Program Manager

Overall Job Purpose

At Sandia Area, every position plays a vital role in fulfilling our mission to deliver high-value banking and lending services that strengthen the financial well-being of our members and community. Each team member is expected to embody our core values of Service, Sustainability, Efficiency, Trust, Stewardship, and Growth, contributing to our vision of empowering lifelong achievement through better banking. While specific responsibilities vary by role, every position carries universal expectations aligned with its level of responsibility and authority across the organization.

As a Program Manager at Sandia Area, you provide strategic oversight for your department, ensuring its initiatives align with organizational goals and values. You are entrusted with fostering cross-departmental collaboration, driving innovation, and modeling the accountability and stewardship necessary to achieve long-term success. Your leadership directly contributes to the credit union’s ability to deliver on its mission of empowering members and the community through better banking.

Reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Program Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of both technical and non-technical project portfolios, leading programs comprised of multiple projects that benefit multiple business departments, supporting an IT project governance framework, prioritizing projects, and ensuring successful delivery of strategic initiatives across the organization. This role focuses on strategic project management, process standardization, change management, and organizational alignment rather than hands-on technical implementation, while utilizing project management methodologies such as Six Sigma.

Duties and responsibilities

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead by example, reinforce, and consistently uphold Sandia Area’s Values: Service, Sustainability, Efficiency, Trust, Stewardship, and Growth.

• Provide strategic leadership to department managers and teams, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and priorities.

• Mentor and develop leaders within the department, fostering growth and succession planning. 

• Build and lead a high-performing team; set performance targets, foster a culture of continuous improvement, encourage innovation, learning, and adapting best practices to optimize performance.

• Drive collaboration across departments to ensure cohesive strategies and shared accountability.

• Oversee large-scale projects and initiatives, managing resources effectively and meeting organizational timelines.

• Develop and align departmental goals with the broader organizational strategy; ensure all members of the team are meeting performance expectations.

• Directly or indirectly manage staff with the goal of enhancing professional development and personal growth; provide regular coaching, feedback, and performance evaluations.

• Optimize resource allocation, including personnel {schedules, tasks, projects}, budget, and other resources, to maximize effectiveness while controlling costs.

• Oversee the recruitment, interviewing, and hiring process, ensuring candidates align with the credit union’s mission, values, and service culture.

• Oversee the onboarding, training, and development of new hires, fostering a positive and growth-oriented work environment.

• Manage project pipeline, resource allocation, and capacity planning across multiple teams.

• Assist leadership in scoring potential projects based on business value, resource availability, and strategic alignment.

• Manage the largest most impactful projects in Sandia Area, coordinating resources and efforts across multiple departments.

• Responsible for project risk identification, assessments, and mitigation planning.

• Provide oversight of external contractors and vendor relationships.

• Effectively manage and lead without supervisory authority.

Technical Oversight & Review

• Support and maintain IT project governance framework and methodologies.

• Establish and continuously evolve project management standards, templates, and best practices.

• Maintain project documentation standards and knowledge management systems.

• Conduct project audits, assessments, and governance reviews.

• Integrate ITIL service management processes with project delivery.

• Ensure projects follow change management and release management processes.

• Align project outcomes with continual improvement initiatives.

• Implement lessons learned, improve processes and knowledge sharing initiatives.

• Manage project funding allocation and budget approval processes.

• Identify and implement process optimization opportunities.

Compliance & Policy Adherence

• Coordinate with internal compliance team for risk assessments.

• Maintain audit trails and documentation for regulatory audits.

• Establish project approval workflows that include compliance checkpoints.

• Ensure all data handling complies with information security policies like PCI, PII and other regulatory requirements.

• Conduct compliance risk assessments and mitigation planning for projects.

• Manage project portfolios, timelines, budgets, and resource requirements.

• Maintain documentation standards for regulatory exam readiness.

• Coordinate with CRO, COO and compliance teams to ensure regulatory compliance.

• Coordinate project security reviews with information security team.

Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain project performance dashboards.

• Establish KPIs and success metrics for project outcomes.

• Track and report on sprint metrics, delivery velocity, and team performance.

• Present project portfolio performance to senior management and board members.

• Generate compliance reporting for regulatory requirements.

• Conduct post-project evaluations and lessons learned sessions.

• Create executive level reporting on project health and ROI.

• Provide variance analysis on budget and timeline performance. Develop member impact assessments for technology initiatives.

Expectations of all Sandia Area employees

• Demonstrate a strong commitment to upholding the organization’s mission, vision, and values in all interactions and responsibilities.

• Represent the credit union with professionalism, integrity, and ethical conduct at all times.

• Maintain a thorough understanding and strict adherence to credit union regulations, compliance requirements, policies, procedures, and operational guidelines.

• Consistently meet deadlines as assigned while ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and adherence to quality standards.

• Foster a positive and supportive environment for both members and employees, ensuring interactions align with the credit union’s mission and service philosophy.

• Adhere to all regulatory and compliance policies, upholding the highest standards of security, confidentiality, and ethical financial practices in all interactions.

• Maintain the confidentiality and security of information, records, and sensitive data, in compliance with credit union policies and regulatory requirements.

• Adapt to evolving responsibilities, taking on additional duties as assigned to support the success of the organization.

• Demonstrate a commitment to continuous learning, professional development, and staying informed on industry trends and best practices.

• Willing to undergo background and credit checks as required by federal and state regulations.

• Understand and comply with all policies, procedures, and legal guidelines, including adherence to the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and other applicable financial regulations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

• Expertise in project management methodologies with a requisite understanding of financial institution operations.

• Comprehensive understanding of project management methodologies (PMI, Lean, Agile, Six Sigma, etc.).

• Extensive understanding of ITIL framework and service management integration.

• Knowledge of IT governance frameworks like COBIT.

• Understanding of organizational change management principles and practices.

• Stakeholder management and conflict resolution skills.

• Excellent communication, presentation, and facilitation skills.

• Visionary leadership and strategic planning skills to align departmental initiatives with organizational objectives.

• Strong collaborative skills to foster cross-departmental partnerships.

• Ability to oversee large-scale projects and manage resources effectively.

• Advanced communication skills to engage with stakeholders and present ideas clearly.

• Analytical skills to assess departmental performance and implement improvements.

• Proven managerial experience and ability to lead and mentor teams.

• Willingness to engage in difficult situations using outstanding interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence.

• Exceptional time management and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, manage multiple responsibilities, and adapt to a fast-paced environment.

• Passionate about teamwork and having a positive influence on others; ability to work independently and demonstrate attention to detail.

• Proactive in seeking professional growth, embracing both formal and informal development opportunities, and demonstrating adaptability to new responsibilities.

• Team-oriented with a strong collaborative mindset, actively supporting team members and contributing to a positive and high-performing environment.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

• Ability to perform essential functions, including the ability to lift up to 30 lbs. as needed.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in related field.

  • Directly related experience, in addition to minimum years required, may be considered as a substitution.

• Six (6) years of applicable IT Project Management experience required with at least Three (3) years of leadership experience.

  • Two (2) years IT Program Management experience required.

• General knowledge of credit unions or financial institutions is preferred.

• ITIL foundation certification is a plus.

• Six Sigma or Lean certification is a plus.

*** Please submit an employment application to www.sandia.org/careers ***

Sandia Area Federal Credit Union (SAFCU) is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Sandia Area Federal provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.