Program Manager (Veterans Affairs)

Appian; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with company match

Paid parental leave

Medical, dental, and vision plans

Life insurance

Wellness programs

Learning and development resources

Job summary

Appian is seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead the VA Appian Modernization Program across strategic healthcare and operational initiatives. This role will unify platform strategy, governance, and delivery across VA priorities, transitioning from project-level work to an enterprise program.

Based at our McLean, VA HQ, the candidate will build a Center of Excellence, partner with VA stakeholders, and drive end-to-end modernization while ensuring secure, scalable workflows and strong

Qualifications

• Experience leading IT program management or enterprise platform delivery in a complex environment.
• Strong understanding of workflow modernization, case management, and integration delivery.
• Familiarity with regulated federal environments and security/compliance expectations.

Responsibilities

• Lead transition from separate projects to a centralized VA Appian modernization program with shared governance.
• Establish an Appian Center of Excellence for intake, prioritization, and architecture review.
• Drive the roadmap for Appian solutions supporting VA priorities like Community Care and Telehealth.
• Coordinate with VA stakeholders across VHA, OIT, and clinical leadership to scale workflows.
• Oversee cross-functional delivery teams and enforce delivery governance and reporting.

Skills

Program management

Digital transformation

Enterprise platform delivery

Stakeholder management

Agile program execution

Federal/healthcare experience

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a related field

Scrum/SAFe/Appian certifications preferred

Job description

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you'll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is advancing major modernization initiatives that improve how care is coordinated, delivered, and experienced across the enterprise. This role is designed for a senior leader who can unify Appian-related efforts into a centralized program model and help position Appian as a standard platform for workflow modernization across current and future VA priorities. VA's operating environment includes major mission areas such as Community Care and Telehealth, both of which depend on secure, scalable digital workflows and strong cross-functional coordination.

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead the VA Appian Modernization Program across strategic healthcare and operational initiatives. This individual will serve as the central leader responsible for platform strategy, delivery governance, stakeholder alignment, and the evolution of Appian from a set of project implementations into a unified enterprise program.

This role combines program leadership, platform governance, delivery oversight, and client engagement. The right candidate will bring experience leading federal digital transformation efforts, a practical understanding of VA workflows, and the ability to build a repeatable model for scaling secure, mission-focused Appian solutions across the organization.

This role is based at our HQ in McLean, VA. Appian was built on a culture of in-person collaboration, which we believe is a key driver of our mission to be the best. Employees hired for this position are expected to be in the office 4 - 5 days per week to foster that culture, ensure we thrive through shared ideas and teamwork, and maximize opportunities to connect with the exceptional people across Appian. While working in-person with customers is our main priority, we also believe the office environment enables more opportunities to celebrate wins, collaborate effectively, and build strong relationships across teams.

What you'll do:

• Lead the transition from separate Appian projects to a centralized VA Appian modernization program with shared governance, standards, and delivery priorities.
• Establish and mature an Appian Center of Excellence that supports intake, prioritization, architecture review, reusable assets, and platform adoption across multiple VA initiatives.
• Drive the roadmap for Appian solutions supporting Community Care Referrals, Virtual Care, and future modernization opportunities aligned to VA mission priorities.
• Partner with VA stakeholders across VHA, OIT, business operations, and clinical leadership to translate operational needs into scalable workflow and case management solutions.
• Oversee cross-functional delivery teams including Appian developers, architects, business analysts, QA specialists, scrum leads, and integration resources.
• Build a reusable delivery model that includes design standards, component libraries, integration patterns, release controls, and performance reporting.
• Guide program-level risk management related to legacy dependencies, security approvals, platform sprawl, and enterprise change adoption.
• Support executive communications, governance reviews, roadmap planning, and value reporting tied to modernization outcomes.

What you'll own:

• Enterprise Appian program strategy and operating model.
• Platform governance, standardization, and reuse.
• Delivery oversight across multiple Appian workstreams.
• Stakeholder alignment across business, technical, and compliance teams.
• Growth of Appian as a modernization platform for future VA use cases.

What we're looking for:

• 7+ years of experience in IT program management, digital transformation, or enterprise platform delivery.
• 3+ years leading IT initiatives or clinical workflow application programs in a complex enterprise or federal environment.
• Direct experience supporting VA, VHA, or other federal healthcare-related organizations is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of workflow modernization, case management, integration delivery, and Agile program execution.
• Experience working in regulated environments with security, privacy, and compliance expectations tied to federal systems.
• Familiarity with VA operational domains such as Community Care, referral management, telehealth, or related Veteran service workflows is highly desirable.
• Ability to lead matrixed teams, influence senior stakeholders, and connect delivery decisions to mission outcomes.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; Scrum, SAFe, or Appian certifications are preferred.

Ideal background:

• Experience centralizing delivery across multiple projects into a true program structure.
• Success building or operating a low-code Center of Excellence.
• Comfort working at both executive and delivery-team levels.
• Knowledge of integrating Appian with enterprise systems, APIs, and healthcare-related platforms.
• Experience shaping future opportunities while managing active delivery.

Why this role matters:

This position sits at the center of a high-impact modernization effort that can improve how the VA coordinates care, manages referrals, and expands access to digital health services for Veterans. The Program Manager in this role will help create the structure, governance, and momentum needed to make Appian a durable modernization platform across the VA. That means improving consistency, accelerating delivery, reducing duplication, and supporting better experiences for Veterans, providers, and VA operational teams. Join us to help shape a modern, scalable workflow platform that supports better outcomes for Veterans and the teams who serve them every day. This is an opportunity to lead both active delivery and long-term platform strategy in one of the most meaningful modernization environments in government.

Compensation and Benefits:

The base salary range for this position is $150,000 — $300,000 USD. In addition to the base salary, this position is eligible for a government clearance differential. Actual compensation will be dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's relevant work experience, qualifications, internal peer equity, and market and business conditions that exist when extending an offer. A discretionary bonus may be awarded in recognition of individual and company performance.

Appian provides generous benefits offerings that include a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible time off, paid parental leave, medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, health savings account contributions, an employee referral bonus program, and learning and development resources. Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards. Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time, consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation, commission, bonus, or benefit plans.

Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [e-mail]. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

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