Data Program Manager

K&L Gates; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 112,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Prescription Drug Coverage

401(k) Retirement Plan and Profit Shar

Paid Time Off

Flexible Spending Accounts

Job summary

K&L Gates in Chicago is seeking a Data Program Manager to oversee enterprise data initiatives, coordinating with engineering, analytics, and business teams to ensure timely, within-scope delivery. The role focuses on roadmap ownership, budgeting, and governance across greenfield data and AI efforts.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Data Engineering, the ideal candidate will be a self-starter with excellent communication, capable of independent work and effective team collaboration in a hybrid

Qualifications

• PMP certification required; PMI-ACP and AZ-900 recommended.
• 4+ years managing complex cross-functional programs.
• Ability to translate business needs into program requirements and executive updates.
• Experience with Agile, hybrid, or waterfall methodologies and Azure DevOps.

Responsibilities

• Owning and maintaining the roadmap for enterprise data programs, aligning with business priorities, data strategy, and the governed build-buy portfolio model.
• Leading end-to-end delivery of data initiatives including defining scope, managing timelines, mitigating risks, and coordinating dependencies across engineering, analytics, and business partners.
• Planning, managing, and tracking program budgets, forecasts, and expenditures while ensuring financial accountability and providing transparent reporting to leadership.
• Establishing and monitoring key performance indicators to evaluate program success and value, translating outcomes into business impact narratives for executives.
• Owning program visibility and delivery tracking in Azure DevOps, including portfolio dashboards, sprint board oversight, and work item reporting.
• Identifying, escalating, and resolving delivery blockers and risks affecting timelines or outcomes while proactively handling cross-team dependencies.
• Translating business needs into clear program plans and delivery milestones, enabling governance processes and providing executive-level status updates effectively.
• Serving as an example for the Enterprise Applications team philosophy, promoting processes, procedures, security, standards, and a knowledge-centered approach to support.
• Defining and overseeing testing strategies at the program level, including quality standards, user acceptance frameworks, and validation of business functions.
• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence tools—such as Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and AI-assisted development environments—enhancing quality, efficiency, and innovation within daily workflows and assigned tasks.
• Contributing to the design, development, or maintenance of AI-driven solutions on the firm’s Microsoft platform stack within the team's governed portfolio guidelines.
• Adhering to the organization’s AI governance standards ensuring compliance with responsible use policies, data classification rules, and model deployment review procedures.

Skills

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Independent work

Team collaboration

Education

Business Administration

Project Management

Communications

Computer Science

Information Systems

Tools

Azure DevOps

Job description

Job Description

At K&L Gates, we are looking for smart, imaginative and hard-working people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and ideas to join us. Perhaps our search for talented visionaries and your search for important and impactful work lead to the same place.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Data Program Manager to join K&L Gates. The Data Program Manager oversees roadmap, budget, and timelines for enterprise data initiatives as a senior individual contributor. This role collaborates with engineering, analytics, AI, and business teams to ensure execution, manage dependencies, track metrics, and resolve blockers. It ensures data programs deliver measurable value on time and within scope, supporting the firm’s greenfield data and AI efforts. Reporting to the Senior Manager, Data Engineering, this position has no direct supervisory responsibilities. Candidates must be self-starters who possess the ability to work independently and as part of a team. Excellent communication skills and a commitment to providing the highest quality client service are strongly preferred.

Key Relationships

Director, Enterprise Applications, Data, and AI Platforms; Senior Manager, Automation and Development; Senior Manager, Data Engineering; Senior Manager, Enterprise Applications; Senior Applications Architect; Data Architect; Team Lead, Workflow and Automation; Technical Program Manager; Project Manager; Senior Manager, Data Governance; Director, Business Transformation Office; Business Relationship Manager; Manager of Finance Reporting; Power BI Developer;

Essential Duties

• Owning and maintaining the roadmap for enterprise data programs, aligning with business priorities, data strategy, and the governed build-buy portfolio model.
• Leading end-to-end delivery of data initiatives including defining scope, managing timelines, mitigating risks, and coordinating dependencies across engineering, analytics, and business partners.
• Planning, managing, and tracking program budgets, forecasts, and expenditures while ensuring financial accountability and providing transparent reporting to leadership.
• Establishing and monitoring key performance indicators to evaluate program success and value, translating outcomes into business impact narratives for executives.
• Owning program visibility and delivery tracking in Azure DevOps, including portfolio dashboards, sprint board oversight, and work item reporting.
• Identifying, escalating, and resolving delivery blockers and risks affecting timelines or outcomes while proactively handling cross-team dependencies.
• Translating business needs into clear program plans and delivery milestones, enabling governance processes and providing executive-level status updates effectively.
• Serving as an example for the Enterprise Applications team philosophy, promoting processes, procedures, security, standards, and a knowledge-centered approach to support.
• Defining and overseeing testing strategies at the program level, including quality standards, user acceptance frameworks, and validation of business functions.
• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence tools—such as Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and AI-assisted development environments—enhancing quality, efficiency, and innovation within daily workflows and assigned tasks.
• Contributing to the design, development, or maintenance of AI-driven solutions on the firm’s Microsoft platform stack within the team's governed portfolio guidelines.
• Adhering to the organization’s AI governance standards ensuring compliance with responsible use policies, data classification rules, and model deployment review procedures.

