Strategic Programs Manager

At PowerSchool, we are a dedicated team of innovators guided by our shared purpose of powering personalized education for students around the world. From the central office to the classroom to the home, PowerSchool supports the entire educational ecosystem as the global leader of cloud-based software for K-12 education. Our employees make it all possible, and a career with us means you’re joining a successful team committed to engaging, empowering, and improving the K-12 education experience everywhere.

Team Overview

Our Chief of Staff team oversees the cross-functional coordination of critical, highly visible strategic projects. With a focus on people, process, and systems, the Chief of Staff group helps direct key company priorities in coordination with the Executive Leadership Team.

The Strategic Programs Manager role plays a vital role in our continuous improvement journey by driving strategic initiatives and programs, supporting large-impact cross-functional projects and programs, business transformation programs, and any other initiatives as directed by the Chief of Staff (including special projects and M&A integrations). .

This role supports the coordination and facilitation of these initiatives, and reports into the Chief of Staff, working in close coordination with the Director, Strategic Programs. Additionally, the role is responsible for assisting the Chief of Staff organization manage the tactical execution of cross-functional projects with an approach that requires high business acumen, navigating potential inter-departmental mis-alignments, and driving to positive objective business outcomes across multiple teams.

This is a high-visibility position that offers an opportunity to touch every part of the organization, solve problems daily, go both deep and broad with a knowledgeable set of colleagues, and inspire cross-functional communication and coordination. This role will offer several growth pathways and visibility to the overall SaaS operating model with an overall goal of supporting transformational work to successful completion.

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Support  Chief of Staff team as well as stakeholders in Customer Experience, Product, Engineering, Marketing, G&A, and other teams to execute projects.
• Help with creation and management of project plans (ad hoc and templated), facilitate on-time execution of project work amongst multiple functional stakeholders (including meeting scheduling and coordination, agenda management, action-item follow-up, etc.), and conduct review meetings to keep projects on track.
• Offer insight and alignment of team resources to ensure that our best internal resources are assigned to strategic projects and able to complete related tasks.
• Facilitate meetings with sponsors and stakeholders to identify project requirements and ensure alignment with PowerSchool’s strategic goals.
• Evaluate tools and techniques used within the company to manage projects. Ensure these applications provide features and benefits required by the company.
• Ensure data integrity, assure scheduling accuracy, and maintain project consistency throughout the organization.
• Coordinate consistent reporting on metrics that measure the successful implementation of strategic programs.
• Metrics-based, data-driven tracking and evaluation of business transformation programs and projects
• Assist identification of issues that could impact the successful execution and solutions to correct those issues.
• Partner with the Director of Strategic Programs on critical initiatives (as needed).
• Other duties as assigned.

To be considered for and to perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required.

Qualifications include:

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 3-5+ years’ experience in investment banking, consulting; project management (mergers and acquisitions, optional)business process, operations, and data analytics skills necessary.
• 3-5+ years’ experience in effectively interacting with senior leaders, program/project managers.  PMP not required, but a plus.
• Proven experience working in a high pressure, dynamic, and challenging environment.
• Ability to work across the business, assessing business needs, and assisting in decisions as priorities change.
• Highest level of integrity and management of confidential information.
• Strong business acumen; this is not an administrative PMO role.
• Excellent communicator in written and verbal form.
• Ability to communicate and guide across multiple levels and functions of the organization including the C-suite.
• Demonstrated ability to track, prioritize, and drive concurrent projects to success.
• Utilize data and metrics to communicate needs with business unit owners.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, as well as attention to detail; proven ability to create models and analyze data sets easily in Excel spreadsheets required.
• Preference given to candidates in the greater Folsom, CA area as this role is preferably based at PowerSchool headquarters.

Preferred skills:

• Highly skilled communicator
• Solid analytical skills and able to adapt in a rapidly changing environment.
• Experience in business process assessment, measurement and re-engineering are critical, along with the ability to leverage technology towards business solutions.

PowerSchool is a dynamic organization, and the successful candidate will be expected to perform all functions from defining goals, managing ambiguity, communicating effectively with multiple stakeholders, and leading change across the organization.

Compensation & Benefits

PowerSchool offers the following benefits:

• Comprehensive Insurance Coverage (including Medical, Dental, Vision, Pharmacy benefits, Life Insurance and AD&D)


• Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts


• Short-Term Disability and Long-Term Disability


• Comprehensive 401(k) plan


• Generous Parental Leave


• Unrestricted paid time off (known as Discretionary Time Off - DTO)


• Wellness Program, including ClassPass & Employee Assistance Program


• Tuition Reimbursement


• Optional Benefits: Pet Insurance, Identity Theft Protection, Student Debt Repayment Program and Prepaid Legal coverage

A reasonable estimate of the base compensation range for this position is $83,000 - $110,300 USD. This compensation range is specific to the United States and it incorporates many factors including but not limited to an applicant's skills and prior relevant experience and training; licensures, degrees, and certifications; specific geographic location; internal equity; internal pay ranges; and market data/range parameters.

EEO Commitment

PowerSchool celebrates a diverse and inclusive workplace. PowerSchool is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status. Our inclusive culture empowers PowerSchoolers to deliver the best results for our customers. We not only celebrate the diversity of our workforce, we celebrate the diverse ways we work. If you have a disability and need an accommodation regarding our recruiting process, please let us know by emailing accomodations@powerschool.com.