Deputy Program Manager
C5MI Insight · United States
C5MI is not your typical consulting firm. We are a high-performance team of SAP and supply chain experts who solve complex, mission critical challenges for organizations that cannot afford failure.
We hire consultants who thrive in complexity, move fast, take ownership, and deliver under pressure. At C5MI, you will not be siloed or stuck in theory. You will be hands on, client facing, and directly influencing outcomes that matter.
Our culture rewards initiative, accountability, and continuous growth. This is a place where your expertise is valued, your work is meaningful, and your performance truly matters. If you’re energized by learning through real-world challenges, collaborating with top-tier talent, and expanding your capabilities every day, C5MI is where strong consultants level up.
The Deputy Program Manager is the senior delivery leader for a large-scale, greenfield SAP S/4HANA financial management modernization program for a Department of War (DoW) organization, accountable for day-to-day execution of the program baseline and fully empowered to assume the duties and authorities of the Program Director in the Program Director’s absence. This position leads the program management office, directing process area project managers, integrated master schedulers, project controls, and agile delivery staff, and owns the operating rhythm that keeps nine concurrent financial process areas aligned to a five-gate milestone structure. The Deputy Program Manager translates program strategy into executable plans, owns cost and schedule performance at the workstream level, manages the risk and issue register, and ensures every contractual deliverable is produced on time and at quality.
Note: This position is contingent upon contract award.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
- Directs day-to-day program execution across all nine financial process areas, ensuring scope, schedule, cost, and quality commitments are met at each milestone gate.
- Assumes full Program Director responsibilities and decision authority during the Program Director’s absence.
- Leads and develops the program management office, including process area project managers, integrated master schedulers, project controls analysts, and agile delivery leadership.
- Owns the integrated master schedule, critical path analysis, dependency management, and schedule risk assessment across concurrent process area workstreams.
- Owns the program risk and issue register; drives mitigation planning, ownership assignment, burn-down tracking, and escalation of material risk to the Program Director and government leadership.
- Manages cost performance at the workstream level in partnership with program cost and earned value management staff; reviews forecasts, variance explanations, and estimates at completion.
- Directs production, quality review, and on-time delivery of all contract data requirements list (CDRL) deliverables, monthly status reports, and milestone review artifacts.
- Governs staffing and onboarding for the program, including position requisition, clearance processing, resource ramp plans, and utilization management against approved labor parameters.
- Coordinates subcontractor and teaming partner execution, including statement of work adherence, deliverable acceptance, invoicing review, and integration into the program schedule.
- Establishes and enforces the program operating rhythm, including stand-ups, sprint and increment planning, program management reviews, change control board, and government working group participation.
- Prepares and leads milestone gate reviews, including pre-design approval, preliminary design review, critical design review, production readiness review, and closeout.
- Ensures program performance against the performance work statement and quality assurance surveillance plan metrics, and drives corrective action where performance trends adverse.
- Coordinates cutover, go-live, and hypercare planning with release management, functional delivery, and data migration leadership.
- Ability to travel up to 50% to client sites, varying based on client program schedules.
- Adheres to all certified processes as part of our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of quality and information security, which includes actively participating in quality assurance activities and ensuring the protection of sensitive information in accordance with our security policies.
- Performs other related tasks as assigned by direct supervisor.
Essential People Leader Functions:
- People Management & Performance Accountability: Sets performance expectations; provides ongoing coaching, feedback, and recognition; conducts goal-setting, evaluations, and development planning; and addresses performance, conduct, and attendance issues in a timely, compliant manner.
- Employee Development & Capability Building: Develops employees through coaching, mentoring, training, and stretch assignments; identifies skill gaps and development needs; and supports succession planning and talent pipeline readiness within scope.
- Engagement, Culture & Team Effectiveness: Fosters an inclusive, respectful, high-performing environment; promotes accountability and collaboration; and reinforces company values, behavioral expectations, and professional standards.
- Workforce Planning & Resource Oversight: Plans, assigns, and prioritizes work to meet delivery, quality, and timeline goals; manages workloads and staffing within approved parameters; and escalates resource risks or constraints as needed.
- Policy, Compliance & Risk Management: Applies company policies and employment practices consistently; partners with HR on employee relations matters; and identifies and mitigates people, delivery, and compliance risks.
- Communication & Stakeholder Alignment: Communicates expectations, decisions, and changes clearly; aligns team or organizational objectives with business priorities; and collaborates effectively across matrixed, cross-functional, or client environments.
C5MI Expectations of all Employees:
- Adheres to all C5MI Policies and Procedures.
- Always conducts self in a manner consistent with C5MIs’ Core Values.
- Maintains a positive and respectful attitude with all contacts.
- Consistently reports to work on time and prepared to perform the duties of the position.
- Meets productivity standards and performs duties as workload necessitates.
- Maintains the privacy of all company proprietary information.
- Treats vendors, customers, and team members with respect and dignity.
- Able to safely perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in a related field (Master’s degree a plus); 10-15 years of professional experience and 5-8 years of people leadership experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or 14-18 years of professional experience and 8-11 years of people leadership experience without a degree. People leadership experience must include experience managing other people leaders.
- 8+ years of federal program or project management experience, including experience on defense programs with formal milestone review and government acceptance processes.
- Demonstrated experience as a deputy program manager, delivery manager, or equivalent senior delivery leader on an enterprise system implementation.
- Experience leading a program management office, including direct supervision of project managers, schedulers, and project controls personnel.
- Demonstrated proficiency with integrated master schedule development and management, critical path analysis, and schedule risk assessment.
- Experience managing formal risk registers, corrective action plans, and government-facing status reporting.
- Experience with both Agile and traditional (waterfall/hybrid) delivery methodologies in a regulated environment.
- Experience coordinating su