SAP Program Manager

We believe in the power and joy of learning

At Cengage, our employees have a direct impact in helping students around the world discover the power and joy of learning. We are bonded by our shared purpose – driving innovation that helps millions of learners improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.

Cengage's portfolio of businesses supports student choice by providing a range of pathways that help learners achieve their goals and lead a choice-filled life.

Our culture values inclusion, engagement, and discovery

Our business is driven by our strong culture, and we know that creating an inclusive workplace is absolutely essential to the success of our company and our learners, as well as our individual well-being. We recognize the value of diverse perspectives in everything we do, and strive to ensure employees of all levels and backgrounds feel empowered to voice their ideas and bring their authentic selves to work. We achieve these priorities through programs, benefits, and initiatives that are integrated into the fabric of how we work every day. To learn more, please see https://www.cengagegroup.com/about/inclusion-and-belonging/.

What you'll do here:

• Lead the planning and execution of large-scale SAP programs, defining scope, goals, and deliverables in collaboration with senior management and collaborators.
• Own program outcomes, ensuring initiatives are delivered timely, within budget, and to the required standard of quality.
• Structure and navigate program execution in ambiguous environments, developing clear paths forward where none exist.
• Serve as the key point of contact for executive sponsors and steering committees, providing clear, concise updates on progress, risks, and financial oversight.
• Govern program-level ceremonies, processes, and reporting, ensuring transparency and alignment across a diverse group of executives, project managers, and business sponsors.
• Advance the identification and mitigation of program-level risks, dependencies, and impediments, resolving conflicts effectively with minimal supervision.
• Coordinate and manage relationships with key external vendors, from selection and contract negotiation to ensuring accountability and timely delivery of services.
• Develop and manage the program’s overall budget, including forecasting and tracking of expenses.
• Foster deep collaboration among numerous teams (e.g., Tech Teams, offshore partners, IT) to coordinate initiatives from inception to delivery.
• Act as a strategic liaison for the program to other initiatives and executive management, ensuring its objectives align with broader corporate strategy.
• Champion and refine a best-practice framework for cross-team communication, integration, and governance to ensure the integrity of the delivery.

Skills you will need here:

• Over 8 years of experience managing large-scale programs at the enterprise level, guiding complex, cross-departmental software development and business projects.
• More than 5 years of experience handling SAP Programs.
• Demonstrated proficiency in program management principles, with the flexibility to blend Agile and Waterfall methodologies to fit complex, large-scale initiatives.
• Proven experience leading programs with significant budgetary oversight and financial accountability.
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills, with the ability to distill complex issues and articulate clear, actionable recommendations to both executive and team-level audiences.
• A track record of successfully managing fast-paced programs, resolving conflict, and making sound decisions in dynamic environments.
• Ability to understand the technical and business domains applicable to a program and facilitate the resolution of complex issues as they arise.
• Solid experience with project governance tools (e.g., JIRA, Confluence) and program reporting tools (e.g., Aha!, Planview, SmartSheet).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Experience with LEAN principles and continuous improvement practices.
• Experience in an edTech, AI, or technology.
• Experience working in the Product Operating Model (POM).
• Demonstrated experience managing relationships and deliverables with multiple cross-functional resources and third-party vendors.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required.

Cengage is committed to working with broad talent pools to attract and hire strong and most qualified individuals. Our job applicants are considered regardless of any classification protected by applicable federal, state, provincial or local laws.

Cengage is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities including during our job application process. If you are an applicant with a disability and require reasonable accommodation in our job application process, please contact us at accommodations.ta@cengage.com.

About Cengage

Cengage, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching and research markets worldwide. Through our scalable technology, including MindTap and Cengage Unlimited, we support all learners who seek to improve their lives and achieve their dreams through education.