Program Manager

We’re looking for an experienced Program Manager to join our client’s team and take ownership of a complex IT program comprising multiple projects and interconnected workstreams. You’ll combine strategic program leadership with hands-on project management, ensuring that business objectives are translated into a clear roadmap and that projects are delivered within agreed scope, budget, timelines, and quality expectations. This is a highly visible role requiring strong governance, stakeholder management, and the ability to coordinate business, IT, operational, and external stakeholders. Role & Responsibilities
• Manage the full lifecycle of an IT program, including scope, roadmap, priorities, budget, risks, dependencies, success criteria, and delivery planning.
• Translate strategic and business objectives into a coherent program roadmap and ensure alignment across projects and workstreams.
• Establish and maintain effective program governance, including steering committees, reporting structures, decision-making processes, and escalation mechanisms.
• Identify and proactively manage dependencies, risks, and potential conflicts between projects, teams, suppliers, and external initiatives.
• Take direct end-to-end responsibility for one project within the program, managing scope, planning, milestones, budget, resources, risks, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate day-to-day project activities and ensure business, functional, technical, testing, security, and operational aspects remain aligned.
• Monitor delivery progress, resolve issues, and implement corrective actions when required.
• Manage project-level changes, decisions, risks, issues, and dependencies in line with the overall program governance.
• Ensure successful transition of project deliverables to Operations and Support teams.
• Coordinate and support other Project Managers within the program, providing guidance on planning, governance, risk management, reporting, and dependency management.
• Manage program and project budgets, including forecasting, actuals, change requests, and financial reporting.
• Prepare and lead program and project steering committees and provide clear reporting to senior management and other governance bodies.
• Facilitate timely decision-making and escalate issues that cannot be resolved at project or program level.
• Foster a professional, collaborative, accountable, and solution-oriented environment focused on delivering agreed business outcomes. Ideal Candidate You are a seasoned IT Program Manager who combines strong hands-on project management experience with the ability to coordinate multiple projects and workstreams at program level. You are comfortable operating in complex environments involving business, IT, operational teams, suppliers, and external stakeholders. Your background as a Business Analyst or Functional Analyst enables you to understand business needs and translate them into practical delivery outcomes. Experience in traffic or incident management, railway operations, or comparable environments such as aviation, ports, logistics, or utilities is highly relevant. Required Expertise
• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience in IT project and/or program management.
• Proven experience coordinating IT programs involving multiple projects or interdependent workstreams.
• Strong end-to-end IT project management experience.
• Experience with program and project governance, including steering committees and senior-management reporting.
• Proven experience managing budgets, resources, vendors, risks, changes, and dependencies.
• Experience coordinating delivery across multiple business, IT, operational, and external stakeholders.
• Minimum 2 years of experience as a Business Analyst and/or Functional Analyst.
• At least 1 year of experience with traffic or incident management systems, railway operations, or a comparable operational environment.
• Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in IT, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Professional proficiency in English and either French or Dutch, both spoken and written.
• Willingness to work on-site at the client's offices when required, with the frequency adapted to project needs. Contactperson & Reference
• Reference #: INW28109
• Pieter Messely
• pieter.messely@i4m.be