Program Manager, Senior

Established in 2021, Independence Pet Holdings is a corporate holding company that manages a diverse and broad portfolio of modern pet health brands and services, including insurance, pet education, lost recovery services, and more throughout North America.

We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and help improve the well-being of pets. As a leading authority in the pet category, we operate with a full stack of resources, capital, and services to support pet parents. Our multi-brand and omni-channel approach include our own insurance carrier, insurance brands and partner brands.

As part of the broader JAB Pet Services ecosystem, IPH collaborates closely with affiliated companies in the UK and Europe to drive alignment, knowledge sharing, and technology strategy consistency across regions.

Job Summary:

Independence Pet Holdings (IPH) is seeking a collaborative, results-driven Sr Program Manager to partner closely with Transformation Program Business Owners and Senior Business Leaders in leading complex projects and initiatives as part of a high-impact enterprise transformation. This role will manage projects and initiatives that are focused on optimizing business processes and modernizing core enterprise systems. The Sr Program Manager will play a critical role in advancing a future-ready insurance platform and operating model that strengthens operational efficiency, scalability, and the customer experience.

The ideal candidate will have a proven ability to drive cross‑functional and enterprise‑wide alignment, manage complex program and project interdependencies, and ensure disciplined execution and delivery of strategic initiatives. This role requires demonstrated experience leading programs within a scaled agile (SAFe) delivery framework and operating across complex, global organizational environments to deliver outcomes on scope, schedule, and budget. Industry experience in Pet insurance is preferred but not required, along with hands‑on experience deploying SaaS technology solutions and exposure to applying AI‑enabled business solutions.

Job Location: Remote or Hybrid – Chicago, IL

Main Responsibilities:

• Lead coordinated program/project delivery as part of IPH’s global insurance transformation, guiding execution across MGAs, system integrators, and business and technology teams.
• Partner with global System Integrators (SI) to define delivery scope, dependencies, performance metrics, and integration across insurance value streams.
• Apply Scaled Agile (SAFe) principles to structure ARTs, coordinate planning, manage dependencies, and drive iterative delivery across distributed teams.
• Oversee/align vendor SOWs, contractual compliance, financials, and delivery quality within internal and external work groups
• Collaborate with all technology teams including Enterprise Architecture, Information Security, Data, and Platform teams to ensure end-to-end insurance solution integrity.
• Drive program/project program reporting that track KPIs and manage risks, issues, and drive business change management with strong controls and timely escalation.

Qualifications:

• 12+ years of progressive experience in program management, leading large, complex initiatives.
• Proven experience managing external integration partners with accountability for delivery outcomes, contractual compliance, and cross‑partner integration.
• Strong understanding of insurance value streams, including quote‑to‑bind, policy lifecycle management, billing and payments, rating engines, underwriting, claims adjudication, and agent and customer servicing.
• Demonstrated success leading cross‑functional, virtually staffed programs with budgets exceeding $10M.
• Proficiency with the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), including experience coordinating across multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs), value streams, or large solution constructs.
• Strong business and technical acumen, with the ability to align complex insurance workflows to enabling technology solutions.
• Proven financial management and contractual oversight skills within large, SOW‑driven vendor and partner ecosystems.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to effectively influence and update senior executives and diverse cross‑functional stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Technology Management, or a related discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• SAFe, PMP, PgMP, or equivalent program management certifications.
• Experience operating within global, matrixed organizational environments.
• Direct experience implementing EIS or other core insurance platforms.
• Master’s degree in Business, Technology Management, or a related field.

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All of our jobs come with great benefits including healthcare, parental leave and opportunities for career advancements. Some offerings are dependent upon the location of where you work and can include the following:

• Comprehensive full medical, dental and vision Insurance

• Basic Life Insurance at no cost to the employee

• Company paid short-term and long-term disability

• 12 weeks of 100% paid Parental Leave

• Health Savings Account (HSA)

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

• Retirement savings plan

• Personal Paid Time Off

• Paid holidays and company-wide Wellness Day off

• Paid time off to volunteer at nonprofit organizations

• Pet friendly office environment

• Commuter Benefits

• Group Pet Insurance

• On the job training and skills development

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

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