Senior Program Manager, Launch Operations

We are seeking a Senior Program Manager to join our PMO team, focusing on Launch Operations and Readiness, a brand new program for Hootsuite. Reporting to the Vice President, Program Management you will be responsible for driving and managing new product and feature releases, ensuring the proper program level planning is conducted, so that all business units across Hootsuite are prepared to promote, sell, deliver, and support our product at a level of readiness to achieve the defined launch objectives and key results. This role reports to the Vice President, Program Management, and is based remotely across Canada and/or the United States (in accordance with Hootsuite's local employment entities). In line with Hootsuite's distributed workforce strategy, our flexible work arrangement allows for remote work or a hybrid model.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Launch Readiness Planning:

• Develop comprehensive project plans, outlining scope, goals, deliverables, and timelines for each activity required for the level of launch defined.
• Drive communication with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment during the planning phase.
• Continuously review and adjust plans as needed to accommodate changes in scope, resources, or priorities.

Launch Readiness Execution:

• Implement a 'two-week sprint' mentality and schedule, promoting agile project management methodologies across business units that do not follow agile practices today.
• Monitor progress and adjust execution strategies as needed to overcome obstacles and ensure timely delivery of launches.
• Facilitate regular check-ins and updates with stakeholders to maintain alignment and visibility throughout the launch phases.

Governance and Best Practices:

• Establish and maintain standardized processes and guidelines for the launch operations program..
• Conduct regular audits to ensure compliance with established governance policies and identify areas for improvement.
• Provide ongoing training and support to team members in the adoption of best practices for launch planning and execution.

PD Delivery Partnership and Alignment:

• Collaborate with the delivery-focused Program Managers to develop and implement strategies to ensure alignment of timelines for cross-functional release schedules.
• Share insights and lessons learned from previous launches to improve overall delivery processes.
• Establish clear communication channels between program management and launch operations teams to ensure transparency and alignment.

CTO/CPO Leadership Partnership:

• Work closely with Product, Development, and Product Marketing leaders to coordinate the launch readiness program from planning through execution for all priorities.
• Report on major and minor release timelines, alerting leadership of major impediments and raising visibility of progress or slowdowns.
• Collaborate with leadership to develop and implement strategies to address business objectives and drive continuous improvement of the launch operations program..
• Participate in strategic planning sessions to help shape and prioritize launch activities for the business unit.

Data Analysis and Reporting:

• Track all major launches across the organization in a consolidated way via reporting based on the identified deliverable timelines expected across all groups.
• Utilize data gathering, analysis, and evaluation to create efficient, repeatable, and timely processes for managing launch readiness.
• Perform risk management, defining and driving actions to address strategic concerns, gaps, issues, or risks such as delayed deliverables across the organization which would impact the customer experience of the launch.
• Manage risks affecting release scope and schedule, and report on progress for all priorities with action plans for course correction

Collaboration and Stakeholder Management:

• Foster strong working relationships with individual contributors to senior-level stakeholders, both within the PMO and across the organization.
• Drive projects requiring collaboration across various teams and ensure seamless end-to-end delivery for product and feature releases.

Other duties as assigned.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or related discipline.
• Extensive working experience required to include at least 1 years of management experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5+ years working in an enterprise software organization.
• 1-2 years demonstrated real world experience executing release management practices.
• Strong problem solving and the ability to partner with Product Managers, Engineers, Program Managers and other technical roles across the organization.
• Delivering creative solutions in a fast-paced agile development environment and proven track record of shepherding deliverables from definition to release.
• Experience with Agile processes, working with Agile teams and leveraging Agile tools in order to accomplish Launch Readiness Program goals.
• Excellent facilitation, organization and collaboration skills.
• Communication skills with both management and technical audiences.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills with keen attention to detail.

WHO YOU ARE:

• Tenacious. You are determined to succeed, and you are motivated by the success of customers, colleagues and the community.
• Curious. You are always learning and seeking ways to make things better.
• Conscientious. You keep your promises, taking your commitments to others seriously, and you have strong integrity.
• Humble. You lead with humility and empathy, respecting and learning from the perspectives of others.

In all we do, our six guiding principles light the way:

Step Up: Show the world what it looks like to live and work by these guiding principles. #StepUp

One Team: Make Hootsuite a place where everyone feels safe, welcome, valued, and empowered to do their best work without compromising who they are. #OneTeam #FreeToBeMe

Customer Obsessed: Focus relentlessly on helping our customers succeed. #CustomerObsessed

Go Fast, Be Agile: Widen our competitive advantage by committing to speed and simplicity over perfection and complexity. #GoFastBeAgile

Play to Win: Commit to building an incredible, profitable company for our customers, our employees, and our stakeholders. #PlayToWin #NoExcuses

Neighbours & Allies: Give back to our communities and be an ally. #SocialForGood #Allies

Accommodations will be provided as requested by candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

#LI-1 #LI-Hybrid #LI-Remote