Program Manager - Executive Operations

Overview:

Leads cross-functional partners on multiple related projects, executive operations routines, and ongoing strategic initiatives directed toward common enterprise objectives and affecting three or more businesses or functional areas.

Provides senior-level project management oversight by managing changes to scope, schedule, risks, dependencies, and costs using appropriate verification techniques to maintain accurate plans, support executive decision-making, and facilitate stakeholder acceptance.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead multiple related projects, executive operations routines, and ongoing strategic initiatives impacting three or more businesses or functions. Ensure clear understanding of scope, objectives, priorities, roles, and accountabilities across project teams and senior stakeholders. Partner with constituent project managers and business leaders to monitor cost, schedule, risks, dependencies, and delivery performance.

• Develop integrated project plans, executive operating routines, forecasts, and schedules. Work with stakeholders to define detailed requirements, constraints, assumptions, decision points, and deliverables using structured planning, facilitation, and executive engagement techniques.

• Ensure project and operating plans include clear work breakdowns, governance structures, escalation paths, stakeholder communications, risks, resources, budgets, and success measures.

• Drive execution of tasks defined in the project plan to achieve project and executive operations goals. Manage budgets, forecasts, governance routines, and delivery progress while monitoring change controls, dependencies, and stakeholder impacts.

• Measure project, program, and operating performance using appropriate tools, metrics, and reporting mechanisms. Identify and quantify variances, recommend corrective actions, prepare executive-ready updates, and communicate risks, issues, decisions, and progress to stakeholders at multiple levels.

• Implement approved actions and workarounds required to mitigate project, operational, and executive escalation risks while maintaining alignment to enterprise priorities.

• Improve project team performance by building team cohesiveness, leading, mentoring, training, and motivating resources to facilitate cooperation, increase delivery effectiveness, and support strong executive operations discipline. Coordinate shared resources across related initiatives for overall program and enterprise benefit.

• Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies, and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite. Design, implement, maintain, and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis. Identify risk-related issues, prepare escalation materials, and engage appropriate leaders to support timely resolution.

• Promote an environment that supports belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.

• Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.

• Complete other related duties as assigned.

• Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management and terminations.

Scope of Responsibilities:

Responsible for coordinated management of multiple related projects, executive operations routines, and ongoing strategic initiatives impacting three or more businesses or functions; responsibility includes all aspects from initiation through close, with added emphasis on executive alignment, governance, issue resolution, and enterprise-level visibility.

Must be familiar with system scope, project objectives, strategic priorities, and the role and responsibility of each team member and stakeholder group to effectively coordinate team activities, executive communications, and decision-making routines.

Project Guidelines:

Project Scope:     $7.5 m or more

Team Size Range:    40 - 75 FTE

Project Duration:    18 - 30 months

Project Size:   Multiple high priority projects

Project Customer:   Three or more lines of business or functions

Scope of Change:  Moderate changes to business processes, procedures, operating routines, or governance structures

Project Timeline:  Moderately aggressive

Project Innovation:  Moderately defined scope

Project Benefits:  Major

Project Customization:   Major

Number of Interfaces:   6 or more

Project Integration:  Internal and External Systems

Supervisory/ Managerial Responsibilities:

• Typically manages a team ranging from 5 - 15 directly and indirectly and 75 - 125 on a project team or cross-functional operating basis.

Education and Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 9 years’ proven project, program, executive operations, or strategic initiative management experience,

• OR in lieu of a degree,

• A combined minimum of 13 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 9 years’ proven project, program, executive operations, or strategic initiative management experience.

• Proficiency with personal computers as well as pertinent software packages.

• Strong knowledge of project management methodology, executive governance practices, operating routines, and cross-functional delivery management.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to influence, negotiate, synthesize complex information, and gain consensus across senior stakeholders.

• Regularly communicates verbally and in writing with executive management on status, risks, decisions, dependencies, and outcomes of initiatives in a clear, concise, and executive-ready manner.

• Excellent problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work individually as well as a member of a team.

• Self-motivated, results-driven and well-organized individual.

• Ability to handle multiple tasks and work under time constraints in support of various assignments.

• Ability to function professionally at many different levels (clients, management and peers).

• Strong interpersonal skills necessary to build trusted relationships with business partners, executive stakeholders, and cross-functional teams within and outside the organization.

• Ability to build mutual trust and encourage respect; open to diverse points of view.

Education and Experience Preferred:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

• Program Management Professional (PgMP) certification.

• Master’s degree.

We support our team members with generous benefits. 

• Competitive compensation 

• Health, welfare, and retirement benefits 

• 401(k) match at 5% 

• Work-life balance and flexible work arrangements 

• Banking Officers start with 25 days PTO plus 12 paid holidays  

• 40 hours paid volunteer hours per year 

• Much more. For details, see: M&T Benefits Overview 

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $107,500.00 - $179,100.00 Annual (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

Location

Buffalo, New York, United States of America