Lowes - Program Manager - Innovation Labs

I. Job Summary:

The Program Manager - Innovation Labs role is part of Lowe's Project Management (PM) job family. This role is responsible for the design and delivery of people, process and/or technology projects ranging from small, function-specific projects to large, complex programs. This role is responsible for envisioning, guiding, developing, analyzing, and managing the execution of significant Innovation Lab programs including project plans, schedules, status reporting and resource forecasts while controlling and mitigating project risks. This role ensures successful project execution and completion by managing project constraints in terms of cost, time, scope, and quality in adherence with expectations set by Innovation Labs leadership.

II. Essential and Core Responsibilities:

Essential Responsibilities:

With limited oversight, manages medium- to large-scale programs from envisioning to planning to completion by facilitating meetings with internal and external project stakeholders and personnel; translating vision into test-ready Proofs of Concept (POCs), POC learning and measurement plans, project estimation and execution plans; managing project resources and providing input and justification for costs and budget impact; monitoring overall project performance (e.g., on time, on budget, within resources) against plan and making adjustments as needed; identifying and resolving issues; managing the request for information (RFI) and vendor request for proposal (RFP) processes

Manages the work of program teams by working with Innovation Labs leadership to assemble team resources which ensure the alignment of team member skills and strengths with project demands; communicating a clear vision of project goals and objectives to the team; coordinating team activities to ensure project milestones are achieved; providing performance feedback to team members' supervisors as appropriate

Manages, controls, and mitigates risks across multiple, interdependent projects by analyzing and identifying trigger events; establishing contingency plans; anticipating and managing dependencies affected by ongoing changes across projects; recommending ways to mitigate future risks and influencing leadership to take action on these recommendations

Works to win the alignment, buy-in, and support of diverse project stakeholders by building and maintaining relationships with internal customers, third party vendors and partners, and business leadership; working closely with program sponsors and/or review boards to help determine program goals, influence the prioritization of deliverables, and facilitate decisions necessary for program delivery

Core Responsibilities:

Pursues professional growth and provides developmental opportunities for others by soliciting and acting on performance feedback; building collaborative, cross-functional relationships; hiring, training, and developing talent for growth opportunities; delegating tasks and decisions; fostering open dialogue amongst team members; working closely with employees to set goals and provide open feedback and coaching to drive performance improvement

Manages designated work stream to meet customer and business needs while maintaining a spirit of open discovery by translating plans into tactical action items; communicating goals and objectives; overseeing work assignments; aligning team efforts; building accountability for and measuring progress in achieving results; identifying and addressing improvement opportunities; assuming responsibility for decision making; instigating and advocating for changes in direction based on insights and discoveries.

III. Competencies Needed:

Functional Competencies

Innovation - Is familiar with and is able to apply innovation methodologies and practices including but not limited to techniques for effective brainstorming / ideation, concept and business model development, and the creation and testing of minimally viable products.

Communication Skills - Able to clearly articulate (visually and verbally) complex concepts & adapt to audiences from executives to line associates.

Analytical Skills - The ability to collect information, and identify and interpret advanced patterns/trends from complex data. This includes the ability to leverage data mining to find and capture relevant data from multiple and diverse sources to develop and test hypotheses, and make data-driven recommendations.

Budget Management and Forecasting - The ability to forecast and execute project budgets by applying knowledge of financial and accounting principles to manage budget components (e.g., resources, T&E, hardware/software). This includes understanding the difference between capital and expense, comparing actual vs. forecast spend, and determining the impact if forecasts are missed. This also includes identifying and explaining forecast exceptions, and understanding how both the budget and variances impact the business and enterprise P&L.

Business Requirements Analysis - The ability to articulate vision to create a statement of requirements. This includes knowing when to collaborate with others or push back, validating other department's conflicting requirements, heading off scope creep during scoping, and being able to maintain the multiple or changing iterations in the requirements of a complex or dynamic project.

Expressing Technical Concepts to Non-Technical Audience - The ability to adapt communications to the technical level of understanding of the audience. This includes thorough knowledge of the concepts being communicated, an ability to define key terms, an understanding of the audience's use of the information and an ability to anticipate and answer audience questions. It also includes the ability to convey the information through relevant and compelling examples or stories, educate the audience on issues and prior decisions, and distill messages by visually presenting information (e.g., tables, graphs).

