Quarterly Planning and Operations Analyst

JD Power; California; Remote; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

JD Power's Analytics team delivers data science and AI/ML initiatives using a hybrid SAFe approach designed for quarterly increments. You will partner with the CDAO and Analytics leaders to optimize delivery, measure KPIs, and drive improvements across multiple workstreams.

The role emphasizes bridging business needs with technical execution, leveraging Agile/Waterfall methods and tools like JIRA, Smartsheet, and MS Project.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of program or project management experience.
• Experience bridging business objectives and technical execution in tech environments.
• Proficiency with Agile and Waterfall methodologies.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate program increment planning and PI events each quarter.
• Track delivery metrics and set KPI objectives with Analytics leaders.
• Lead end-to-end program delivery across multiple workstreams and teams.
• Maintain committed quarterly program plans and schedules with transparency.
• Apply technical project management to address AI challenges with data teams.

Skills

Program management

Agile

Waterfall

Cross-functional leadership

JIRA

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

AI tools in PM

RAID discipline

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred

PMP certification a plus

Tools

JIRA

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

Job description

Job Description:

The Role

JD Power's Analytics team of more than 200 professionals plans and delivers work in quarterly program increments using a customized, hybrid version of SAFe. In this role, you'll bring that approach to data scientists, AI and ML engineers, data engineers, analysts, and strategists, working alongside product and technology partners to make planning more consistent. The team's focus is turning our automotive data assets into new AI and ML products, and the delivery work you lead will directly shape what we ship next.

Based in the Transformation Office, this role serves as a dedicated partner to our CDAO and Analytics Program Lead. The team also evaluates and reports on Analytics KPIs, including product quality, throughput, and model accuracy, and measures how AI is affecting our development teams. Working with leaders across the group, you'll identify root causes and help improve performance where it's lagging.

The Impact You Will Have in This Role

Data and analytics are core to what JD Power sells and how we operate. As our data assets and roadmaps grow more complex, teams need clear product purpose and plans they can own. You'll help provide both, and serve as the voice of the Analytics organization on what we've shipped, what's next, how confident we are in delivering it, and whether quality, throughput, and accuracy are meeting expectations.

What You'll Be Doing in This Role:

• Facilitate program increment quarterly planning events to align teams on a shared mission, objectives and delivery commitments each quarter. Lead inspect & adapt workshops and quantitative and qualitative retrospectives, and execute on the improvement ideas that come out of them.
• Track and report delivery metrics such as completion rates and program predictability and partner with Analytics leaders to set annual KPI objectives. Work with technical teams to uncover root causes and identify risks and countermeasures.
• Lead end-to-end program delivery across teams and functions, applying the methodology each workstream needs (Agile, hybrid, or data platform-specific) with a toolkit that spans technical project management, agile delivery, and business analysis.
• Build, maintain, and own the committed quarterly program plans and schedules, distinct from the product roadmap, ensuring milestones are met with transparency and rigor. Drive adoption and maturity of product planning practices across the organization
• Bring technical project managementexpertiseto address engineering and AI challenges, working closely with technical leads and data scientists tomonitordevelopment progress and ensure alignment between businessobjectivesand technical execution.

What You Bring

• 5+years of program or project management experience
• Accountable and self-starting: you own your commitments, follow through without being chased, and move without waiting to be told
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, able to distill complex program status into clear, concise updates for leadership audiences
• Experience in technology-centric environments (software development, IT, or data) with a history of bridging business objectives and technical execution
• Proficiency in Agile and Waterfall methodologies
• Experience using JIRA, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, or similar SDLC and PM tools
• Demonstrated experience applying AI tools to program and project management workflows, and a track record of proactively adopting emerging AI capabilities to improve team productivity and decision-making
• Strong RAID discipline, schedule management, budget oversight, and attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger picture
• Comfortable managing multiple workstreams concurrently in a fast-paced, matrixed environment
• Bachelor's degree preferred; PMP certification a plus
• North American based, with availability to work across a distributed global team.

Nice to Have

• Proficiency in SAFe, or a SAFe certification
• Bachelor's degree in business, computer science, engineering, or related field
• PMP certification

This position has a starting salary range of $90,000 - $120,000 CAD / $80,000 - $100,000 USD per year. This is the range we reasonably and in good faith expect to pay for the role at the time of posting. An employee's pay within the range is determined by a number of factors, including relevant skills, education, qualifications, experience, performance, business or organizational needs, and geographic location.

Why Join JD Power

JD Power powers auto-related decisions through proprietary data, advanced analytics, deep industry expertise, and workflows that connect insight to action. Operating across North America, Europe, and Australia, we help customers make better decisions and achieve better outcomes.

As a virtual-first company, we offer flexible work arrangements, opportunities for learning and development, and a culture centered on the Values that guide how we work every day.

• We power our customers' success. Everything we do is focused on helping customers make better decisions and achieve better outcomes.
• We are innovative, collaborative, and grounded in data. We combine advanced analytics with human expertise to deliver insight that holds up in the real world.
• We make things easy. We turn complexity into clarity so teams can act faster and with confidence.
• We get it done. We focus on execution, accountability, and results.
• We start with trust and prove it every day. Independence, integrity, and credibility are the foundation of our work.

Equal Opportunity & Accommodations

JD Power is committed to employing a diverse workforce. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, or disability.

JD Power is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for individuals with disabilities or other protected needs under applicable local laws. Please contact [e-mail] for accommodation request.

Data Privacy

JD Power does not disclose your personal data to unauthorized third parties. However, as a global corporation consisting of multiple affiliated companiesin various countries, JD Power has international sites and JD Power uses resources located throughout the world. JD Power may from time to time also use third parties to act on JD Power's behalf. You agree to the fact that to the extent necessary yourpersonal data may be transferred and/or disclosed to any company within JD Power group of companies as well as to third parties acting on JD Power's behalf, including also transfers to servers and databases outside the country where you provided JD Powerwith your personal data. Such transfers may include for example transfers and/or disclosures outside the European Economic Area and in the United States of America. If you are a California or United Kingdom resident, additional disclosures about the information we collect and how we use that information can be found by clickinghere.

Applications

Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the country where employment is offered. JD Power does not provide employment sponsorship for this position.