Senior Technical Program Manager

Aquent; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent, a leading talent partner, is seeking a Senior Program Manager in Phoenix to lead large-scale software delivery initiatives for a financial services client. You will drive end-to-end planning, coordinate cross-functional teams, and ensure on-time, high-quality outcomes across multi-time-zone environments.

You will mentor teams, champion engineering excellence, and establish program dashboards, KPIs, and risk management practices to enable strategic execution and reliable delivery.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of project/program management experience leading large-scale, cross-functional initiatives.
• Proven ability to build trust with sponsors and stakeholders through delivery of priorities.
• History delivering high-visibility programs in challenging environments.
• Ability to navigate and influence within highly matrixed organizations.
• Excellent problem solving, analytical thinking, and decision-making skills.
• Knowledge of project management tools, methodologies, and best practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end planning, execution, and delivery of complex software development programs.
• Manage cross-functional workstreams and coordinate with multiple stakeholders.
• Establish program dashboards, KPIs, and communication mechanisms for leadership visibility.
• Drive continuous improvement around estimation, sprint execution, and release management.
• Collaborate with DevOps and platform teams to ensure CI/CD pipeline robustness and observability.

Skills

Project leadership

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS or related field

Tools

Agile project management tools

Job description

Join a leading financial services firm dedicated to empowering individuals and institutions to achieve their financial goals. This organization is at the forefront of innovation, constantly evolving its technology landscape to deliver exceptional client experiences and robust, scalable solutions. As a partner with Aquent Talent, you will have the opportunity to contribute to a dynamic environment where cutting‑edge technology meets strategic financial planning.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Program Execution

• Engage directly with development teams to understand system architecture, design, and integration points, providing guidance rooted in strong software engineering experience.
• Identify technical risks early and proactively drive resolution through collaboration with architects, developers, quality assurance, site reliability engineers, and partner teams.
• Guide teams through dependency management, component integration, service interactions, and environmental readiness.
• Ensure data-driven engineering decisions, delivering technically sound architecture designs aligned with long‑term product and platform strategies.

Program & Delivery Management

• Lead end‑to‑end planning, execution, and delivery of complex software development programs, ensuring predictable timelines and high‑quality outcomes.
• Manage cross‑functional workstreams, coordinate with multiple internal and external stakeholders, and maintain clear ownership across all parties.
• Establish program dashboards, key performance indicators, and communication mechanisms for leadership and team‑level visibility.
• Drive continuous improvement around estimation, sprint execution, release management, and operational readiness.

DevOps & Modern Engineering Practices

• Collaborate with DevOps and platform engineering teams to ensure continuous integration/continuous delivery pipeline robustness, environment stability, deployment automation, and observability.
• Contribute to engineering workflow improvements such as versioning strategy, build and deployment orchestration, and performance monitoring approaches.
• Support teams in adopting modern development practices, including microservices, containerization, cloud‑native tooling, and automated testing frameworks.

Stakeholder Alignment & Advocacy

• Serve as a strong advocate for development teams, ensuring the technical strategy, priorities, and constraints are well understood across all stakeholders.
• Facilitate clear and concise communication, ensuring non‑engineering stakeholders understand program goals, milestones, risks, and impacts.
• Build trusted relationships across the organization, simplifying collaboration with business owners, product managers, compliance, security, and infrastructure teams.

Leadership & Organizational Impact

• Promote a culture of engineering excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement. Mentor teams on program execution best practices and play a coaching role where appropriate.
• Champion clarity, structure, and predictable delivery while maintaining flexibility and adaptability to shifting business needs.

Must‑Have Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field (or equivalent experience), with 8+ years of project/program management experience leading large‑scale, cross‑functional initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong trust with sponsors and key stakeholders through consistent delivery of business priorities.
• Proven history of successfully delivering high‑visibility, complex programs in challenging environments.
• Strong capability to navigate and influence within highly matrixed organizations.
• A focused, adaptable, and collaborative individual who performs well under pressure.
• Experience in delivering initiatives from inception through delivery.
• Exceptional problem‑solving, analytical thinking, and critical decision‑making skills.
• Deep knowledge and direct expertise with project management tools, methodologies, and best practices.
• Ability to communicate sensitive or complex information with clarity and thrive in dynamic, multi‑time zone, multi‑location environments.
• Experience overseeing the planning, implementation, and support of business application components, consistently striving for excellence in operational and delivery outcomes.

Nice‑to‑Have Qualifications

• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Familiarity with distributed systems, microservices architecture, and modern integration patterns.
• Ability to work independently in highly dynamic environments and navigate ambiguity effectively.

< h3>Growth Opportunities & Learning

• Gain experience developing and implementing code.
• Gain experience with a large investment management firm serving individuals, trusts, retirement plans, foundations, and endowments.
• Opportunities to research, create, and present on process and/or technology improvements.

Who You Are

• Shows commitment, high ethical standards, and integrity.
• Inquisitive, analytical, strategic thinking, initiative‑taking, and solutions‑oriented.
• High‑energy, positive, entrepreneurial in spirit while purposeful.
• Takes initiative and can work independently.
• Well‑organized and disciplined with high diligence.
• Direct, plain‑spoken; conveys a genuine/authentic demeanor.
• Effective written communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.

Please note: This position is available on a W‑2 employment basis only and is not open to Corp‑to‑Corp (C2C) arrangements. The client is also unable to provide employment‑based visa sponsorship or transfers for this role.

#LI‑LP1

Aquent is an equal‑opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics. We’re about creating an inclusive environment‑one where different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are valued, and everyone can contribute, grow their careers, and thrive.