Program Coordinator

Program Coordinator

Job Title - Program Coordinator

Job Summary

The Program Coordinator supports the successful planning, execution, governance, and monitoring of strategic programs consisting of multiple interrelated projects. Working closely with Program Managers, Project Managers, PMO, Finance, and business stakeholders, this role ensures program objectives, schedules, financials, dependencies, risks, and reporting requirements are effectively coordinated and managed.

The Program Coordinator serves as the operational backbone of the program, driving alignment across project teams, maintaining governance standards, providing executive reporting, and supporting financial and portfolio management activities. This position plays a critical role in ensuring program transparency, operational excellence, and successful delivery across the program lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

Program Coordination & Delivery

• Coordinate activities across multiple projects, workstreams, and cross-functional teams within strategic programs.
• Support Program Managers with program planning, execution, monitoring, and successful delivery of business objectives.
• Maintain integrated program schedules, milestones, deliverables, and inter-project dependencies.
• Track program progress and ensure alignment between project teams and business stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional communication to ensure timely execution of program deliverables.

Program Governance

• Facilitate program governance meetings, steering committee reviews, and leadership updates.
• Prepare agendas, meeting minutes, action items, and follow-up communications.
• Ensure adherence to PMO governance standards, methodologies, and organizational processes.
• Support stage-gate reviews, approvals, and governance workflows.

Program Reporting & Executive Communication

• Prepare and distribute:
  • Program status reports
  • Executive dashboards
  • KPI and performance reports
  • Executive summaries
  • Risk and issue logs
  • Meeting documentation
• Consolidate project-level information into program-level reporting for leadership review.
• Present accurate and timely program metrics to Program Managers and senior stakeholders.

Risk, Issue & Dependency Management

• Monitor and maintain:
  • Program risks
  • Issues
  • Assumptions
  • Dependencies
  • Mitigation plans
• Identify and escalate program-level schedule conflicts, resource constraints, financial concerns, and delivery risks.
• Support proactive risk management and issue resolution activities.

Portfolio & Planview Administration

Maintain program information within Planview or other Project Portfolio Management (PPM) tools, including:

• Program setup and maintenance
• Project alignment and dependency tracking
• Program health and status reporting
• Resource planning and capacity management
• Financial reporting and budget monitoring
• Governance approvals and workflow management
• Portfolio reporting and analytics

Program Financial Management

Support program financial planning and governance by managing:

• Budget tracking
• Forecast updates
• Actual spend monitoring
• Resource cost analysis
• Variance reporting
• Accrual tracking
• Financial dashboards and reporting

Collaborate closely with Finance and Program Managers to ensure financial accuracy and transparency.

Portfolio Planning & PMO Support

• Support demand intake and project prioritization activities.
• Assist with portfolio planning and resource allocation.
• Ensure compliance with PMO standards, reporting requirements, and governance processes.
• Support audit readiness and compliance documentation where applicable.

Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to improve governance processes, reporting efficiency, resource management, and operational effectiveness.
• Contribute to PMO maturity initiatives and best practice adoption.
• Recommend process improvements that enhance program visibility and delivery performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Engineering, Life Sciences, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
• 5–7 years of experience in Program Coordination, Project Coordination, PMO, Project Controls, or Program Management support.
• 3+ years of experience supporting large-scale, cross-functional programs.
• 1 to 3 years of experience within Life Sciences, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare, Medical Devices, or other regulated industries is preferred.
• 3+ years of hands-on experience with Planview or other Project Portfolio Management (PPM) platforms.
• 3+ years of experience supporting program financial management, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and reporting/dashboard tools.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities within a fast-paced, matrixed organization.

Required Skills

• Program Coordination
• Program Governance
• Portfolio Management
• PMO Operations
• Planview
• Project Portfolio Management (PPM)
• Program Financial Management
• Budgeting & Forecasting
• Resource Planning
• Capacity Planning
• Dependency Management
• Risk & Issue Management
• Executive Reporting
• Dashboard Development
• Portfolio Reporting
• Stakeholder Management
• Cross-Functional Coordination
• Process Improvement
• Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft Project (Preferred)

Preferred Competencies

• Knowledge of Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid project management methodologies.
• Understanding of PMO governance frameworks and portfolio management practices.
• Experience supporting strategic transformation, digital, IT, or enterprise business programs.
• Familiarity with regulated Life Sciences environments, including GxP and GAMP 5.
• Strong facilitation, problem-solving, and decision-support capabilities.
• Experience working with geographically distributed global teams.
• Ability to communicate effectively with senior leadership and executive stakeholders.

Preferred Certifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) – Preferred
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) – Preferred
• PMI Program Management training or certification – Preferred
• Agile or Scrum Certification (CSM, PSM, SAFe, or equivalent) – Preferred

Success Measures

The successful Program Coordinator will:

• Ensure program schedules, dependencies, and governance activities remain current and accurate.
• Deliver timely, high-quality executive reporting and portfolio insights.
• Maintain financial visibility through accurate budget, forecast, and variance tracking.
• Improve coordination across projects and stakeholders to enable successful program delivery.
• Support PMO governance compliance and contribute to continuous process improvement.
• Enhance program transparency, operational efficiency, and strategic decision-making across the organization.

Experience Level

Senior Level