Senior Program Manager – Unsecured Lending Operations AI

STRATEGIC STAFFING SOLUTIONS (S3) HAS AN OPENING!

Senior Program Manager – Unsecured Lending Operations AI
Location: West Des Moines, IA (Hybrid schedule)
W2 contract role
6+ Months with extension and possible conversion

Role Summary
Unsecured Lending Operations is seeking a senior contractor to provide program leadership and portfolio management for a growing portfolio of AI initiatives. This individual will establish the program structure needed to manage multiple, interconnected initiatives across Operations and partner organizations. The role will ensure priorities, workstreams, dependencies, risks, resources, and decisions are managed as an integrated program rather than as separate projects.

Core Responsibilities

• Establish and manage an integrated program framework across the Unsecured Lending Operations AI portfolio.
• Translate strategic priorities into a coordinated program roadmap with defined outcomes, workstreams, milestones, ownership, and sequencing.
• Ensure individual initiatives align with broader business objectives, customer experience expectations, risk requirements, and operational priorities.
• Lead program governance, including leadership forums, program reviews, decision routines, escalation processes, and stakeholder communications.
• Integrate plans across Operations, Product, Technology, Risk, Compliance, Legal, Finance, Change Management, and other key partners.
• Partner with existing technology program and project managers to connect technical delivery plans with Operations requirements and readiness activities.
• Identify and manage cross-program dependencies, resource constraints, competing priorities, delivery risks, and gaps in ownership.
• Drive alignment and accountability across workstream leaders without relying on direct authority.
• Facilitate senior-level discussions, frame decisions, document outcomes, and ensure timely resolution of open issues.
• Evaluate program-level tradeoffs and provide leaders with clear options, impacts, and recommended actions.
• Oversee operational readiness across the portfolio, including business requirements, testing, controls, procedures, communications, training, implementation, and transition into ongoing operations.
• Establish and monitor program-level success measures, outcomes, and benefits realization.
• Prepare concise executive updates covering overall program health, accomplishments, risks, dependencies, decisions, and upcoming priorities.
• Develop repeatable governance practices, reporting standards, tools, and routines that can scale across future Operations AI initiatives.

Required Experience

• Substantial experience leading large, complex programs, portfolios, or enterprise transformation initiatives.
• Demonstrated success managing multiple interconnected projects and workstreams with shared dependencies, risks, resources, and outcomes.
• Experience establishing program governance, executive routines, integrated roadmaps, and decision-making frameworks.
• Strong program-management discipline, including portfolio planning, dependency management, risk and issue management, resource planning, change control, and benefits realization.
• Experience aligning business, product, technology, risk, and control partners around common objectives and delivery plans.
• Ability to translate strategic priorities into an integrated program structure with clear workstreams, ownership, milestones, and measures of success.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders and driving accountability across teams without direct authority.
• Strong judgment and the ability to identify when issues require leadership attention, frame available options, and recommend a path forward.
• Excellent facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Experience working within a large, complex, and regulated organization.
• Strong proficiency with PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Teams, and enterprise program-management tools.

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