Description
The Readiness Program Manager (RPM) plays a critical role within the Customer Success Group (CSG) Governance & PMO organization, driving the successful end-to-end delivery of New Product Introductions (NPIs). This role is central to ensuring that all CSG teams - including Technical Support, Customer Success, and Account Success—are fully prepared to support and realize the value of new product releases for our customers, aligning with the company's strategic vision. The RPM utilizes a disciplined, performance-based Project/Program Portfolio Management (PPM) framework to facilitate and oversee readiness initiatives.
Key Responsibilities:
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Program Strategy and Planning:
Develop and manage the NPI readiness roadmap and comprehensive integrated workplans in response to the Technology & Product (T&P) strategy.
Define program and project scope, goals, objectives, and deliverables for individual, release, and high-impact launches, ensuring alignment with organizational and investment strategies.
Develop and maintain a program schedule, monitor progress, and adjust plans as needed.
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Execution and Delivery Oversight:
Organize and coordinate CSG stakeholders to support the development and execution of the NPI readiness plan.
Collaborate with Readiness Architects (RAs) to assess product strategy, roadmap, and NPI scope, leveraging their expertise for seamless readiness execution.
Drive the completion of enablement activities and deliverables, such as Readiness Workbooks, in partnership with RAs and internal readiness teams.
Establish and enforce quality standards and processes for deliverables.
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Risk and Issue Management:
Identify, track, and mitigate risks and issues related to program launches (especially for high-impact Tier 1, 2, and impactful Tier 3 NPIs).
Maintain a RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Decisions) log for NPI launch readiness.
Track and manage NPI data, risks, and issues within project management tools
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Communication and Governance:
Develop and execute a communication plan to keep all stakeholders (including T&P, RAs, and readiness partners) informed of status and progress.
Lead and facilitate program cadence and portfolio meetings (e.g., recurring portfolio reviews with RAs and the Customer Success team).
Organize and present at monthly forum meetings to review select launches with a broader audience, including partners and alliances.
Ensure all status reporting and deliverables meet the quality expectations of the Governance & PMO organization.
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Program Lifecycle Management:
Manage the NPI readiness process across all stages: Strategy (roadmap reconciliation, data cleansing), Define (scope and goals documentation), Plan (timeline establishment), Develop (plan execution, enablement tracking), Launch (coordination of final activities), and Evaluate (retrospectives, issue resolution).
Required Skills and Experience:
Proven experience in program or project management, specifically focused on New Product Introduction (NPI) or launch readiness.
Strong understanding of project/program portfolio management (PPM) frameworks and methodologies.
Excellent collaboration, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to manage complex relationships across various internal and external stakeholders (e.g., Product/Technology teams, Customer Success/Support teams, Readiness/Enablement teams).
Demonstrated ability to identify, analyze, and manage program risks and issues.
Experience with program tracking and reporting tools
Ability to work independently and drive execution in a fast-paced environment.