Facilitation Skills - The ability to lead and manage group sessions to achieve an expected outcome and enable decision making. This includes clearly explaining purpose and objectives, projecting a positive attitude, active listening, involving everyone in the discussion, ensuring ideas are explored, asking the right questions, and keeping people on point. This also includes using various facilitation tools and methodologies (e.g., root cause analysis, decision trees, risk assessment) to align audience perspectives and reach agreement over course of action.

Financial Acumen - Knowledge of complex financial information and terms. It includes the ability to interpret, analyze, and explain financial information to others. This also includes identifying the key factors affecting the financial performance of programs, large initiatives or portfolios, and understanding the impact on the division and enterprise.

Influencing - The ability to impact decisions by persuasively presenting ideas to internal or external business managers. This includes the ability to establish rapport and present a cost-benefit analysis. This also includes the ability to convince others of an unpopular position and adapt influence strategies based on the decision-making style of the audience.

Issues and Risk Management - The ability to proactively assess and plan against possible risks across portfolios, determine the business interdependencies when and where deliverables are in jeopardy. This includes the ability to develop and recommend mitigation strategies, influence senior and executive leadership to act on the recommendation, and implement the necessary course corrections to avert the risk.

Matrixed Work Structure - The ability to build networks within and across organizational functions, departments, or geographic lines. This includes skill in obtaining timely decisions from multiple parties, achieving consensus, and identifying the appropriate individuals to consult or update. This also includes knowledge of several functional groups' viewpoints and the ability to help others understand their roles and responsibilities within a matrix.

Negotiating - The ability to negotiate significant issues across the organization and with external vendors and clients. This includes the ability to protect one's own position while remaining collaborative, detect and address a lack of progress or stalemate, and identify and make others aware of complementary interests.

Project Estimation - The ability to estimate portfolios of work and integrate complicated financial and resource data for projects/programs/large scale initiatives with an extended duration and scope. This includes estimating ROI, identifying and leveraging efficiencies across work streams and systems, and making recommendations as appropriate.

Project Management - The ability to use an array of tools and techniques to plan, allocate resources for, and ensure progress for the completion of large projects or programs that have significant impact on the business. This includes efficiently and effectively managing multiple teams of people responsible for work components while adhering to strict timelines and standards of delivery. This also includes the ability to apply multiple standard methodologies throughout the project lifecycle and manage risks to maximize ROI, business capability and market position.

Agile Development - The ability to participate in the design and implementation of agile development procedures. This includes the ability to identify success factors and supporting processes, monitor effectiveness, and design interfaces for integrating agile development with other frameworks. This also includes the ability to elaborate on agile, iterative, and spiral methodologies.

Application Design, Architecture - The ability to develop and evaluate technical design for complex applications. This includes preparing technical design documents and blueprints, facilitating design walkthroughs, and evaluating design considerations for multiple technologies. This also includes the ability to interpret application services such as API and integrate them with technical design.

External Resource Management - The ability to procure and manage vendors, suppliers and providers of enterprise-wide services and products. This includes developing rationale for use of external resources, leading development of selection criteria for approved vendor status, documenting service provider problems, and correcting or terminating external resources as appropriate. This also includes comprehensive knowledge of industry practices for using external resources and the ability to coach others on external resource management.

Information Management - The ability to design information lifecycle management processes and practices and shape the organization's future perspective of information architecture. This includes the ability to establish the principles and blueprints, lead in the selection of platforms, software, services, and support for enterprise-wide initiatives, and develop strategies that are in line with business needs. This also includes the knowledge to elaborate on strategic initiatives, industry trends, products and services.

Information Security Management - The ability to supervise the development, maintenance, and utilization of information security practices by coaching others on the application of all major information platforms. This includes consulting on the capabilities, features, and use of in-house information security technologies, evaluating the rationale for enhancements to information security architecture, and optimizing operational standards for securing information assets. This also includes consulting on information security architecture concepts, disciplines, and practices.

