Program Manager – Value Leadership

Mars Incorporated; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 134,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars Incorporated seeks a Program Manager - Value Leadership to serve as the operating hub for the Value Leadership portfolio, ensuring project data, governance routines, savings visibility, risks, escalations, and cross-functional actions are captured and advanced with clear ownership. This role brings structure to ambiguity and enables leaders to make informed decisions.

You will work with VL Leadership Director, Portfolio Directors, Project Leads, Finance, R&D, Commercial, Supply,

Qualifications

• 5-8 years in portfolio/program management or PMO roles
• Experience in a complex, matrixed organization
• Familiarity with Stage Gate and project intake processes
• Ability to model scenarios and prepare leadership-ready materials
• Strong communication and influence across levels

Responsibilities

• Lead scenario modeling and portfolio analysis to evaluate Value Leadership options
• Translate analytics into clear recommendations for leadership on portfolio health and value delivery
• Support recurring Value Leadership reviews, action tracking, and decision documentation
• Act as change agent for portfolio processes and standard reporting
• Strengthen portfolio management capability with playbooks, onboarding materials, and knowledge repositories
• Identify gaps and partner with tech, data, finance, and functional teams to deliver improvements
• Lead or guide project managers and stakeholders, reinforcing accountability

Skills

Portfolio management

Governance

Stakeholder engagement

Data-driven storytelling

Change management

Tools

Sopheon Accolade/PPM

Sievo

Excel

Power BI

Power Query

SharePoint

Teams

Job description

Job Description:

The Program Manager - Value Leadership serves as the operating hub for the Value Leadership portfolio, ensuring project data, governance routines, savings visibility, risks, escalations, and cross-functional actions are captured accurately and advanced with clear ownership. This role brings structure to ambiguity and enables leaders and project owners to make timely , informed decisions.

You will work closely with VL Leadership Director, Portfolio Directors, Project Leads, Finance, R&D, Commercial, Supply, Procurement, Manufacturing, Packaging, Logistics, and other senior stakeholders to maintain a reliable single source of truth for project status, savings, timing, approvals, risks, and decisions. The role supports the recurring VL operating rhythm, including project reviews, prioritization discussions, action tracking, escalation follow-up, reporting, and continuous improvement of portfolio tools and knowledge repositories.

What are we looking for?

• Ideal candidate profile: A highly organized, analytically strong portfolio/program manager who can bring structure to ambiguity, manage recurring governance routines, synthesize complex project information into clear recommendations, drive follow-through across a matrixed organization, and coordinate (and potentially manage) a small team supporting portfolio execution.
• Business experience: 5-8 years of experience in portfolio management, program management, PMO operations, financial/savings tracking, strategic planning, change management, or similar roles in a complex, matrixed organization.
• Governance and process discipline: Familiarity with Stage Gate, project intake, scoping, and other governance processes, including process discipline, required fields, documentation standards, and consistent application across teams.
• Analytical capabilities: Experience using project data, savings assumptions, timing, risk, and resource inputs to support scenario modeling, prioritization, investment analysis, portfolio trade-off discussions, dashboards, summaries, and leadership-ready materials.
• Communication and influence: Strong stakeholder engagement, change management, and communication skills, with the ability to influence across levels, simplify complex portfolio trade-offs, and reinforce follow-through through concise, data-driven storytelling.
• Working style: Comfortable working in ambiguity and shifting priorities, with strong organization, ownership, attention to detail, bias for action, and a continuous improvement mindset.
• Tools and systems: Experience with portfolio, savings, reporting, and collaboration tools such as Sopheon Accolade/PPM, Sievo, Excel, Power Query, Power BI, SharePoint, Teams, project trackers, and action logs.

What will be your responsibilities?

• Portfolio analysis and prioritization: Lead and support scenario modeling, prioritization views, and portfolio analysis to evaluate Value Leadership pipeline options, including impact, feasibility, savings potential, timing, risk, and resource trade-offs.
• Decision support and storytelling: Translate portfolio analytics, project updates, and reporting outputs into clear recommendations and senior leader communications on portfolio health, value delivery, escalation needs, and open decisions.
• Governance and operating rhythm: Support recurring Value Leadership project reviews, action tracking, decision documentation, escalation follow-up, and consistent use of the portfolio single source of truth.
• Process adoption: Act as a change agent for portfolio processes, including idea management, DVF/project intake, recurring review routines, standard reporting practices, and non-consumer-facing Stage Gate deployment.
• Capability building and knowledge management: Strengthen portfolio management capability through playbooks, onboarding materials, process guidance, recurring routines, documentation standards, and shared knowledge repositories.
• Tool and process improvement: Identify portfolio tool, reporting, and process gaps; map continuous-improvement opportunities; and partner with technology, data, finance, and functional teams to deliver practical improvements.
• Team and stakeholder coordination: Lead or indirectly guide project managers, workstream owners, coordinating priorities, clarifying ownership, tracking actions, and reinforcing accountability.

What can you expect from Mars?

• Work with over 130,000 diverse and talented Associates, all guided by The Five Principles.
• Join a purpose driven company, where we're striving to build the world we want tomorrow, today.
• Best-in-class learning and development support from day one, including access to our in-house Mars University.
• An industry competitive salary and benefits package, including company bonus.

The base pay range for this position at commencement of employment is between the range listed below, however, base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position will include variable pay, medical and dental benefits, participation in 401k plan, and paid time off benefits. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an applicant receives an offer of employment.

The pay range shown is applicable to all US locations listed within the job posting:USD 134,400.00 - USD 184,800.00