Additional Duties

EXPERIENCE SKILLS REQUIRED

• Obtain or hold relevant professional certifications. Required: PMP (Project Management Professional). Recommended: PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner); AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals).
• Possess background in Business Administration, Project Management, Communications, Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related area of study. Equivalent professional experience and relevant certifications will also be considered.
• Demonstrate proficiency translating business needs into functional program requirements, delivery milestones, and concise status updates tailored for executive audiences.
• Possess ability to evaluate, learn, and adopt new technologies and platforms independently with minimal guidance.
• Maintain a secure, professional workspace for handling confidential information, travel up to 10%, and support scheduled release events with schedule flexibility.
• Demonstrate exceptional stakeholder engagement and communication abilities across technical and non-technical audiences, maintaining professionalism to connect with diverse personalities effectively.
• Demonstrate ability to communicate technical concepts visually through diagramming, whiteboarding, and collaborative design tools within a hybrid work environment.
• 4+ years managing complex, cross-functional programs or initiatives with demonstrated ownership of roadmaps, budgets, and delivery timelines.
• Demonstrate experience collaborating with data, analytics, AI, or enterprise technology teams in a program management role.
• Demonstrate experience identifying risks and actively eliminating delivery obstacles across intricate, multi-team programs.
• Demonstrate experience with Agile, hybrid, or waterfall project delivery methodologies and proficiency using Azure DevOps or similar delivery management platforms.
• Show experience using AI-assisted tools within a professional engineering or enterprise technology setting.

Additional Abilities Required

Compensation Salary $112,000 - $209,000 / year

The compensation salary for this position will be determined during the interview process and will vary based on multiple factors, including but not limited to prior experience, relevant expertise, current business needs, and market factors.

In accordance with the Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the California Fair Chance Act, qualified applicants for our Los Angeles and San Francisco offices with arrest and conviction records will be considered.

Notice: We participate in E-Verify in certain Firm locations for purposes of verifying employment eligibility.

Please be advised that this position requires successful completion of a background check. In accordance with the Washington State Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles Fair Chance Ordinance, San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the California Fair Chance Act, and applicable law qualified California and Washington State applicants with criminal history records will be considered. A criminal history will not categorically exclude a candidate from employment, and the Firm will consider relevant factors before making employment decisions based on criminal history information.

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

About The Firm

K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 offices. We have experienced dramatic growth in the past decade and now rank among the largest U.S. based law firms in the world. We take pride in constantly striving for innovation, imagination and an entrepreneurial spirit. We come up with big ideas and then roll up our sleeves to get the job done, guiding our clients through their most complex issues in a variety of industry sectors and across multiple regions of the world.

The industry recognition the firm has garnered emanates from the foundation of a global community aligned on behalf of our clients. The people at K&L Gates are committed to working together to create a legacy for each other, the firm, our clients, and the communities in which we serve. We thrive in an inclusive and socially conscious environment that embraces diversity and takes a holistic approach to the career evolution of all our professionals.

Benefits

• Medical/Prescription Drug Coverage (including a Health Savings Account feature)
• Back-up Child/Elder Care and access to a caregiving concierge
• Dental Insurance
• Wellness Program
• Vision Insurance
• Pre-tax Commuting Benefits
• 401(k) Retirement Plan and Profit Sharing
• Business Travel Accident Insurance
• Short- and Long-term Disability Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Life Insurance (including Basic, Supplemental, Spouse, Child, and Accidental Death and Dismemberment)
• Health Advocacy Services
• Paid Time Off (25-30 days per year)
• Identity Protection/Restoration and Fraud Insurance
• Parental Leave (18 weeks of which 6 are paid; short-term disability may provide additional paid time off)
• Student loan refinancing options and access to a student loan concierge service
• Paid Holidays (12)
• Addiction Resources
• Family Building Benefits
• Breast Milk Delivery and Lactation Support Services
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employees also may be eligible to receive bonuses and certain expense reimbursements
• Employee Assistance Program
• Professional Development and CLE Credit Opportunities
• 529 Deductions
• Relocation
• Accident Insurance
• Employee Referral Program
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Hybrid/Remote Work Opportunities
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Perks including: Technology, Entertainment, and Travel Discount Programs
• Bereavement Leave
• All other benefits (such as leaves of absence) required by law

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Firm is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of the Firm that employment decisions shall be based on merit, qualifications and competence. Employment practices will not be influenced or affected by virtue of a person’s race (including traits associated with race, including hair texture and protective hairstyles such as afros, braids, locks, and twists), religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, gender, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, familial status, domestic violence victim status, military and veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. This policy governs all aspects of employment including, without limitation, recruiting, hiring, compensation, benefits, promotion, assignment, and dismissal. In addition, it is the Firm’s policy to provide an environment that is free of prohibited harassment of any kind including, without limitation, that which is based on sex, race, age, disability, ethnic background, or any other category protected by law (including the categories listed above). The Firm complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please contact [e-mail] .