Reporting into the VP of Information Technology, the Director, IT Program Management Office is responsible for establishing and leading a centralized PMO function within Cole Haan’s IT organization. The role ensures consistent, disciplined delivery of the enterprise IT project portfolio while serving as the primary interface between IT and business stakeholders on project status, risk, and change impact.
The Director owns the full delivery lifecycle—from methodology and governance through business communication and executive reporting. The role manages cross-project dependencies, drives proactive risk assessment, coordinates change management readiness with the business, and owns all executive-level project status communication. This enables IT domain leaders to remain focused on technical delivery and solution quality.
The role leads dedicated project coordination resources and provides dotted-line methodology oversight to project managers embedded within IT domain teams. The Director is expected to build a PMO culture where project managers are active delivery partners—anticipating risk, driving real-time adjustments, and contributing to solution outcomes—not passive status collectors.
CORE ACCOUNTABILITIES:
- Define, implement, and continuously improve standard IT project management methodology including project charters, stage gates, acceptance criteria, and formal project closure
- Establish and manage the IT project intake process, ensuring initiatives are properly scoped, resourced, and aligned to portfolio priorities
- Maintain delivery discipline across all active IT initiatives, providing visibility into timeline, scope, and budget performance
- Manage cross-project dependencies, resource conflicts, and sequencing across the IT portfolio
- Serve as the primary point of coordination between IT project teams and business stakeholders, ensuring alignment on scope, timing, and impact throughout the project lifecycle
- Own all executive-level project status communication, including IT Steering Committee reporting, leadership updates, and stakeholder briefings
- Drive ongoing risk assessment across active programs, surfacing issues early and partnering with IT and business leaders on mitigation strategies
- Coordinate change management readiness with business stakeholders—ensuring awareness of upcoming changes, impact to processes and people, and organizational preparedness for adoption
- Hold external vendors and implementation partners accountable to SOW milestones, acceptance criteria, and delivery timelines
- Lead milestone reviews and vendor performance assessments in partnership with domain leaders and IT Business Operations
- Support contract negotiations by providing delivery-informed input on scope, timeline feasibility, and performance incentive structures
- Define and own IT project management policies, standards, and templates
- Establish and maintain standard reporting cadence and tools across the portfolio
- Drive adoption of consistent delivery practices across domain teams
- Provide direct leadership to dedicated project coordinator(s) within the PMO
- Provide dotted-line oversight, coaching, and methodology support to project managers embedded within domain teams
- Set the standard for active, delivery-oriented project management—ensuring PMs are embedded in the work, planning ahead for risk, driving real-time course corrections with delivery teams, and contributing to outcomes rather than passively collecting status
- Lead post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement
- Free IT domain leaders and technical teams to focus on solution delivery and quality by absorbing coordination, communication, and status reporting responsibilities
Preferred Qualifications
- 10+ years information technology experience, retail business experience is a plus
- Define, implement, and continuously improve standard IT project management methodology including project charters, stage gates, acceptance criteria, and formal project closure
- Establish and manage the IT project intake process, ensuring initiatives are properly scoped, resourced, and aligned to portfolio priorities
- Maintain delivery discipline across all active IT initiatives, providing visibility into timeline, scope, and budget performance
- Manage cross-project dependencies, resource conflicts, and sequencing across the IT portfolio
- Serve as the primary point of coordination between IT project teams and business stakeholders, ensuring alignment on scope, timing, and impact throughout the project lifecycle
- Own all executive-level project status communication, including IT Steering Committee reporting, leadership updates, and stakeholder briefings
- Drive ongoing risk assessment across active programs, surfacing issues early and partnering with IT and business leaders on mitigation strategies
- Coordinate change management readiness with business stakeholders—ensuring awareness of upcoming changes, impact to processes and people, and organizational preparedness for adoption
- Hold external vendors and implementation partners accountable to SOW milestones, acceptance criteria, and delivery timelines
- Lead milestone reviews and vendor performance assessments in partnership with domain leaders and IT Business Operations
- Support contract negotiations by providing delivery-informed input on scope, timeline feasibility, and performance incentive structures
- Define and own IT project management policies, standards, and templates
- Establish and maintain standard reporting cadence and tools across the portfolio
- Drive adoption of consistent delivery practices across domain teams
- Provide direct leadership to dedicated project coordinator(s) within the PMO
- Provide dotted-line oversight, coaching, and methodology support to project managers embedded within domain teams
- Set the standard for active, delivery-oriented project management—ensuring PMs are embedded in the work, planning ahead for risk, driving real-time course corrections with delivery teams, and contributing to outcomes rather than passively collecting status
- Lead post-implementation reviews to capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement
- Free IT domain leaders and technical teams to focus on solution delivery and quality by absorbing coordination, communication, and status reporting responsibilities
Base Salary/Hourly Range: From $180,000 to $210,000 annually*
Bonus Eligibility: Yes, eligible for annual target bonus based on company and individual performance
Benefits Offered: Health Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Care, Health Savings Account with Employer Contribution, Flexible Spending Accounts, 401(k) Retirement Plan with Employer Matching Contributions, Short-Term Disability Insurance, Life Insurance, Vacation Time, Sick Time, Paid Parental Leave, Adoption Assistance Program, Charitable Matching Gifts Program, Holidays and Cole Haan Discounts
Paid Time Off: Paid vacation days starting at 120 hours, 11 paid company and personal holidays, 3 volunteer days
Sick Leave: Eligible non-exempt employees earn one hour of sick time for every 30 hours worked. Eligible exempt full-time employees earn 2.67 hours of sick time each bi-weekly pay period
*Rate of pay dependent upon candidates’ relevant skills, experience, and location
Skills Required
- 10+ years information technology experience
- Experience establishing and leading a centralized IT PMO
- Strong experience with project management methodologies (project charters, stage gates, acceptance criteria, project closure)
- Proven experience managing IT project portfolios, cross-project dependencies, and resource conflicts
- Executive-level reporting and stakeholder communication experience
- Vendor and implementation partner management including SOW and milestone accountability
- Experience coordinating change management readiness with business stakeholders
- Experience leading and coaching project coordinators and embedded project managers
- Retail business experience
What We Do
Cole Haan became an independently owned company again in 2013 and is growing rapidly in the US and abroad. We have earned a unique leadership position in the marketplace as a pioneer of goods that are as functional and versatile as they are crafted—most notably through our ZerøGrand and GrandSeries products. We are reinventing the world of modern footwear, handbags and accessories for consumers who seek style, versatility, and innovative comfortable function in their products. The company’s worldwide headquarters is in Greenland, NH, with offices in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong, London, Amsterdam, Dubai and sourcing offices in Asia. Cole Haan is sold in more than 500 retail stores globally, digital platforms around the world and within our department store and specialty retail partners. We seek hard-working team members who are entrepreneurial-minded, solutions-oriented who accept and own accountability, model integrity, value individuality and diversity, encourage teamwork and inspire creativity. We invite you to visit us at any time at www.colehaan.com. To keep tabs on us to see what’s happening, follow us at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/colehaan Twitter: https://twitter.com/colehaan Instagram: http://instagram.com/colehaan Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/ColeHaan/ Google +: https://plus.google.com/+colehaan/posts Let's connect and see what happens. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Cole Haan is committed to meeting the spirit as well as the letter of the law. We have been, and continue to be, committed to Equal Opportunity Employment and equal treatment of all qualified individuals -- regardless of race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, disability, or any other factors that are not job related.
