[Hiring] Program Manager, Data & Applied Analytics @DivIHN Integration

Role Description

The Program Manager will lead delivery of two interdependent data governance and identity initiatives within the Data & Applied Analytics organization: the Data Access Request System (DARS) and the Digital Wallet & Person/Entity ID Gateway. These initiatives sit within the FY27 governance and identity portfolio and depend on foundational data governance and entity resolution work already underway.

The Program Manager will manage the Business Analyst contractor, System Builder contractor(s), and Data Engineer contractor(s) supporting both initiatives, coordinate closely with the Data Governance Director and Applied Analytics leadership, and track a small-scope pilot rollout for the Digital Wallet alongside the design and early build phases of DARS.

The Program Manager reports program status to Data & Applied Analytics leadership and is accountable for keeping both initiatives on schedule and within approved FY27 budget, while positioning each for scale-up in FY28.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Leadership & Delivery
  • Lead end-to-end delivery coordination for DARS (design phase through initial build) and the Digital Wallet/Gateway (small-scope pilot).
  • Develop, maintain, and refine an integrated program schedule showing dependencies across both initiatives, including onboarding timelines, procurement completion dates, and design-to-build handoffs.
  • Sequence the DARS workstream from requirements gathering and workflow mapping through DUA Metadata Engine and IAM-based approval routing build.
  • Sequence the Wallet workstream from Golden Record entity resolution through ID Gateway build and the Natural Resources wallet pilot test.
  • Identify and escalate risks to timeline caused by onboarding delays, procurement delays, or unresolved dependencies, and propose corrective action.
• Governance, Oversight & Risk Management
  • Maintain a risk log, issue log, and decision log covering both initiatives.
  • Report program status, budget-to-actual spend, and risks to Data & Applied Analytics leadership on a regular cadence.
  • Track approval checkpoints tied to the Data Governance Director, including sign-off on DARS design deliverables before System Builder engagement begins.
  • Ensure contractor deliverables (requirements documents, workflow maps, IAM architecture design, build milestones) meet agreed standards before work proceeds to the next phase.
• Contractor and Dependency Management
  • Manage the Business Analyst contractor, who writes requirements and SOWs feeding both DARS and the Wallet System Builder engagement.
  • Track TOPS 90-day onboarding timelines for each contractor role and flag any request delays that push onboarding dates.
  • Track procurement timelines for supporting tools, including the API Gateway software procurement for the Wallet initiative.
  • Coordinate handoffs between design/requirements work and build work so that System Builder contractors are not idle waiting on inputs.
• Stakeholder Coordination
  • Coordinate with the Data Governance Director, Applied Analytics leadership, and technical contractor teams throughout the design-heavy early phase of both initiatives.
  • Support agency-facing communication as the Wallet pilot moves toward the Natural Resources test and as DARS moves toward its first agency use cases.
  • Keep leadership informed of scope, timeline, and budget changes as they occur.
• Quality and Readiness
  • Confirm that DARS design deliverables (requirements, DUA workflow maps, IAM architecture) are complete and approved before the System Builder contractor begins build work.
  • Confirm entity resolution (Golden Record) progress is sufficient before Gateway build work proceeds.
  • Support readiness review before the Natural Resources wallet pilot goes live.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Document lessons learned from the FY27 design and pilot phases to inform FY28 scale-up planning.
  • Recommend adjustments to onboarding and procurement sequencing based on what worked or caused delay in FY27.

Key Deliverables

• Integrated program schedule and dependency map covering DARS and the Digital Wallet/Gateway.
• Tracking and documentation of all artifacts.
• Risk log, issue log, and decision log.
• Program status reports and budget-to-actual tracking for leadership review.
• Contractor onboarding and procurement tracker, showing TOPS and procurement lead times against actual dates.
• Year-end handoff document positioning both initiatives for FY28 scale-up.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information systems, business, public administration, computer science, or a related field required.
• Preferred Certifications: PMP (2021 or later), Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent.
• 5+ years managing technology or data programs with multiple dependent workstreams.
• Direct experience managing contractor teams and vendor deliverables, ideally under fixed lead-time procurement or staffing vehicles.
• Experience with data governance, data sharing agreements, or identity and access management concepts is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing project timelines with hard dependency chains.
• Strong background in stakeholder communication with both technical teams and non-technical leadership.

Additional Experience & Leadership Expectations

• Demonstrated ability to influence and effectively communicate with Executive Directors and senior leadership.
• Excellent coordination, communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience working with the Illinois Department of Public Health (DPH) is a strong plus.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is organized, direct, and comfortable managing a small number of tightly linked workstreams where sequencing matters more than raw scale. They should be confident tracking multiple lead-time clocks at once, comfortable escalating early when a dependency is at risk, and capable of keeping technical contractors, a governance director, and program leadership aligned without requiring constant oversight.