Program Manager

Program Manager

AArete is one-of-a-kind when it comes to consulting firm culture.

We’re a global, innovative management and technology consulting firm with offices in the U.S. and India. Our name comes from the Greek word for excellence: “Areté.”  And excellence is exactly what we strive for.  

We’re celebrating our fourth year as one of Forbes’ World’s Best Management Consulting Firms – and our success starts with our people. From robust career development planning to competitive life and wellness benefits, AArete’s “Culture of Care” takes a holistic approach to the employee experience.  

AAretians (our team members) are leaders at every level. You are encouraged to unlock your full potential by directly contributing to our mission and prioritizing personal development and fulfillment. 

The Role

We are seeking a highly self-driven and outcome-focused Program Manager to independently drive client engagements. This individual will be responsible for coordinating with stakeholders, facilitating business requirement discussions, supporting architecture and approval processes, managing project roadmaps, tracking tasks, and ensuring timely execution through daily scrum and follow-ups.

This role requires strong communication skills, the ability to work with cross-functional teams, and a proactive approach to pushing initiatives forward. The ideal candidate should be solution-oriented, and comfortable managing technology-driven programs in a fast-paced consulting environment.

Work You’ll Do

• Independently drive program / engagement execution once stakeholders and objectives are defined.
• Facilitate stakeholder coordination across business, technology, leadership, and delivery teams.
• Support business requirement gathering and documentation.
• Coordinate architecture discussions, approvals, dependencies, and key decision points.
• Build and manage project / program roadmaps, milestones, timelines, and deliverables.
• Track tasks, action items, risks, issues, and dependencies to ensure timely progress.
• Lead daily scrum / status discussions and follow up on blockers to drive closure.
• Prepare status updates, trackers, reports, executive decks, and leadership communication.
• Partner with stakeholders to understand priorities, align expectations, and ensure smooth execution.
• Proactively identify risks and escalate issues with clear context and proposed solutions.
• Drive outcome-focused execution without requiring constant leadership involvement.
• Use tools such as JIRA, Microsoft Project, Confluence, PowerPoint, and Excel for planning, tracking, documentation, and reporting.
• Support leadership and stakeholders with program governance, updates, and decision-making inputs.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• 14+ years of experience in program management, engagement management, project delivery, or technology consulting.
• Ability to independently drive engagements from planning through execution.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong experience in business requirement documentation, project planning, task tracking, and governance.
• Ability to facilitate discussions across business and technical teams.
• Experience managing roadmaps, timelines, dependencies, risks, and issue resolution.
• Strong proficiency in JIRA, Microsoft Project, Confluence, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Advanced Excel skills and strong deckbuilding / presentation skills.
• Ability to manage daily scrum, follow-ups, action items, and execution tracking.
• Basic understanding of technology projects and delivery lifecycle.
• Self-driven, resourceful, solution-oriented, and outcome-focused mindset.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced consulting environment with minimal supervision.
• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to provide clear and structured updates.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience of AI-enabled technology projects or basic awareness of AI concepts.
• Experience working with global teams across the U.S. and India.
• Experience supporting client-facing engagements, leadership updates, and executive-level presentations.
• Experience managing multiple workstreams or cross-functional teams.

Benefits

• Flexible Paid Time Off of up to 23 days annually, in addition to 10 paid public holidays
• Hybrid work model with flexible in-office attendance
• Comprehensive health benefits including medical insurance (Mediclaim), personal accident insurance, and term life insurance
• Generous paid parental leave program
• Attractive employee referral bonus scheme
• Transportation allowance and night shift allowance
• Employee advance salary loan facility
• Structured professional certification reimbursement policy to support ongoing learning and development

We put humans at the center of our work 

We’re a global management and technology consulting firm specializing in strategic profitability improvement, digital transformation, and strategy & change for clients. Our cross-industry solutions are powered by a digital-first mindset, market intelligence, and data-driven approach to deliver purposeful change, actionable insights, and guaranteed results.

But what sets us apart is our people. We are guided by our deeply embedded guiding principles: Excellence, Passion, Loyalty to Clients, Stewardship, Family, Community, Sustainability, and Inclusion.  

And we’ve been recognized as a top firm to work for by companies like Forbes, Top Workplaces Chicago Tribune, and Consulting Magazine.  

We’ve earned a Great Place to Work Certification™ and been named a World’s Best Management Consulting Firm by Forbes, Vault’s Top 50 Firms to Work For, Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50, Inc 5000’s Fastest Growing Firms, and Consulting Magazine's Fastest Growing Firms.  

Learn more about our award-winning culture 

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. 

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