Program Manager

Lead a high-impact Group IT transformation program, driving application rationalization, technology simplification and cost optimization while ensuring initiatives translate into measurable and sustainable business value.

Program Manager

description:

We are looking for a Senior IT Transformation & Cost Optimization Program Manager to coordinate and govern a portfolio of strategic initiatives across Group IT.

Working closely with IT leadership, Product Managers, technical SMEs, Finance, Procurement and external technology partners, you will ensure that transformation initiatives are structured, executed and tracked against clearly defined financial and operational outcomes.

This is a program leadership and coordination role rather than a hands-on technical position. It requires someone who can operate comfortably between technology, finance and senior management, bringing structure, visibility and momentum to a complex transformation agenda.

• Define, maintain and coordinate the execution of the Group IT transformation and cost-optimization roadmap.
• Support the development of the future IT run-cost baseline and target operating-cost model.
• Establish program governance, KPIs and reporting mechanisms to monitor savings, cost avoidance and value realization.
• Coordinate transformation initiatives across multiple IT domains, ensuring effective management of milestones, dependencies, risks, actions and key decisions.
• Work closely with Product Managers and technical SMEs to ensure required technical and business inputs are delivered on time.
• Coordinate application portfolio discovery and rationalization activities, assessing applications for retention, retirement, replacement, consolidation or modernization.
• Drive coordination of cost-optimization initiatives across applications, infrastructure, cloud and IT operations.
• Track the implementation and financial realization of approved optimization initiatives.
• Coordinate technical and operational contributions to supplier transformation initiatives, service-provider reviews and supplier assessments.
• Identify and track opportunities linked to automation, AI, technology modernization and simplification.
• Maintain alignment across senior stakeholders and provide clear program-level reporting to Group IT leadership

About the customer:

Our client is a well-established international industrial technology group, with a strong global footprint and complex enterprise IT environment. As part of an ongoing Group-wide transformation, the organization is strengthening its technology operating model, simplifying its application landscape and optimizing IT costs across applications, infrastructure, cloud and external service providers.

Requirements:

• Significant experience leading IT transformation, technology optimization or complex IT programs within a large enterprise environment.
• Strong understanding of enterprise IT operating models, application landscapes, infrastructure and cloud environments.
• Demonstrated experience in application portfolio rationalization, technology simplification and/or IT cost optimization.
• Strong financial and analytical skills, including experience with cost baselines, business cases, savings tracking, benefits realization and KPI reporting.
• Proven ability to coordinate senior IT stakeholders, Product Managers, architects, technical SMEs and business functions.
• Experience working with major technology vendors, outsourcing partners and managed-service providers.
• Strong program governance skills, with the ability to manage interdependencies, risks, actions and executive-level reporting.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical and financial topics into clear management-level messages.
• Comfortable operating in a highly cross-functional and international environment.