Senior Program Manager, Enterprise Transformation

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Mitacs is a national not-for-profit that helps industry and non-profit partners solve strategic challenges by leveraging Canada’s world-class post-secondary talent and a global network of industry, academic, and government partnerships. Through these collaborations, Mitacs helps business and community partners succeed, improves students’ on-the-job skills development, and strengthens Canada’s world-class innovation ecosystem. At Mitacs, we strive to develop the next generation of innovators with vital research and business skills. In partnership with domestic and international companies, governments, and academia, we support a new economy using Canada’s most valuable resource – its people. 

To get a better understanding of Mitacs and read the complete job description, please visit our website: https://www.mitacs.ca/careers/

Senior Program Manager, Enterprise Transformation

Full-time, Temporary (until March 31, 2026, with potential for renewal)

Position Summary   

Mitacs is seeking an experienced Senior Program Manager to lead and manage programs and projects within the Enterprise Transformation (MET) portfolio. Reporting to the Director of Enterprise Transformation, Transformation Management Office (TMO), this role demands a highly skilled individual with extensive experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder transformation programs. The Senior Program Manager will drive collaboration across functional teams, mitigate risks, optimize resources, and deliver outcomes on time, within scope, and within budget. This position will play a critical role in leading Mitacs's transformation efforts and ensuring their sustained success.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Program Leadership and Execution:

• Manage enterprise-wide transformation programs, ensuring alignment with Mitacs’s strategic objectives and delivery within scope, time, and budget.
• Work closely with sponsors, workstream leads, and cross-functional teams to integrate multiple workstreams, ensuring a coordinated approach to achieving program milestones.
• Ensure that program-level risks, issues, and opportunities are identified, assessed, and mitigated throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide regular updates to senior leadership, workstream leads, and stakeholders on program progress, performance metrics, KPIs, and risks.
• Guide teams of managers and workstream leads to optimize performance, ensure seamless delivery, and achieve high-impact results.

1. Program Planning and Governance:

• Develop a comprehensive program roadmap that aligns multiple projects with the organization's overarching business goals and strategic vision.
• Utilize leading portfolio management tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira) to track and manage program deliverables, ensuring visibility and accountability at all levels.
• Monitor and assess Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ensure that program goals are met and that benefits realization is achieved.
• Optimize resource allocation and balance resources across initiatives, addressing any capacity issues and ensuring alignment with program priorities.
• Ensure strict adherence to program governance frameworks and industry best practices, ensuring consistency and efficiency across the MET Portfolio.

1. Stakeholder Engagement and Communication:

• Serve as the central point of contact for program communication, ensuring transparent, clear, and timely updates across all levels of the organization.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with business units, sponsors, and workstream leads to ensure alignment on program goals, priorities, and outcomes.
• Work closely with the Change Management and Communications Manager to integrate communication strategies into the program roadmap, ensuring effective messaging that supports organizational buy-in and successful change adoption.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration to drive the success of transformation initiatives and ensure stakeholder alignment throughout the program lifecycle.

1. Risk Management and Problem Solving:

• Proactively identify and manage program and project risks, working to resolve challenges and mitigate potential roadblocks.
• Utilize problem-solving skills to navigate ambiguity, make critical decisions, and ensure timely resolution of issues, maintaining momentum and ensuring successful program outcomes.

1. Continuous Improvement and Innovation:

• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by regularly conducting program reviews, retrospectives, and process optimizations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Bring innovative ideas and industry best practices to improve program management capabilities and ensure Mitacs’s transformation efforts remain at the cutting edge.
• Actively contribute to the ongoing evolution of Mitacs's transformation management practices and help shape future program strategies.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in program and project management, with a strong, proven expertise and background in managing complex, multi-stakeholder business and transformation programs.
• Program Management (PgM) or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent.
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM), SAFe, Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), or equivalent certification required.
• Expertise in portfolio management tools such as MS Project, Jira, or other industry-leading platforms.
• Strong experience in managing strategic risk, program governance, and benefits realization frameworks.
• Proven ability to lead and coordinate large teams across multiple business units and workstreams to achieve transformation goals.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage and manage relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Knowledge of written and spoken English is required in this role as you will interact with colleagues, clients and stakeholders located across Canada.

Preferred:

• Familiarity with Change Management frameworks (e.g., Prosci ADKAR).
• Experience in managing large-scale transformation programs within the technology sector.
• Expertise in Lean Six Sigma or other process improvement methodologies.
• A background in delivering enterprise-level digital transformations, optimizing operations, or leading cultural change within organizations.

Hiring Range: $123,165 - $144,900

Hiring and Salary Range Transparency 

Typically, employees are hired, transferred, or promoted within the salary range, specifically between the minimum and midpoint in the hiring range.

The salary range refers to the range of base salaries for a given position, encompassing the minimum and maximum amounts. The midpoint of the range is positioned approximately halfway between the minimum and maximum, indicating a fully qualified employee with comprehensive job knowledge and experience for the role.

Only in rare and exceptional circumstances, where a candidate has the experience, skills, and expertise that far exceed those required for the position, would we consider paying above the hiring range for this role.

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and decolonization are core values at Mitacs: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion - Mitacs. We believe a diverse workforce comprised of individuals with different ideas, strengths, interests, and backgrounds (e.g., gender identities and expressions, Indigeneity, race, abilities, sexual orientation, and other identities) are crucial to our success. We welcome everyone to apply and encourage you to connect with us if you require accommodations during the recruitment process.