Sr Strategic Program Manager, Secondary

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage Group, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.   

Our culture values diversity, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive and diverse workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through inclusive programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-diversity/.   

We are looking for an accomplished and dedicated Program Manager to join our high-performing team! This role offers high visibility, dynamic challenges, and opportunities to drive impactful results through problem-solving, collaboration, cross-functional coordination, and leadership. The Program Manager will work across Product Management, User Experience Design, Content Development, Go-to-Market, Sales, Customer Support, and Engineering to ensure alignment and successful delivery of program objectives.    

What you will do here:

• Collaborate with workstream leads across Product Management, UX Design, Content Development/Conversion, Go-to-Market/Marketing, Sales, Customer Support, and Engineering to deliver projects through all phases of the lifecycle – planning, development, testing, content integration, deployment, and post-launch readiness.

• Lead and align program milestones and key deliveries across workstreams to ensure programs meet goals, timelines, and outcomes. Ensure work is defined, prioritized, and well understood by all execution teams.

• Drive communication and regular planning/status meetings across workstreams, including reporting program health and progress to C-level partners.

• Identify and resolve roadblocks, trade-offs, and critical path issues while ensuring risks, issues, and changes are actively managed using tools such as risk registers and other PMO standard processes.

• Proactively manage key decisions, track their execution, and communicate updates to ensure transparency across all collaborators.

• Develop and manage program budgets, ensuring costs remain on track across all workstreams. Be responsible for resource allocation, including vendor teams, to optimize efficiency and delivery.

• Ensure customer support expectations are set, training is planned, and validation activities (e.g., UX testing) are implemented effectively to drive a seamless customer experience.

• Provide clear and actionable program reporting, including key achievements, metrics, risks, and program health insights, to drive accountability and informed decision-making at all levels.

• Support roadmap and initiative planning by aligning with product management goals and outcomes while maintaining overall program focus.

• Drive continuous improvements to processes, strategic alignment, and communication to enable successful execution across all workstreams.   

Skills you need here:

• 5 years of experience in program management, project management, or relevant roles that demonstrate leadership across multiple business functions.

• Solid ability to collaborate across Product, Engineering, UX, Marketing, Content Development, Technology Operations, Sales, and Customer Support teams to drive outcomes and resolve challenges.

• Demonstrable ability to manage complex programs with multiple milestones, cross-functional dependencies, and varying priorities while maintaining focus on program goals and outcomes.

• Exceptional communication skills, including experience engaging with senior-level leadership in formal presentations and informal discussions to drive decisions and outcomes.

• Ability to build trusted relationships and influence partners across all levels, from executives to team members.

• Skilled at facilitating productive meetings, leading decision-making discussions, and ensuring alignment across team members.

• Experience managing program budgets, resource allocation, and vendor teams, with a focus on cost control and efficient delivery.

• Strong risk and organizational change expertise, with hands-on experience in tools like risk registers and issue logs to maintain program progress.

• Demonstrable organizational and problem-solving skills with the ability to thrive in ambiguous, fast-paced environments.

• Familiarity with software development practices (e.g., Agile/Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) and tools (e.g., Aha!, JIRA, Confluence).    

Preferred qualifications:

• PMP or similar project/program management certification.

• Experience working with multi-functional teams in product development, content delivery, or customer-facing technology programs.

• Proven success leading initiatives that involve diverse business functions, including Marketing, Technologu, UX, and Customer Support.   

Cengage Group is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, marital status, parental status, cultural background, organizational level, work styles, tenure and life experiences. Or for any other reason. You may view Cengage’s EEO/Affirmative Action Policy signed by CEO Michael Hansen and Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law notice by visiting their corresponding links.   

Cengage Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected] or you may call us at +1 (617) 289-7917.   

About Cengage Group

Cengage Group, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Compensation

At Cengage Group, we take great pride in our commitment to providing a comprehensive and rewarding Total Rewards package designed to support and empower our employees. Click here to learn more about our Total Rewards Philosophy.

The full base pay range has been provided for this position. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location.  Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range.

$117,100.00 - $187,300.00 USD