Program Manager, Financial Operations and Strategic Initiatives

Senior Program Manager, Financial Operations and Strategic Initiatives

Location: New York, NY or Redmond, WA
Rate: $40-$43/ hour
This role provides end-to-end operational, financial, and program management support to our client's Global Affairs. The position supports government relations, cybersecurity partnerships, and global policy operations, with a focus on driving operational excellence across headquarters and regional teams. The role contributes directly to financial operations, compliance processes, knowledge management, AI and Copilot transformation initiatives, and day-to-day operational support for senior Global Affairs leadership.
Key Responsibilities

Manage end-to-end purchase order and statement of work processes, including vendor onboarding, approvals, tracking, and reconciliation.
Coordinate closely with finance and procurement partners to ensure compliance with our client's policies and controls.
Track budgets, forecasts, and actual spend across multiple projects and vendors.
Maintain strong financial hygiene, including invoicing, accruals, cost tracking, and audit-ready documentation.
Prepare clear financial reporting for leadership, including budget status, variances, and reallocation insights.
Drive day-to-day program management for AI-focused initiatives such as Copilot, AI accelerator programs, and agent portfolios.
Develop and maintain integrated project plans, milestones, dependencies, and risk registers across multiple workstreams.
Track execution progress, surface risks early, and ensure follow-through on action items and deliverables.
Support intake, prioritization, and lifecycle tracking of initiatives within the AI and innovation pipeline.
Produce executive-ready dashboards and status reporting.
Serve as a central coordination point across headquarters, regional teams, and external partners.
Establish and run operational rhythms, including status reviews, working sessions, and cross-team check-ins.
Ensure alignment across initiatives, timelines, and deliverables.
Maintain a single source of truth for plans, trackers, SharePoint sites, and key materials.
Support governance processes, documentation standards, and approval workflows.
Coordinate delivery across multiple external vendors, including consulting, communications, events, and AI partners.
Support SOW scoping, onboarding, performance tracking, and delivery quality management.
Act as a liaison between internal stakeholders and vendor teams to ensure clarity and accountability.
Build and maintain project, financial, and resource dashboards and trackers.
Provide concise, data-driven updates to senior stakeholders on progress, risks, and outcomes.
Drive continuous improvement in financial workflows, project tracking, and reporting processes.
Support adoption of new tools and AI-enabled solutions for tracking, reporting, and automation.
Timeliness and quality of deliverables, including project plans, trackers, and reporting.
Accuracy and reliability of financial and procurement management, including budget tracking and compliance.
Effectiveness in driving execution, meeting milestones, and proactively resolving risks and issues.
Stakeholder feedback on communication clarity, coordination, and responsiveness.
Ability to operate independently while managing multiple priorities.
Exposure to high-impact, executive-level initiatives at the intersection of AI, policy, and global operations.
Opportunity to shape and run emerging AI and agent-based programs end-to-end.
Broad scope across finance, operations, and program management rather than a narrow PMO role.
High visibility and direct engagement with senior leaders across headquarters and regional teams.
Ability to influence and scale new ways of working, including AI-enabled operational processes.
Required Skills and Qualifications

Education
Bachelor's degree in business, finance, operations, technology, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
Experience
8+ years of program or project management experience supporting complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives.
8+ years of demonstrated experience managing financial operations, including purchase orders, statements of work, budget tracking, and vendor management.
Experience operating in fast-paced, global environments with senior leadership exposure.
Core Skills
Strong program and project management discipline, including planning, tracking, and risk management.
Financial operations expertise with a high degree of accuracy and compliance focus.
Advanced stakeholder management across regions, functions, and seniority levels.
High attention to detail with the ability to execute effectively in ambiguous environments.
Data-driven approach with experience building dashboards and performance reporting.
Clear, concise written and verbal communication skills.
Candidate Requirements
Candidates must meet core requirements in program or project management and financial operations or procurement experience.
Ideal candidates demonstrate strong professionalism, executive presence, and the ability to manage complex initiatives with governance and accountability.
Nice-to-have experience includes internal communications or content creation such as newsletters, executive updates, or video content.
Assessment Process
Hard skills assessments are conducted following candidate shortlisting.
The interview process includes one to two interview rounds led by the hiring manager, with optional additional interviewers.
Candidates should be prepared to discuss relevant experience in program management, financial operations, and cross-functional execution.