Director – Business Programs

The Director, Business Programs will provide program management to ensure that the work effort achieves the outcomes specified in the business strategy. This involves setting and reviewing objectives, negotiating changes in plans, identifying key dependences, and managing key deliverables within specified timeframes. Accountable to executive sponsors for schedule, budget, and quality of all program elements and for the program execution delivery. Builds and sustains key relationships with stakeholders to ensure that outcomes and goals are achieved.

Key Responsibilities

• GCO Programs include PMO team management and project oversight, ORM Risk Office management, Innovation Program management, and other GCO-wide initiatives.

• Manages program execution delivery to meet quality, schedule, milestone, and budget commitments. Manages program expectations, scope, risk and changes. Develops and maintains a work plan at the required level of detail which indicates the key dependencies, resources, the timeframe for completion of the project and the key deliverables. Provides issue identification and makes recommendations to ensure resolution.

• Ensures effective program implementation and is accountable for sustaining the assigned programs. This includes ensuring that appropriate resources are identified and secured for both the implementation and ongoing maintenance of the program. Accountable for the continual tracking and analysis of program performance against the plan to ensure program success.

• Leads high-level sessions for program plan and schedule development. Reviews/approves project plans for conformance to program strategy and program plan and schedule. Ensures the goals, metrics and objectives of the program are understood and agreed upon with the program sponsorship. Works across various teams to coordinate and integrate plans to ensure effective program execution.

• Acts as the communications conduit to executive sponsors and program steering committee and conducts periodic briefings/status updates. Escalates decisions to executive sponsors as necessary. Builds and sustains key relationships with stakeholders to ensure that outcomes and goals are achieved. Prepares executive level presentations, communications, talking points and speeches for the direct leader.

• Provides effective people leadership through effective coaching, feedback and sound performance management practices. Act as champion for the team and intervene on matters that create roadblocks to individual or organizational success. Sets department initiatives and aligns and sets individual performance goals.

• Partner with HR to design organization and business specific people strategies, including leader/employee recognition and representation in Chairman’s awards.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or relevant experience.

• 7+ year’s relevant experience. Strong project management/program management skills; 8-10 years.

• Project management/program management skills.

• Ability to demonstrate self-sufficiency with accessing processing and interpreting information in support of making recommendations to senior leaders.

• Ability to lead, influence, communicate and interact with people at all levels across the organization and with external partners.

• Must possess strong negotiation, analytical, decision making and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent communication skills focused on all levels of the organization, represent the senior leader internally and externally.

• Strong presentation creation skills – PowerPoint, Excel.

• Strong analytical, judgement and problem-solving skills to analyze data, develop compelling solutions and/or recommendations.

• Demonstrated strength in influencing at all levels and building effective relationships in order to work collaboratively across diverse units/staff functions. Demonstrated ability to work under pressure with undefined processes, tight deadlines and frequently changing priorities. Proven strategic leadership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of or expert in line of business being supported.

About Our Company
We’re a diversified financial services leader with more than $1 trillion in assets under management and administration as of 2022. Our team of 20,000 people in more than 20 countries, advise and manage assets and income of more than 2 million individual, small business and institutional clients. We are a longstanding leader in financial planning and advice, a global asset manager and an insurer. Our unwavering focus on our clients and strong financial foundation connects each of our unique businesses - Ameriprise Financial, Columbia Threadneedle Investments and RiverSource Insurance and Annuities. Here, we foster meaningful careers, invest in the future, and make a difference for clients, institutions and communities around the world.

Full timeExemptBusiness Support & OperationsGCO General Counsel’s Organization