One of CEI's largest
Retail Sporting Goods
clients is seeking a
Sr. Principal Program Manager III
to join their growing organization!
Client/Industry
Sporting Goods + Retail/Merchandising
Job Title
Senior Principal Program Manager III
Location
100% Remote (EST) | Coraopolis, PA 15108
Work Schedule/Shift
Standard business hours, Mon-Fri | Minimum 40 work hours per week.
Duration/Length of Assignment
6 Month Contract, Potential for Contract-to-Hire
Additional Information
This position requires collaboration with executive leadership and cross-functional teams across business and technology portfolios.
Must be able to convert to a full-time employee without sponsorship, restrictions, or an additional employer
Position Overview
This role supports the client's strategic initiative to evolve and scale the Athlete Experience across all aspects of the retail journey. The position will oversee a large-scale program portfolio that incorporates every touchpoint of the consumer lifecycle, including discovery, consideration, purchase, and returns. The Principal Program Manager III will work closely with executive leadership and a large cross-functional program team to drive organizational transformation, align processes, and ensure seamless delivery of technology-enabled retail solutions. The role is positioned at the intersection of strategy, business operations, and technology delivery, reporting into senior leadership while collaborating with stakeholders across multiple portfolios. The individual in this role will be responsible for overseeing program planning, execution, and benefit realization for multi-year initiatives. They will lead program governance, facilitate executive-level prioritization, manage cross-portfolio dependencies, and provide strategic oversight of budgeting, forecasting, and resource management. A key expectation is to ensure organizational alignment with portfolio direction while also building high-performing teams, developing Agile practices, and fostering innovation to continuously improve delivery outcomes.
Required Skills/Experience/Qualifications
- Master's Degree in MBA, Computer Science, MIS, Engineering, or related field
- 15+ years of relevant work experience, including 7–10 years in retail program management
- 7–10 years of experience with Agile development and deployment practices and use of Agile-based tools
- 5–7 years of experience in or engaged with MarTech
- Agile / Scrum certification
- Strong background in leading cross-functional, multi-year, strategic initiatives involving both business and technology teams
- Experience managing executive-level planning, cross-portfolio prioritization, budgeting, forecasting, and program governance
Preferred Skills (Not Required)
- OCM (Organizational Change Management) or CCMP (Certified Change Management Professional) certification or knowledge
- PMP (Project Management Professional) certification or knowledge
Day to Day/Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership for omni-channel retail and marketing initiatives, ensuring alignment across portfolios and with executive priorities
- Implement best practices and program standards for long-term, multi-year initiatives with complex business and technology components
- Drive transformation and change management by partnering with executive leadership and facilitating organizational adoption of new processes and technologies
- Own all aspects of program planning, including cross-portfolio planning, prioritization, estimation, budgeting, forecasting, and goal setting
- Lead the creation, approval, and execution of comprehensive program plans that comply with governance frameworks and standards
- Facilitate executive-level discussions around program status, prioritization, and strategic alignment, ensuring stakeholders remain engaged and informed
- Define program vision and outcomes, coordinate team actions, and provide clarity on roles and responsibilities to enable effective decision-making and delivery
- Negotiate and manage program budgets, presenting forecasts and variance reports with narrative explanations at regular review points
- Manage identification and escalation of risks, issues, dependencies, and constraints, developing solutions to maintain delivery timelines and quality outcomes
- Oversee program review processes, producing accurate reporting and assurance reviews for stakeholders while addressing issues that impact delivery
- Establish and execute stakeholder engagement plans, ensuring stakeholders have appropriate input and visibility into program progress and outcomes
- Partner with business leaders to define baseline assessments and perform post-implementation analyses to track and measure benefit realization
- Support strategic planning across product and technology portfolios, leading prioritization, budgeting, and portfolio alignment with organizational objectives
- Promote innovation and continuous improvement by reviewing operations, implementing process improvements, and fostering collaboration through tools such as idea platforms, jam sessions, and hackathons
- Build and develop program teams by setting clear standards, coaching for performance, and recruiting for organizational needs
- Strengthen Agile practices within the program, evolving team processes to maximize delivery efficiency and transparency
- Mentor junior team members, providing training, coaching, and development opportunities while maintaining personal expertise in evolving technologies, regulations, and best practices