Product and Vendor Evaluation - The ability to design product and vendor selection criteria and optimize standard processes to maximize the efficiency of organizational products or services. This includes advising on appropriate solutions to complex multiple vendor problems, leading the regulated use of materials and forms for the selection of products and vendors, and training others on evaluating products or services.

Product Development Best Practices: Research, Identification, & Application - The ability to advise others on applying and optimizing best practices for product development. This includes the ability to develop and implement best practices, evaluate their financial cost-benefits, and establish benchmarks to determine which best practices are feasible for a given product. This also includes updating policies to meet best practice requirements and adapting best practices to other product lines.

RAD (Rapid Application Delivery) - The ability to optimize Rapid Application Development (RAD) procedures used to construct new software systems, monitor effectiveness of RAD against objectives, and refine data/business process models. This includes the ability to evaluate the benefits of RAD relative to other methodologies aimed to speed the application development process and teach others how to combine the use of RAD with prototyping.

Release Management - The ability to provide insight into all aspects of release management involving critical or large applications by conducting impact analysis and assessing benefits and risks. This includes supervising the development and testing of back-out procedures to restore prior software versions, developing and delivering training and communications on new releases, and evaluating the challenges of and considerations for upgrading in a distributed environment. This also includes coordinating with other functions to ensure release success, minimize risks, and gain proper support levels.

Software Installation and Support - The ability to oversee software installation and support services for multiple vendors and products. This includes the ability to analyze implementation options; design and execute plans; and use and monitor software distribution channels, techniques, and auto-discovery tools. This also includes the ability to communicate the benefits of planned platform changes and upgrades.

System Testing - The ability to supervise the testing of complex, multi-platform, and distributed applications. This includes verifying the proper flow of transactions across channels and devices, evaluating interoperability of systems during beta testing, and designing processes to ensure the system meets requirements. This also includes the ability to coach users on the development of test data and scenarios for system validation.

System Testing Tools - The ability to design standards and guidelines for testing tools and supervise their use. This includes the ability to select testing tools and manage testing processes. This also includes the ability to perform comparative analyses of testing tools for specific products and consult on effective testing approaches.

Systems Software Infrastructure - The ability to analyze local software architecture components. This includes the ability to test features and demonstrate impact of changes in the software environment. This also includes reporting software connectivity and integration issues, and administering software migration and contingency plans.

Core Competencies

Being Organizationally Savvy - The ability to maneuver well to accomplish work within own function and with strategic business partners. This includes the ability to build and grow a network of partnerships, develop an understanding of formal and informal decision-making processes, and leverage knowledge of functional and cross-functional operations to accomplish work objectives.

Communicating Effectively - The ability to effectively develop and communicate one's perspectives and ideas. This includes the ability to convey a compelling message, engage the audience, and adapt the message, delivery, and point-of-view based on the audience's real-time or anticipated reactions. This also includes active listening, and eliciting questions, participation, and buy-in from the audience.

Creating the New and Different - The ability to develop creative ideas and question conventional approaches. This includes reevaluating current approaches and suggesting and/or implementing new ideas, looking into the future to create innovative and unconventional solutions, and working with others to generate multiple ideas. This also includes being comfortable working in a changing environment.

Decision Making - The ability to anticipate and plan for tough and complex problems. This includes obtaining relevant information through people and data, analyzing issues from multiple perspectives, recognizing relevant information in seemingly disparate data sources, and anticipating future states when making decisions. This also includes recognizing the broader implications of decisions and taking them into consideration when solving problems.

Demonstrating Personal Flexibility - The ability to apply new/different approaches or skills in the face of change and adversity. This includes embracing change and adapting behaviors based on situation and circumstances, understanding of one's own strengths and weaknesses, and being a lifelong learner. This also includes creating programs and/or initiatives to improve adaptability and continuous learning capabilities in own team/function.

Getting Organized - The ability to use organizational skills for purposes of planning and decision-making. This includes developing and communicating objectives, timelines, assignments, and goals. This also includes the ability to scope projects, orchestrate multiple activities at once, and use resources efficiently across functional areas within the enterprise.

Keeping on Point - The ability to spend his/her time and the time of others on the most mission-critical work activities. This includes communicating priorities to others, removing roadblocks that threaten to derail progress, and making timely and difficult decisions about serious tradeoffs with incomplete information.

