Program Manager

Overview

The Program Manager acts as the owner of strategic projects for a defined product category. This associate will work closely with the product category teams, and other key stakeholders, to drive clarity on new product opportunities for the markets BISSELL competes in, then lead cross functional teams through the development and market launch of selected products. The Program Manager will apply Rapid Learning Cycles (RLC) to identify key decisions and knowledge gaps early, and close them through structured learning cycles before committing to design and investment.

Responsibilities

• Communicates and coordinates within all functions of the organization, as well as with key suppliers, vendors and sometimes customers. Must be able to successfully influence internal and external contacts regarding highly complex and sensitive topics.
• Owns and leads multiple projects. The Program Manager will use informal leadership to drive cross-functional teams for program success. Programs managed will mostly be product-oriented, but could include process and people initiatives that are highly visible and strategic. Projects likely will involve global resources.
• Facilitates and leads the scoping of new projects including technical requirements, resource needs, and launch timing targets.
• Plans and leads programs using the Rapid Learning Cycles framework, working with the cross-functional team to define key decisions, identify knowledge gaps, and sequence learning cycles, then facilitating recurring integration events where the team makes evidence-based decisions.
• Ensures key decisions are made at the right time with sufficient evidence, escalating when knowledge gaps put schedule, cost, or product performance at risk. Applies stop criteria to decide whether to continue, re-scope, or stop, based on alignment to requirements and likelihood of success.
• Creates and maintains project schedules, tracking progress toward objectives and resource levels compared to what was planned.
• Uses program data and KPIs (schedule health, cost, open risks, and learning cycle progress) to drive decisions across the cross-functional team, and makes the facts visible rather than letting opinions set direction.
• Leads gate and executive program reviews, delivering clear, concise status and escalations to senior leadership.
• Advocates on behalf of the project to creatively solve problems affecting project delivery.
• Owns program performance against approved scope limits, including product cost, capital spend, and timing. Guards against changes that put those limits at risk, assessing the impact of any necessary changes and presenting trade-offs to leadership for decision.
• Ensures program teams own and follow BISSELL’s Pre-GPD and Global Product Development (GPD) processes, including RLC practices in early development.
• Accountable for capturing knowledge generated through learning cycles and lessons learned, in a form that future programs can reuse, and mentors other PMs and team members in program management best practices.
• Applies AI tools to improve program execution (for example schedule risk analysis, requirements synthesis, status reporting, or knowledge capture), validating outputs for accuracy and measuring whether they actually save time or improve decisions.

Qualifications

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

• Owner mindset: takes personal accountability for program outcomes, raises problems early, and takes initiative to resolve issues without waiting to be asked.
• Comfort leading teams through uncertainty: framing open questions, designing quick experiments, and driving decisions from evidence rather than assumption.
• Sound judgment on when AI is and isn't appropriate, including awareness of limitations such as inaccurate outputs, data sensitivity, and over-reliance.
• Effective leadership under pressure, able to make solid decisions in a fast-paced product development environment.
• Resilient, pro-active and confident in the face of conflict.
• Positive attitude and the ability to build good working relationships with others, both internal and externally.
• Experience working and communicating in a global environment with an appreciation of how things get done in other parts of the world. Knowledge of varying cultures and societies and the implications language, actions and behaviors can have.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Degree minimum: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or Marketing field.
• Specific concentration: Engineering (including Electrical/Computer Engineering), Computer Science, and/or Marketing degree/background preferred.
• Experience level: Minimum of 7+ years with extensive Project Management experience, inclusive of details noted above in the Position Profile.

REQUIRED SKILLS

• Ability to manage cross-functional product development teams.
• Demonstrated ability to move from a broad business strategy to hands on project leadership. Must be able to work with all levels and all regions within the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to direct others in developing sound and creative solutions to complex problems in a timely basis.
• Ability to organize, prioritize and coordinate multiple tasks, using thorough analysis, effective delegation, sound judgment and timely decision making.
• Manage conflicting goals and develop action plans to meet customer needs.
• Proven experience offering unique and innovative solutions to difficult development challenges.
• Willingness to travel internationally and work across time zones.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• MS in Engineering, Manufacturing, or Supply Chain
• MBA
• PMP certification
• Preference towards three to five years in several of the following areas: Engineering, Project Management, Marketing, Manufacturing, Information Technology.
• Experience with Rapid Learning Cycles, Lean Product Development, or other knowledge-based development approaches.
• Experience delivering connected devices or IoT products, including embedded firmware, mobile app integration, cloud connectivity, or wireless certification.
• Demonstrated experience applying AI tools to real work problems, including selecting appropriate use cases, validating results, and adopting or abandoning tools based on measured impact.
• Familiarity with product safety and regulatory certification processes (e.g., UL, FCC, wireless and cybersecurity requirements).
• Experience building productive relationships with key business partners.