It Program Manager

Bottomline It; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading IT management firm in South Africa is seeking an experienced IT Program Manager to lead strategic IT projects. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of technology's impact on business goals. Responsibilities include managing project interdependencies, aligning objectives with company strategy, and overseeing budget and resources. Qualifications include a Bachelor's degree and relevant project management certifications.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of how technology enables business goals.
• Ability to build business cases and calculate ROI.
• Expert-level program and portfolio management experience.

Responsibilities

• Define overarching goals and desired business outcomes of the program.
• Oversee interdependencies between projects within the program.
• Ensure alignment of program objectives with strategic direction.

Skills

Strategic & Business Acumen

Managerial Skills

Exceptional leadership

Masterful communication

Change management expertise

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT, Business, or Management

PMP certification

PgMP certification

PMI-ACP certification

ITIL certification

Job description

Introduction

An IT Program Manager is responsible for planning, coordinating, and leading a set of related IT projects a "program" to achieve strategic business goals that would not be possible if the projects were managed independently.

They focus on the big-picture benefits and synergies between projects.

Duties & Responsibilities

The responsibilities are centred on strategic alignment, benefits realization, and cross-functional leadership.1.

• Strategic Alignment & Business Case: Business Outcome Ownership: Define the overarching goals and desired business outcomes of the program (e.g increase operational efficiency by 25%, enter a new market, improve customer satisfaction scores).
• Value Realization: Ensure that the program's benefits are clearly defined, measured, and ultimately delivered.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Work closely with C-level executives, business unit heads, and other key stakeholders to ensure the program's objectives align with the company's strategic direction.2.
• Program Governance & Execution: Portfolio Management: Oversee the interdependencies between projects within the program and manage the program's roadmap and timeline. Cross-Functional Coordination: Lead and synchronize the efforts of multiple project teams, IT architects, engineers, vendors, and business units.
• Dependency Management: Identify, track, and mitigate risks arising from dependencies between projects (e.g., Project B cannot start until Project A delivers its API).
• Program-Level Reporting: Provide a consolidated view of the program's health, progress, risks, and budget to senior leadership and steering committees.3.
• Resource & Financial Management: Resource Planning: Secure and manage shared resources (people, budget, technology) across all projects within the program. Budget Oversight: Develop and manage the overall program budget, which is an aggregation of the project budgets, plus program-level costs.4.
• Risk & Issue Management: Program-Level Risk Mitigation: Identify and address strategic risks that could impact the entire program's success, such as shifting business priorities, significant technical debt, or major vendor failures. Issue Resolution: Act as an escalation point for major issues that project managers cannot resolve within their scope.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Key Skills and Qualifications

CategorySpecific Skills

• Strategic & Business Acumen: Deep understanding of how technology enables business goals. Ability to build business cases, calculate ROI, and communicate in business terms, not just tech jargon.
• Managerial Skills: Expert-level program and portfolio management. Strong financial and budget management. Vendor and contract management.

Soft Skills

• Exceptional leadership, influence, and negotiation skills (often without direct authority over all team members).
• Masterful communication and stakeholder management.
• Change management expertise.

Technical Knowledge: Broad understanding of IT architectures, software development lifecycles (SDLC, Agile, Waterfall), enterprise systems (ERP, CRM), cloud platforms, and infrastructure. They are not hands-on technicians but must be technically literate.

Education / Certs: Bachelor's degree (often in IT, Business, or Management). Common certifications include PMP (Project Management Professional), PgMP (Program Management Professional), PMI-ACP (Agile), and ITIL.

Interested?