product owners, technology and business stakeholders to drive coordinated execution.
• Establish and manage program governance forums including steering committees and leadership reviews.
• Monitor program performance against scope, schedule, cost, quality, benefits and KPIs.
• Identify cross-program dependencies and risks; drive mitigation plans and escalations.
• Ensure consistent standards for planning, reporting, risk management, change management and delivery assurance.
• Manage stakeholder communication with clear executive updates, dashboards and summaries.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, vendor coordination and financial tracking.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying process gaps and promoting best practices across teams.

Skills

Strategic planning

Leadership

Executive communication

Risk management

Governance

Financial planning

Problem solving

Ambiguity management

Delivery discipline

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business/Tech/Engineering/Management

MBA or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Project

Jira

Azure DevOps

Smartsheet

Power BI

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end governance and execution oversight across multiple programs, ensuring alignment with organizational strategy, business priorities, and delivery commitments.
• Develop and maintain integrated program roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, risks, issues, and decision logs across all assigned programs.
• Partner with project managers, delivery leads, product owners, technology teams, operations teams, and business stakeholders to drive coordinated execution.
• Establish and manage program governance forums, including steering committees, leadership reviews, status reporting, and escalation mechanisms.
• Monitor program performance against scope, schedule, cost, quality, benefits, and key performance indicators.
• Identify cross-program dependencies, delivery risks, resource constraints, and blockers; drive mitigation plans and timely escalations.
• Ensure consistent standards for planning, reporting, risk management, change management, and delivery assurance across programs.
• Manage stakeholder communication by providing clear executive updates, dashboards, summaries, and decision points.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, resource planning, vendor coordination, and financial tracking where applicable.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying process gaps, improving delivery predictability, and promoting best practices across teams.

Required Experience and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology, Engineering, Management, or a related field; MBA or equivalent advanced qualification preferred.
• 10+ years of overall experience with significant exposure to program management, project delivery, consulting, technology delivery, or business transformation.
• Proven experience managing multiple programs or large-scale initiatives involving cross-functional and geographically distributed teams.
• Strong understanding of project and program management methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, hybrid delivery models, and governance frameworks.
• Experience in managing executive stakeholders, client relationships, delivery reviews, and complex escalations.
• PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe, Scrum Master, or equivalent certification preferred.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Strategic planning and execution discipline
• Strong leadership and cross-functional team coordination
• Executive communication and stakeholder management
• Risk, issue, dependency, and escalation management
• Program governance, reporting, and delivery assurance
• Financial, resource, and capacity planning awareness
• Problem-solving, decision-making, and conflict resolution
• Ability to manage ambiguity and drive outcomes in complex environments
• Proficiency with tools such as Microsoft Project, Jira, Azure DevOps, Smartsheet, Power BI, Excel, PowerPoint, and collaboration platforms

Success Measures

• Programs are delivered in alignment with approved scope, timelines, quality standards, and business objectives.
• Risks, issues, and dependencies are proactively identified, governed, and resolved with minimal business disruption.
• Stakeholders have clear visibility into program progress, decisions, escalations, and outcomes.
• Delivery teams operate with consistent governance, accountability, and execution discipline.
• Program outcomes contribute measurable value to business performance, customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, or transformation goals.

Preferred Attributes

• Ability to influence without direct authority across matrixed organizations.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to connect delivery execution to strategic outcomes.
• Comfort working with senior leadership, client stakeholders, and distributed delivery teams.
• High attention to detail while maintaining a broad view of program-level priorities and risks.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on delivery excellence and operational maturity.

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