Implementation Program Lead

Blossom; Coral Gables (FL); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life & AD&D insurance

Disability insurance

401(k) with match

Remote allowance

FSA and DCSA

Unlimited PTO

EAP

Voluntary insurance options

Job summary

Blossom is seeking an Implementation Program Lead in Florida to establish and enforce a consistent implementation model across complex engagements, including core conversions and multi-product deployments. You will own methodology, governance, and cross-team collaboration through go-live and transition to Support.

The role requires 8+ years in project management, PMP certification, and experience coordinating with product teams and external vendors.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to analyze complex operational processes and design scalable solutions.
• Strong project and program management skills with budgeting, risk, and stakeholder management.
• Knowledge of Lean, Six Sigma, Agile and Prosci/ADKAR methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Design and roll out a standard implementation methodology with phases, stage gates, exit criteria, and sign-off requirements.
• Own templates and artifacts: project charter, RACI, project plan, RAID log, status report, test plan, conversion and go-live checklists.
• Drive adoption across the implementation team; hold sign-off authority on stage gates and go-live readiness.
• Maintain a single view of all active, pending, and pipeline implementations.
• Sequence start dates and balance workload across the implementation team.
• Define the standard process for implementation requests to product teams and track dependencies.
• Coordinate third-party vendors and ensure alignment with client timelines.
• Plan and run conversion weekends, including mock conversions and rollback planning.
• Manage relationships with credit union executives and project sponsors.
• Confirm go-live readiness and ensure smooth handoff to Support.
• Run lessons-learned reviews to feed improvements into methodology and pricing.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Process improvement

Change management

Regulatory knowledge

Communication

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, or related field

Master's degree or MBA preferred

PMP certification

Lean Six Sigma / Prosci certification a plus

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Notion

Smartsheet

Google Workspace

Job description

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Reports To: Director of Client Services

Job Summary:

The Implementation Program Lead establishes the methodology, standards, and portfolio view for Blossom's implementation team, so every credit union implementation follows a consistent, visible, and controlled delivery model. This person also leads implementations as assigned, with a focus on the most complex engagements, including core conversions and multi-product implementations, from contract handoff through go-live and transition to Support. This is an individual contributor role with no direct reports.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

None

Duties/ Responsibilities:

Implementation methodology and standards

• Design and roll out a standard implementation methodology where none exists today: phases, stage gates, exit criteria, and sign-off requirements
• Own standard templates and artifacts: project charter, RACI, project plan, RAID log, status report, test plan, conversion and go-live checklists
• Drive adoption across the implementation team; hold sign-off authority on stage gates and go-live readiness

Portfolio and capacity

• Maintain a single view of all active, pending, and pipeline implementations
• Sequence start dates and balance workload across the implementation team
• Validate committed timelines before they are promised to clients and flag capacity conflicts early

Product delivery dependencies

• Define the standard process for implementation requests to product teams, including intake format, required information, and timing
• Maintain a cross-project view of implementation dependencies on product work
• Identify when implementations compete for the same product capacity, recommend priority, and elevate conflicts to the Director of Client Services

Reporting and visibility

• Produce consistent implementation reporting: pipeline, capacity, status, health, milestones, and open change requests for implementations and professional services

Scope, change, and commercial control

• Enforce the change request process for implementations, including scoping, pricing with Professional Services, approval, and documentation
• Surface gaps between sales commitments, contract terms, and implementation scope
• Escalate risks and issues through defined paths

Implementation leadership

• Lead implementations as assigned, with priority on core conversions, multi-product, and other high-complexity engagements
• Coordinate directly with product owners on dependencies for assigned projects
• Coordinate third-party vendors, including card processors, digital banking, fraud, and integration partners, against the client's timeline
• Plan and run conversion weekends, including mock conversions, reconciliation sign-off, and rollback planning
• Manage relationships with credit union executives and project sponsors throughout the engagement

Quality, handoff, and continuous improvement

• Confirm go-live readiness against exit criteria: testing, conversion balancing, training, and compliance requirements
• Own hypercare and a clean transition to Support
• Run lessons-learned reviews and feed results into methodology, timeline assumptions, and pricing

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Required Skills/ Abilities:

• Proven ability to analyze complex operational processes, identify root causes and design practical, scalable solutions.
• Strong project and program management skills, including planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk management and stakeholder management across multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Working knowledge of process improvement and change management methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, Agile and Prosci/ADKAR.
• Understanding of software and hardware implementation lifecycles, including requirements gathering, configuration, data conversion, integration, testing, training and go-live.
• Familiarity with credit union or financial institution operations, including core banking, digital banking and card programs.
• Ability to influence and lead without direct authority, building consensus across teams and levels of the organization.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present recommendations to executive leadership.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to define metrics and use data to support decisions.
• Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Notion, Smartsheet or similar, and with Google Workspace.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented and able to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Working knowledge of credit union operations and the regulatory environment (NCUA, Reg E, BSA/AML, PCI DSS)
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Information Systems, Operations Management or a related field required; Master's degree or MBA preferred. Relevant professional experience may substitute for the bachelor’s degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred; Lean Six Sigma, Prosci or similar change management certification a plus
• 8+ years in project or program management, including at least 3 years leading implementations at a core processor, fintech, or financial institution
• Experience establishing an implementation methodology or PMO from the ground up
• Experience coordinating fixed-date client deliverables with agile/scrum product teams
• Hands-on experience leading core conversions; multi-product delivery experience strongly preferred

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Travel up to 20% to client sites, including international travel; weekend and after-hours work required during conversions and go-lives.

What We Offer:

• Health, fully covered: Company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees.
• Life & AD&D: Company-paid life and accidental death & dismemberment coverage.
• Income protection: Company-paid short- and long-term disability.
• 401(k) with match: Save for the long run, and we’ll match.
• Remote allowance: Cell phone and internet connectivity expenses support.
• Flexible spending: FSA and Dependent Care (DCSA) accounts to stretch your pre-tax dollars.
• Unlimited PTO: Take the time you actually need.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Confidential support for life’s harder moments.
• Supplemental coverage: Voluntary insurance options to round out your plan.