Position Summary
The Data Program Manager is responsible for leading the end-to-end delivery of Panera's cross-domain data and analytics programs. This role blends strong program management discipline with genuine data fluency, ensuring programs are planned realistically, tracked transparently, and delivered on time with zero tolerance for unflagged delays, especially on high-ROI initiatives. This leader partners closely with Data Engineering, Analytics, MDM Data Governance, and business stakeholders to prioritize work, hold teams accountable, and keep leadership informed at every stage.
Location: Newton, MA
Program & Delivery Ownership
- Own end-to-end delivery of enterprise data programs, from scoping and prioritization through execution, launch, and post-delivery validation.
- Manage program timelines, budget, resourcing, and interdependencies across multiple concurrent workstreams and technical domains.
- Coordinate and manage tasks across all data teams (engineering, analytics, platform, governance) to maintain a single, consistent view of program status.
- Apply extra rigor to large, high-ROI projects closer tracking, more frequent checkpoints, and lower tolerance for drift.
Scope & Stakeholder Management
- Facilitate prioritization discussions across competing stakeholder demands, balancing business urgency with technical feasibility and team capacity.
- Push back appropriately on customer/stakeholder requests that exceed reasonable scope, timeline, or capacity, using data and risk analysis to negotiate a sustainable, realistic path.
- Partner with data engineering and technical leads to build and validate accurate, defensible estimates informed by real understanding of data complexity.
Delivery & Accountability
- Hold delivery teams accountable to commitments through regular check-ins, program reviews, and clear ownership tracking no task should silently fall behind.
- Ensure any at-risk or delayed task is flagged immediately, with a clear cause, owner, and recovery plan.
- Maintain program visibility and tracking in Jira (or equivalent tool): epics, sprints, backlog grooming, and reporting dashboards.
Status Reporting & Transparent Communication
- Produce regular, consistent status reports across all workstreams and teams, giving leadership a single source of truth on program health.
- Communicate clearly and transparently with senior leaders on status, risks, and delays, surfacing problems early and tailoring messaging for executive audiences.
- Treat transparency as a core operating principle — no team or task should be quietly behind schedule.
Risk & Escalation
- Proactively identify risks, blockers, and delivery slippage across teams, escalate to the right stakeholders and leadership in a timely manner.
- Lead governance routines like status reporting, risk/issue tracking, and steering committee updates.
Data Fluency
- Bring working knowledge of data architecture, pipelines, and platforms (including GCP or equivalent cloud data platforms) to make informed delivery, scope, and risk decisions.
- Understand data quality concepts well enough to identify gaps, question assumptions, and ensure validation isn't skipped under schedule pressure.
- Speak credibly with data engineers and analysts about technical tradeoffs without needing translation from a technical lead.
Data Governance
- Support and help enforce data governance standards, including data quality, ownership, access controls, and compliance.
- Partner with data governance/stewardship teams to ensure programs align with enterprise data policies.
Experience
- 15+ years of program/project management experience, with a strong track record specifically in data or analytics programs.
- Solid working knowledge of data architecture, ETL/pipeline concepts, and cloud data platforms (GCP or equivalent).
- Proven ability to hold cross-functional teams accountable to delivery commitments, with a track record of zero silent delays.
- Experience managing coordinated delivery across multiple data teams (engineering, analytics, governance, platform).
- Experience with data governance principles (data quality, stewardship, access/compliance).
- PMP, Agile/Scrum certification, or equivalent program management credential preferred.
Skills
- Strong negotiation skills able to push back on unrealistic customer/stakeholder asks while maintaining productive relationships.
- Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, or similar tools for program/project tracking and status reporting.
- Excellent executive communication skills — comfortable delivering difficult updates to senior leadership, early and transparently.
- Experience in retail, restaurant, or QSR industries preferred but not required.
Working Conditions
Onsite presence required in Weston MA.
Occasional travel for key planning sessions and stakeholder engagement.
The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.
Newton Support CenterSkills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Systems, Data Analytics, or a related field
- 15+ years of program or project management experience
- Strong track record managing data or analytics programs
- Working knowledge of data architecture, ETL or pipeline concepts, and cloud data platforms such as GCP
- Experience holding cross-functional teams accountable to delivery commitments
- Experience coordinating delivery across engineering, analytics, governance, and platform teams
- Experience with data governance principles, including data quality, stewardship, access, and compliance
- Strong negotiation skills
- Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, or similar program and project tracking tools
- Excellent executive communication skills
- Advanced degree
- PMP, Agile/Scrum certification, or equivalent program management credential
- Experience in retail, restaurant, or QSR industries
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What We Do
Panera began in 1987 as St. Louis Bread Company, a humble community bakery founded with a sourdough starter from San Francisco and a dream of putting a loaf of bread in every arm. While our business has expanded well beyond St. Louis since then, that same sourdough starter is still used in our iconic sourdough bread and the craft of baking bread fresh each day remains at the heart of Panera Bread. Each day, our trained bakers fill our bakery shelves with delicious freshly baked cookies, pastries, bagels, and a range of breads from focaccia to classic baguettes. We believe in serving delicious, freshly prepared, clean food made with carefully selected ingredients that we are proud to serve our own families. Our menu, crafted by chefs and bakers, features classic, comforting dishes, each with an intriguing twist. We respect our planet and take measures to lessen our impacts. We believe in treating people with warmth, kindness, and respect, whether it’s a guest in our cafe or one of our associates. And we believe in helping our local communities, especially in times of need. We’re also focused on improving quality and convenience. With investments in technology and operations, we offer omni-channel access to your Panera favorites – like mobile ordering, catering, and Rapid Pick-Up® for to-go orders, Curbside pick-up and delivery – all designed to make things easier for our guests. Today, Panera operates as both Panera Bread® or Saint Louis Bread Co St. Louis Bread Company in 48 states, the District of Columbia and Canada. Panera Bread is privately held by JAB Holding Company. Panera Bread is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast-casual restaurant platforms in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread®, Caribou Coffee® and Einstein Bros.® Bagels.
