Program Manager - Executive Operations

M&T Bank Corporation; Buffalo (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days PTO + holidays

401(k) match 5%

Volunteer time

Flexible work arrangements

Job summary

M&T Bank Corporation in Buffalo, NY seeks an experienced Senior Project/Program Manager to lead cross-functional initiatives across multiple lines of business. You will drive scope, schedule, risks, and costs with executive alignment, and manage complex programs from initiation through close.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree with at least 9 years of PM leadership experience, plus strong governance, stakeholder communication, and delivery metrics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 9 years’ proven project, program, executive operations, or strategic initiative management experience.
• Proficiency with personal computers and pertinent software packages.
• Strong knowledge of project management methodology, executive governance practices, operating routines, and cross-functional delivery management.
• Excellent verbal and written communications with ability to influence and gain consensus across senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple related projects, executive operations routines, and ongoing strategic initiatives impacting three or more businesses or functions.
• Ensure clear understanding of scope, objectives, priorities, roles, and accountabilities across project teams and senior stakeholders.
• Monitor cost, schedule, risks, dependencies, and delivery performance across stakeholders.
• Develop integrated project plans, forecasts, and schedules for executive review.
• Define detailed requirements, constraints, and deliverables using structured planning and executive engagement techniques.
• Ensure governance structures, escalation paths, and risk management are in place.
• Drive execution of project tasks to achieve goals while maintaining enterprise alignment.
• Prepare executive-ready updates on risks, issues, decisions, and progress.
• Mentor and develop team members to improve delivery effectiveness.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder communication

Risk management

Governance practices

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree + 9+ years PM experience

13+ years education/experience w/ 9+ years PM

PMP certification

PgMP certification

Master’s degree

Tools

PMP certification

Job description

Overview

Leads cross-functional partners on multiple related projects, executive operations routines, and ongoing strategic initiatives directed toward common enterprise objectives and affecting three or more businesses or functional areas. Provides senior-level project management oversight by managing changes to scope, schedule, risks, dependencies, and costs using appropriate verification techniques to maintain accurate plans, support executive decision-making, and facilitate stakeholder acceptance.

Primary Responsibilities

Lead multiple related projects, executive operations routines, and ongoing strategic initiatives impacting three or more businesses or functions. Ensure clear understanding of scope, objectives, priorities, roles, and accountabilities across project teams and senior stakeholders. Partner with constituent project managers and business leaders to monitor cost, schedule, risks, dependencies, and delivery performance. Develop integrated project plans, executive operating routines, forecasts, and schedules. Work with stakeholders to define detailed requirements, constraints, assumptions, decision points, and deliverables using structured planning, facilitation, and executive engagement techniques. Ensure project and operating plans include clear work breakdowns, governance structures, escalation paths, stakeholder communications, risks, resources, budgets, and success measures. Drive execution of tasks defined in the project plan to achieve project and executive operations goals. Manage budgets, forecasts, governance routines, and delivery progress while monitoring change controls, dependencies, and stakeholder impacts. Measure project, program, and operating performance using appropriate tools, metrics, and reporting mechanisms. Identify and quantify variances, recommend corrective actions, prepare executive-ready updates, and communicate risks, issues, decisions, and progress to stakeholders at multiple levels. Implement approved actions and workarounds required to mitigate project, operational, and executive escalation risks while maintaining alignment to enterprise priorities. Improve project team performance by building team cohesiveness, leading, mentoring, training, and motivating resources to facilitate cooperation, increase delivery effectiveness, and support strong executive operations discipline. Coordinate shared resources across related initiatives for overall program and enterprise benefit. Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite. Design, implement, maintain, and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis. Identify risk-related issues, prepare escalation materials, and engage appropriate leaders to support timely resolution. Promote an environment that supports belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand. Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable. Complete other related duties as assigned. Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management and terminations.

Scope of Responsibilities

Responsible for coordinated management of multiple related projects, executive operations routines, and ongoing strategic initiatives impacting three or more businesses or functions; responsibility includes all aspects from initiation through close, with added emphasis on executive alignment, governance, issue resolution, and enterprise-level visibility. Must be familiar with system scope, project objectives, strategic priorities, and the role and responsibility of each team member and stakeholder group to effectively coordinate team activities, executive communications, and decision-making routines.

Project Guidelines

• Project Scope: $7.5 m or more


• Team Size Range: 40 - 75 FTE


• Project Duration: 18 - 30 months


• Project Size: Multiple high priority projects


• Project Customer: Three or more lines of business or functions


• Scope of Change: Moderate changes to business processes, procedures, operating routines, or governance structures


• Project Timeline: Moderately aggressive


• Project Innovation: Moderately defined scope


• Project Benefits: Major


• Project Customization: Major


• Number of Interfaces: 6 or more


• Project Integration: Internal and External Systems

Supervisory/ Managerial Responsibilities: Typically manages a team ranging from 5 - 15 directly and indirectly and 75 - 125 on a project team or cross-functional operating basis.

Education and Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 9 years’ proven project, program, executive operations, or strategic initiative management experience, OR in lieu of a degree, A combined minimum of 13 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 9 years’ proven project, program, executive operations, or strategic initiative management experience.


• Proficiency with personal computers as well as pertinent software packages.


• Strong knowledge of project management methodology, executive governance practices, operating routines, and cross-functional delivery management.


• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to influence, negotiate, synthesize complex information, and gain consensus across senior stakeholders.


• Regularly communicates verbally and in writing with executive management on status, risks, decisions, dependencies, and outcomes of initiatives in a clear, concise, and executive-ready manner.


• Excellent problem-solving skills.


• Ability to work individually as well as a member of a team.


• Self-motivated, results-driven and well-organized individual.


• Ability to handle multiple tasks and work under time constraints in support of various assignments.


• Ability to function professionally at many different levels (clients, management and peers).


• Strong interpersonal skills necessary to build trusted relationships with business partners, executive stakeholders, and cross-functional teams within and outside the organization.


• Ability to build mutual trust and encourage respect; open to diverse points of view.

Education and Experience Preferred

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.


• Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification.


• Master’s degree.

Benefits

We support our team members with generous benefits. Competitive compensation Health, welfare, and retirement benefits 401(k) match at 5% Work-life balance and flexible work arrangements Banking Officers start with 25 days PTO plus 12 paid holidays 40 hours paid volunteer hours per year Much more.

Location

Buffalo, New York, United States of America

About Us

Great companies have an enduring sense of purpose. At M&T, our purpose is a simple one: make a difference in people’s lives and uplift the communities we serve. M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T's affiliates offer advice, guidance, expertise and solutions across the entire financial spectrum, combining M&T Bank’s traditional banking services with the wealth management and institutional capabilities offered by Wilmington Trust. M&T Bank has a network of over 1,000 branches and 2,200 ATMs that span 12 states from Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C. For more than 165 years, M&T has strived to take an active role in our communities and build long-lasting relationships with our customers. We are a bank for communities - combining the capabilities of a large bank with the care of a locally focused institution. As an employer of choice, we are proud to offer competitive benefits ranging from medical and retirement to forty hours of paid volunteer time, each year. Our core values – integrity, ownership, collaboration, curiosity, and candor – drive the work we do. We seek to further build upon our record of success by bringing in top talent and fresh skill sets while continuing to support the growth and development of all our team members. View M&T’s Human Capital Report to learn more.

M&T Bank is unwavering when it comes to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, age, disability, citizenship, pregnancy, veteran status, military status, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state or local laws.

M&T Bank Corporation has policies and procedures in place to promote a drug free workplace.