The Role
Lead delivery and financial performance for PODs: manage scope, forecasts, margins, and utilization; drive SAFe-aligned execution, quality and defect prevention; manage stakeholders and governance; coach POD PMs/Scrum Masters; ensure compliance, production support, and hypercare readiness and incident resolution.
Summary Generated by Built In
- Financial Management & Margin Health:
- • Own financial performance for POD delivery by managing scope, burn, utilization, and forecast accuracy while maintaining delivery velocity.
• Maintain program gross margin at/above approved plan; keep EAC variance within ±2% monthly.
• Develop weekly cost-to-complete and capacity plans; maintain utilization ≥90% for billable team members.
• Ensure 100% scope changes are captured via RAID/Change Control with agreed approvals and updated forecasts within 5 business days.
• Track change requests/assumptions with financial impact and secure approvals within agreed timelines.
- • Own financial performance for POD delivery by managing scope, burn, utilization, and forecast accuracy while maintaining delivery velocity.
- Delivery Excellence & Milestone Achievement:
- • Drive end-to-end plan execution for PODs with SAFe cadence, dependency management, and disciplined delivery governance to achieve committed PI objectives.
• Achieve ≥90% PI objectives met for owned PODs; maintain iteration carryover <15% after first PI.
• Maintain schedule variance within ±10% for committed releases; complete release readiness checklist for every release.
• Update RAID and dependency logs weekly with owners; ensure zero critical dependencies without an owner.
• Coordinate across PODs to ensure integrated plans, dependencies, and release readiness are aligned end-to-end.
- • Drive end-to-end plan execution for PODs with SAFe cadence, dependency management, and disciplined delivery governance to achieve committed PI objectives.
- Quality Assurance & Defect Management:
- • Improve quality of deliverables through rigorous testing readiness, acceptance criteria discipline, and defect prevention practices.
• Achieve UAT pass rate ≥95% for each release; maintain defect rejection rate <5%.
• Reduce defect leakage to production to ≤2 defects per release; ensure zero repeat Sev-1 incidents.
• Enforce Definition of Ready/Done and evidence-based sign-offs for 100% of stories.
• Implement data quality checks with ≥99% accuracy for key reporting measures.
- • Improve quality of deliverables through rigorous testing readiness, acceptance criteria discipline, and defect prevention practices.
- Stakeholder Management & Client Satisfaction:
- • Strengthen client confidence through proactive communication, transparent reporting, and rapid action closure.
• Achieve average stakeholder satisfaction/NPS score ≥8.5/10 (quarterly feedback).
• Deliver weekly executive summaries on time (100%) covering progress, risks, and decisions needed.
• Close agreed action items within 5 business days ≥90% of the time.
• Facilitate decisioning forums; unblock critical decisions within 10 business days ≥90% of the time.
• Maintain executive governance cadence with clear minutes and action tracking.
- • Strengthen client confidence through proactive communication, transparent reporting, and rapid action closure.
- People Leadership & Team Development:
- • Lead and develop POD PMs/Scrum Masters by coaching delivery hygiene, planning discipline, and problem-solving; build high-performing teams.
• Conduct monthly coaching 1:1s with each POD PM; maintain documented development goals and progress.
• Standardize templates (status, RAID, plan, release) and achieve ≥95% compliance across PODs.
• Manage attrition within agreed thresholds; execute onboarding plans within 2 weeks for any replacement.
• Implement team engagement actions; achieve stakeholder feedback on PM effectiveness ≥8/10.
- • Lead and develop POD PMs/Scrum Masters by coaching delivery hygiene, planning discipline, and problem-solving; build high-performing teams.
- Governance, Risk & Compliance:
- • Ensure PODs operate with strong controls: risk management, auditability, and adherence to compliance and security requirements.
• Conduct risk reviews bi-weekly; ensure all High/Critical risks have mitigation plans and due dates.
