Sphera is a leading global provider of enterprise software and services that enables companies to manage and optimize their environmental, health, safety and sustainability. Our mission is to create a safer, more sustainable and productive world.
Sphera is a portfolio company of Blackstone, a U.S.-based alternative asset investment company that focuses on private equity, technology and innovation, and more. Blackstone businesses succeed through strong partnerships, a personalized approach and a commitment to exceptional performance with uncompromising integrity. Sphera and Blackstone are leaders in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space.
We are guided by our core values of Customer Centricity, Accountability, Bias to Action, Innovation, and Collaboration. These values help us recruit the right talent to join our rapidly expanding team of around the globe. It is important to us that each and every Spherion is not only eager to challenge themselves and knows how to get work done but is an awesome addition to our company culture.
Sphera | Senior Program Manager Job Description
Senior Program Manager, Strategic TPMO
Function
Level
Engineering Operations & Productivity
Senior Technical Program Manager
Role OverviewThis is an exciting time to join Sphera as we scale our product and technology organization, strengthen our operating model, and lead the next phase of engineering productivity and AI-enabled delivery. This role will help shape how Sphera grows: by improving execution clarity, enabling cross-functional leadership, and driving measurable outcomes across a complex and high-impact product portfolio.
The Senior Program Manager, Strategic TPMO / PMO will lead high-impact, cross-functional programs across Product, Engineering, Architecture, QA, DevOps, Security, IT, Customer Success, and Go-To-Market teams. This role will provide strategic program governance, executive visibility, risk management, and dependency coordination for complex initiatives that require enterprise-level alignment.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Program Leadership- Lead complex, cross-functional programs across multiple teams, product lines, or business functions.
- Build integrated program plans with clear milestones, owners, dependencies, risks, and decision points.
- Drive alignment across Product, Engineering, Architecture, QA, DevOps, Security, IT, Customer Success, and GTM.
- Keep programs focused on business outcomes, delivery commitments, and measurable impact.
- Create executive-ready program updates, risk summaries, decision logs, and milestone confidence views.
- Support leadership operating rhythms, portfolio reviews, and strategic initiative tracking.
- Translate complex program details into clear insights, risks, options, and recommended actions.
- Identify and manage program risks, blockers, dependencies, and tradeoffs.
- Escalate issues early with facts, impact, and recommended paths forward.
- Ensure decisions are documented, owned, and resolved in a timely manner.
- Support the evolution of Sphera’s TPMO operating model.
- Clarify when work requires oversight versus routine Product and Engineering delivery.
- Create practical templates, reporting standards, governance models, and playbooks without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.
- Partner with Engineering Operations and leadership to improve visibility into program health and execution outcomes.
- Support reporting around milestone confidence, dependency aging, risk trends, delivery readiness, and portfolio status.
- Use data to support prioritization, staffing, and investment decisions
- 7+ years of experience in program management, technical program management, product operations, or engineering operations.
- Experience leading complex cross-functional software, SaaS, or technology programs.
- Strong understanding of product development, SDLC, release readiness, dependency management, and executive governance.
- Ability to operate across senior stakeholders and drive alignment in a matrixed organization.
- Strong executive communication skills, including concise written updates, dashboards, risks, and decision summaries.
- Experience with tools such as Azure DevOps, Jira, GitHub, Power BI, SharePoint, Confluence, Jellyfish, LinearB, or similar platforms.
- Comfortable working in ambiguity and creating structure across complex initiatives.
- Experience in PE-backed, acquisition-heavy, or transformation-oriented environments.
- Experience supporting product portfolio governance, integration programs, AI adoption, engineering productivity, or operating model transformation.
- Familiarity with engineering delivery metrics, portfolio reporting, and program health dashboards.
- PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe, or similar certification preferred but not required.
Success Area
Expected Outcome
Program Clarity
Strategic initiatives have clear ownership, milestones, risks, dependencies, and decision paths.
Executive Visibility
Leadership has reliable visibility into program health and delivery confidence.
Cross-functional Alignment
Blockers are identified and resolved earlier across functions.
Reporting Discipline
Program reporting becomes clearer, more consistent, and less manual.
Focused TPMO/PMO Usage
Effort is focused on true strategic and cross-functional initiatives.
Ideal Candidate ProfileThe ideal candidate is a strategic program leader who can bring structure to ambiguity, influence across functions, and create executive-level clarity without becoming overly process-heavy. They are comfortable operating in a fast-moving, complex technology environment and can help Sphera scale with stronger governance, better visibility, and disciplined cross-functional execution.
Sphera is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all colleagues.
This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the job and the general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this job. This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.
Skills Required
- 7+ years of experience in program management, technical program management, product operations, or engineering operations
- Experience leading complex cross-functional software, SaaS, or technology programs
- Strong understanding of product development, SDLC, release readiness, dependency management, and executive governance
- Ability to operate across senior stakeholders and drive alignment in a matrixed organization
- Strong executive communication skills, including concise written updates, dashboards, risks, and decision summaries
- Experience with tools such as Azure DevOps, Jira, GitHub, Power BI, SharePoint, Confluence, Jellyfish, or LinearB
- Comfortable working in ambiguity and creating structure across complex initiatives
- Experience in PE-backed, acquisition-heavy, or transformation-oriented environments
- Experience supporting product portfolio governance, integration programs, AI adoption, or engineering productivity initiatives
- PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe, or similar certification
Sphera Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Sphera and has not been reviewed or approved by Sphera.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — Sales on‑target earnings can be competitive for certain roles, with healthy ranges and high OTE potential for Solution/Account Executives. Feedback suggests on‑plan earnings compare well against many B2B software peers.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental and vision coverage are characterized as good, with low deductibles and a significant employer share of premiums. Feedback suggests core health insurance quality is a relative strength.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer match is consistently referenced, with a clear structure that enables a meaningful company contribution when employees contribute. Feedback suggests retirement offerings are straightforward and valued.
Sphera Insights
What We Do
Sphera is the leading provider of integrated sustainability and operational risk management software, data and consulting services focusing on Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability (EHS&S), Process Safety, Product Stewardship and Supply Chain Transparency. For more than 30 years, we have served 8,500 customers and a million-plus users in 100 countries to help companies keep their people safe, their products sustainable and their operations productive. We help enterprises build sustainable businesses while keeping people and the planet safe. Our solutions provide critical visibility and alignment across safety, risk, and supply chains -- empowering organizations to create lasting, sustainable impact. Our Mission: To create a safer, more sustainable and productive world by advancing operational excellence. Sphera's many internal initiatives, such as its annual Mentoring Program, running for its sixth year in 2025, supports staff in feeling and achieving their best. The goal of the Mentoring Program is to help participants achieve career development, personal growth, and create opportunities to partner with others from across the organization.
Why Work With Us
At Sphera we are solving some of the most important challenges facing the world today. Our staff, some of the world’s leading safety and sustainability experts, are meeting this challenge. Sphera is a hybrid company, with Chicago team attending SpheraIn days. We are always looking for talented people who want to make a difference.
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