Product Portfolio Program Manager

Title: Manager, Program ManagementLocation: O'Fallon, MO12 Months ContractSkills & Qualifications:5+ years of experience in product operations, program management, portfolio management, or PMO‑type roles supporting cross‑functional product delivery.Demonstrated experience implementing or running structured governance models for product or initiative lifecycle management.Strong understanding of product development lifecycles, launch readiness, and cross‑functional dependency management.Experience tracking and reporting portfolio‑level metrics and translating data into leadership‑ready insights.Excellent facilitation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.Proven ability to influence without authority and bring structure to ambiguous environments.Bachelor’s degree in business, operations, engineering, or a related field.Key Responsibilities:Product Lifecycle Governance & Readiness - Establish and operate an industry‑standard, phase‑based governance model (e.g., stage‑gate / phase‑gate) to guide initiatives from idea through launch and scale.Define readiness criteria, required artifacts, and decision standards for major lifecycle milestones (e.g., concept validation, business case approval, build readiness, launch readiness).Plan, facilitate, and support governance forums such as product reviews, portfolio reviews, and leadership checkpoints.Prepare agendas, pre‑reads, decision summaries, and action tracking to ensure decisions are clear, documented, and followed through.Portfolio Operations & Metrics - Track and monitor the SME product portfolio across lifecycle stages, milestones, risks, and dependencies.Develop and maintain portfolio‑level metrics and reporting (e.g., progress, cycle time, readiness health, value indicators).Intake, Prioritization & Operating Standards - Support intake and prioritization workflows by ensuring initiatives are framed consistently and evaluated against defined criteria.Partner with product and engineering leaders to support capacity‑aware planning and sequencing.Act as the SME portfolio governance partner, helping teams navigate decision pathways efficiently.Continuously improve governance practices based on feedback, outcomes, and portfolio performance.Preferred:Experience in regulated or enterprise environments.Familiarity with Lean, Agile, or hybrid delivery models.Certifications such as PMP, SAFe, Lean, or Six Sigma.