• Achieve 100% compliance with required documentation (SoW/Change controls, approvals, test evidence) and meet audit requests within SLA.
• Prevent compliance-related production incidents attributable to missed process or documentation.
• Maintain critical path reviews weekly with stakeholders; achieve ≥90% release readiness criteria met ahead of cutover.
- • Ensure PODs operate with strong controls: risk management, auditability, and adherence to compliance and security requirements.
- Production Support & Hypercare:
- • Own Hypercare outcomes by ensuring release readiness, operational runbooks, and rapid incident resolution.
• Implement Hypercare runbook, on-call rota, and incident triage model before each go-live (100%).
• Meet incident SLAs: Sev-1 response <15 min, Sev-2 <30 min; reduce MTTR by ≥20% vs baseline.
• Complete post-incident RCA within 5 business days for 100% of Sev-1/2 incidents with prevention actions tracked to closure.
- • Own Hypercare outcomes by ensuring release readiness, operational runbooks, and rapid incident resolution.
- Financial Management & Margin Health:
- • Own financial performance for POD delivery by managing scope, burn, utilization, and forecast accuracy while maintaining delivery velocity.
• Maintain program gross margin at/above approved plan; keep EAC variance within ±2% monthly.
• Develop weekly cost-to-complete and capacity plans; maintain utilization ≥90% for billable team members.
• Ensure 100% scope changes are captured via RAID/Change Control with agreed approvals and updated forecasts within 5 business days.
• Track change requests/assumptions with financial impact and secure approvals within agreed timelines.
- • Own financial performance for POD delivery by managing scope, burn, utilization, and forecast accuracy while maintaining delivery velocity.
- Delivery Excellence & Milestone Achievement:
- • Drive end-to-end plan execution for PODs with SAFe cadence, dependency management, and disciplined delivery governance to achieve committed PI objectives.
• Achieve ≥90% PI objectives met for owned PODs; maintain iteration carryover <15% after first PI.
• Maintain schedule variance within ±10% for committed releases; complete release readiness checklist for every release.
• Update RAID and dependency logs weekly with owners; ensure zero critical dependencies without an owner.
• Coordinate across PODs to ensure integrated plans, dependencies, and release readiness are aligned end-to-end.
- • Drive end-to-end plan execution for PODs with SAFe cadence, dependency management, and disciplined delivery governance to achieve committed PI objectives.
- Quality Assurance & Defect Management:
- • Improve quality of deliverables through rigorous testing readiness, acceptance criteria discipline, and defect prevention practices.
• Achieve UAT pass rate ≥95% for each release; maintain defect rejection rate <5%.
• Reduce defect leakage to production to ≤2 defects per release; ensure zero repeat Sev-1 incidents.
• Enforce Definition of Ready/Done and evidence-based sign-offs for 100% of stories.
• Implement data quality checks with ≥99% accuracy for key reporting measures.
- • Improve quality of deliverables through rigorous testing readiness, acceptance criteria discipline, and defect prevention practices.
- Stakeholder Management & Client Satisfaction:
- • Strengthen client confidence through proactive communication, transparent reporting, and rapid action closure.
• Achieve average stakeholder satisfaction/NPS score ≥8.5/10 (quarterly feedback).
• Deliver weekly executive summaries on time (100%) covering progress, risks, and decisions needed.
• Close agreed action items within 5 business days ≥90% of the time.
• Facilitate decisioning forums; unblock critical decisions within 10 business days ≥90% of the time.
• Maintain executive governance cadence with clear minutes and action tracking.
- • Strengthen client confidence through proactive communication, transparent reporting, and rapid action closure.
- People Leadership & Team Development:
- • Lead and develop POD PMs/Scrum Masters by coaching delivery hygiene, planning discipline, and problem-solving; build high-performing teams.
• Conduct monthly coaching 1:1s with each POD PM; maintain documented development goals and progress.