Managing Diverse Relationships - The ability to manage a variety of relationships from both inside and outside the organization. This includes building and nurturing a diverse network, finding a balance between meeting one's own interest and the interest of other groups, and having a good understanding of group dynamics. This also includes embracing diversity in terms of backgrounds and opinions, and creating an environment of trust and respect for differences.

Understanding the Business - Knowledge of practices and technology affecting his/her business and organization. This includes knowledge of industry-specific business operations and how to evaluate different business propositions. This also includes the ability to quickly learn and embrace new methods and technologies.

Dealing with Trouble - The ability to fearlessly take on all issues, challenges, and people. This includes anticipating, confronting, and effectively working through conflict, delivering negative feedback without hesitation, dealing promptly and fairly with problem performers, and being transparent when giving feedback to others. This also includes the ability to thrive in crises, remain energized through tough challenges, make difficult decisions and take action, and challenge the status quo.

Focusing on the Bottom Line - The ability to create an environment where employees are motivated and engaged to achieve company financial objectives. This includes implementation of meaningful goals, celebrating high performers, and reinforcing progress towards goals. This also includes making quick decisions and taking informed risks and actions to succeed.

Getting Work Done Through Others - The ability to assemble effective, efficient, and balanced teams, drive efforts to identify a pipeline of diversified talent, establish work objectives that align with business strategy, and assign clear responsibility for tasks and decisions. This includes distributing workload appropriately to capitalize on the strengths of employees and provide stretch opportunities while ensuring the quality of work. This also includes establishing two-way dialogue, holding frequent developmental discussions, and coaching employees according to their career goals.

Inspiring Others - The ability to motivate teams or functional groups to perform at their best and accept change. This includes the ability to identify and promote a unifying vision with associated goals, creating a climate in which people want to contribute, and understanding what motivates different people. This also includes sustaining performance during times of change, identifying individuals who are resistant to change, and developing tailored solutions to increase engagement.

Acting with Honor and Character - The ability to be consistent and act in line with a clear and visible set of values and ethics. This includes maintaining high character and integrity, dealing and talking straight, walking his/her talk, and being direct and truthful but at the same time keeping confidences.

Caring About Others - The ability to show empathy and have sympathy for others. This includes being quick to help others, showing genuine care and concern for others, going out of his/her way for others, making time to listen, and assisting those in need. This also includes building trust with others through mutual respect.

Relating Skills - The ability to relate well to all types of people. This includes being friendly and interpersonally agile. This also includes being easy to approach and talk to, as well as having the ability to make pleasant first impressions and build solid relationships.

PROBLEM SOLVING: The primary problem that the Program Manager - Innovation Labs faces is to manage programs and oversee individual projects within the program, including Project Managers assigned to those projects. An individual in this position will have to understand the needs of the business unit, interpret them into a project plan, and keep projects and program on time and budget.

AUTHORITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY:

1. What decisions does this incumbent make serving as the single point of accountability for- (Note: Decisions may still be made by collaborating with others, but the accountability resides with the incumbent in this role.)

- Creating and maintaining an overall program plan. Delegation to designated resources

2. What decisions does this incumbent provide recommendations to, provide agreement/disagreement to, or provide input to-

- Resources ultimately assigned to projects

IV. Qualifications

Required Minimum Qualifications:

- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, MIS or related field and 6-9 years of project management experience OR 8-11 years comparable experience

- 3-5 years of experience working on project(s) involving the implementation of project life cycle methodologies (e.g., SDLC, process management, organizational change)

- 2-4 years of experience leading teams

- 5+ years of experience working in a software development or system testing environment

Preferred Qualifications:

- 2+ years of supervisory experience

- Project Management Professional (PMP) or other project/program management certification

- 4+ years corporate retail experience

- 1+ years of experience managing multi-channel sourcing models

- 1+ years of experience implementing large, complex programs in a corporate environment

- 1+ years of experience leading projects or programs requiring the integration of cross-functional technology and/or business solutions

- 5+ years of experience working with an IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework

- 5+ years of experience working with an IT Service Management (ITSM) framework

- 5+ years of experience in business analysis

- 5+ years of experience in IT infrastructure and operations

- 5+ years of experience in IT architecture