Senior Program Manager (For independent contractors)

Please note, this is a 9-month assignment for freelancers. Office presence is required for 2-3 days per week.

The pay rate is 90-150 EUR/hour.

Senior Program Manager is responsible for the governance and active program and / or portfolio management of highly complex program(s) linked to our company and department strategy & objectives.

First and foremost, the Senior Program Manager will ensure the roadmaps/plans focus on agreed business priorities, dependencies and strategies – designed based on data and business needs, and deliver against the shared objectives and main activities with key milestones that have been agreed upon. To this end, the Senior Program Manager will support business case creation, drive key requirements gathering from business & stakeholders (cross-functional, coss-departmental and external as required), scope work, institutionalize governance, planning and cadence for the portfolio or program(s). Senior Program Manager will support the program teams in identifying and managing the relevant (inter)dependencies in order to minimize the risks and the challenges.

This role will also oversee the successful delivery of a highly complex program or a portfolio of programs with an efficient governance for progress control and fast decision making. They will ensure that the team's roadmaps/plans focus on agreed business priorities, dependencies and strategies, and they deliver against the shared objectives and main activities with key milestones that have been agreed upon.

This role will be responsible for using the agreed Program Management resources/ways of working within the xxx Department and support the introduction of recognized Program methodologies inside the wider team.

Senior Program Managers are able to thrive and succeed in an entrepreneurial environment, and not be hindered by ambiguity or competing priorities. This means not only being able to develop and drive high-level strategic initiatives, but also roll up your sleeves, dig in and help drive change.

The Senior Program Manager will lead by example in ensuring the portfolio or program(s) are proactively lead and managed in a consistent quality manner, whilst working with business units & functions to ensure timely decisions and mitigations are in place to support the company and department objectives.

In this role, the Senior Program Manager will be exposed to very Senior Stakeholders (eg. Leadership team) and working closely with their teams.

The Senior Program Manager will also actively contribute to establish and maintain the program management craft within Booking.com.

This role may also play a part in the creation and execution of the strategy, ensuring that the right topics are being worked on. This may include designing, driving and overseeing the day-to-day operations or leading the change for Booking.com’s most complex transformations

Key Responsibilities

Craft Methodology and Standards:

• Lead by example on Project & Program management craft best practices and behaviors. Provide thought leadership, advice & support on Program Management including setting high quality standards both within the department as well as influence outside.

E2E program Management

• Lead a high complex program or a portfolio of highly complex strategic or critical programs (e.g.  complex change / transformational initiatives within the function and organization).

Program Initiation and Planning:

• Drives the program or portfolio of programs scoping and planning working with different teams and creating associated documentation.

  
  

• Brings clarity to sponsor, teams and stakeholders by defining and documenting program objectives, requirements and success criteria, KPIs, roadmap/E2E planning, risk and dependencies, cost estimates and in general program deliverables.

Program Implementation and Completion

• Drive Program or Portfolio or Programs plan(s) execution, ensuring Program(s) objectives are met on agreed timelines.  Brings program(s) to completion ensuring seamless Go-Live and smooth handover to operations

  
  

• Track and report status and progress of all streams of work, identifying and highlighting where required, risk/issues/dependencies to governance groups or team members/groups. Create plans and actions to mitigate/solve risks,  issues and/or dependencies.

Program Governance

• Design and implement Portfolio's governance ensuring clarity on accountability, efficient communication and decision making

  
  

• Design and implement  efficient cross-organisational structures and mechanisms to ensure program’s/porfolio's long term success.

  
  

• Enable teams and leaders to make quality decisions and support in prioritization inside the Program.

  
  

• Can connect the dots and identify synergies, opportunities and risks/dependencies across projects/programs and able to elevate them at the portfolio level where appropriate

Delivery/Impact

• Drive the progress and successful delivery of a set of large business initiatives that bring significant value to the business. They are the driving force that collaborates with multiple teams and departments to ensure that teams deliver significant change to the business covering the full scope, on agreed timelines and budget (where applicable).

  
  

• Exemplary role in change management best practices, including “embracing change/ growth” mindset.

  
  

• Encourages people to become change agents & embrace change.

Stakeholder Management

• Collaborates with cross-functional teams across the business to identify & build action plans to improve the impact & experience for our customers, our business and our people (creating win-win). Productively interacts and manages senior stakeholders  up to VP and MD level

Success Metrics

• Define and measure the success metrics of the Program(s) in scope.

Facilitator

• Prepare and lead independently workshops to support the delivery of the Program(s)

Requirements of Special Knowledge/Skills

• Strong project management skills/experience including experience with a range of different methodologies and techniques. Preferably having a background in Agile Project management(Kanban, Scrum, SAFE), PMI/ Prince certification and / or LEAN.

  
  

• Have a solid business understanding, independently use quantitative and qualitative data to drive decision making. Ability to tell a clear story with data/insights.

  
  

• Strong change management experience (including methodologies and best practices)

  
  

• Exemplary role in change management best practices, including “embracing change/ growth” mindset. Encourages people to become change agents & embrace change

  
  

• Explicitly communicates: why change, what will change, how, when, where and whom it impacts (with possible outcomes and costs). Adjusts communication style to the audience to help them understand and accept the change

  
  

• Strong interpersonal skills focused on collaboration. Building and maintain lasting relationships and connections with diverse teams, across the organization and outside. Ability to work effectively and influence up to Senior Director, VP and MD level

  
  

• Highly organized and structured and make sure all processes run smoothly and in a reliable manner.

  
  

• Strong leadership skills, ability to influence and steer leadership and senior management. Ability to influence VP level and productively interact with SVP/MD level

  
  

• Flexibility and the ability to function well within ambiguity and in a constantly changing environment.

  
  

• Ability to solve complex problems independently. They are  able to break up a complex problem into actionable and easy to understand solutions. They are hands on and drive solutions to problems in partnership with the involved parties, while focusing on the opportunities.

  
  

• Ensure the portfolio's outcomes are in line with customer needs and/or expectations