• Standardize templates (status, RAID, plan, release) and achieve ≥95% compliance across PODs.
• Manage attrition within agreed thresholds; execute onboarding plans within 2 weeks for any replacement.
• Implement team engagement actions; achieve stakeholder feedback on PM effectiveness ≥8/10.
- • Lead and develop POD PMs/Scrum Masters by coaching delivery hygiene, planning discipline, and problem-solving; build high-performing teams.
- Governance, Risk & Compliance:
- • Ensure PODs operate with strong controls: risk management, auditability, and adherence to compliance and security requirements.
• Conduct risk reviews bi-weekly; ensure all High/Critical risks have mitigation plans and due dates.
• Achieve 100% compliance with required documentation (SoW/Change controls, approvals, test evidence) and meet audit requests within SLA.
• Prevent compliance-related production incidents attributable to missed process or documentation.
• Maintain critical path reviews weekly with stakeholders; achieve ≥90% release readiness criteria met ahead of cutover.
- • Ensure PODs operate with strong controls: risk management, auditability, and adherence to compliance and security requirements.
- Production Support & Hypercare:
- • Own Hypercare outcomes by ensuring release readiness, operational runbooks, and rapid incident resolution.
• Implement Hypercare runbook, on-call rota, and incident triage model before each go-live (100%).
• Meet incident SLAs: Sev-1 response <15 min, Sev-2 <30 min; reduce MTTR by ≥20% vs baseline.
• Complete post-incident RCA within 5 business days for 100% of Sev-1/2 incidents with prevention actions tracked to closure.
- • Own Hypercare outcomes by ensuring release readiness, operational runbooks, and rapid incident resolution.
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; MBA preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in program/project management within IT/software delivery.
• 5+ years of experience managing large-scale enterprise programs with distributed teams.
• Demonstrated experience in Agile/SAFe delivery environments.
• Track record of managing programs with budgets >$5M and teams of 20+ members.
EXL (NASDAQ: EXLS) is a leading data analytics and digital operations and solutions company. We partner with clients using a data and AI-led approach to reinvent business models, drive better business outcomes and unlock growth with speed. EXL harnesses the power of data, analytics, AI, and deep industry knowledge to transform operations for the world’s leading corporations in industries including insurance, healthcare, banking and financial services, media and retail, among others. EXL was founded in 1999 with the core values of innovation, collaboration, excellence, integrity and respect. We are headquartered in New York and have more than 54,000 employees spanning six continents. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
- 8+ years progressive experience in program/project management within IT/software delivery
- 5+ years managing large-scale enterprise programs with distributed teams
- Demonstrated experience in Agile/SAFe delivery environments
- Track record managing programs with budgets greater than $5M and teams of 20+ members
- MBA
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The Company
What We Do
Choosing a digital partner is about more than capabilities — it’s about collaboration and character. Unrealistic overhauls and off-the-shelf products ignore what matters most — your unique needs, culture, goals, and your legacy data and technology environments. At EXL, our collaboration is built on ongoing listening and learning to adapt our methodologies. We’re your business evolution partner—tailoring solutions that make the most of data to make better business decisions and drive more intelligence into your increasingly digital operations. Whether your goals are scaling the use of AI and digital, redesign operating models, or driving better and faster decisions, we’re here to partner with you to help you gain—and maintain—competitive advantage with efficient, sustainable models at scale. Our expertise in transformation, data science, and change management helps make your business more efficient and effective, improve customer relationships and enhance revenue growth. Instead of focusing on multi-year, resource- and time-intensive platform designs or migrations, we look deeper at your entire value chain to integrate strategies with impact. We use our specialization in analytics, digital interventions, and operations management—alongside deep industry expertise — to deliver solutions that help you outperform the competition. At EXL, it’s all about outcomes—your outcomes—and delivering success on your terms. Share your goals with us and together, we’ll optimize how you leverage data to drive your business forward. For more information, visit www.exlservice.com.
