D2R Program Operations Lead

Rockwell Automation is a global technology leader focused on helping the world's manufacturers be more productive, sustainable, and agile. With more than 28,000 employees who make the world better every day, we know we have something special. Behind our customers - amazing companies that help feed the world, provide life-saving medicine on a global scale, and focus on clean water and green mobility -our people are energized problem solvers that take pride in how thework we do changes the world for the better.

We welcome all makers, forward thinkers, and problem solvers who are looking for a place to do their best work. And if that's you we would love to have you join us!

Job Description

Reporting to the Sr. Director of IT Strategy and Transformation, the Program Operations Lead is accountable for end-to-end program governance, delivery oversight, and executive alignment across multiple Agile Release Trains, pods, or programs. This role provides strategic leadership and operational rigor to ensure complex initiatives deliver business outcomes predictably, with clear risk management, dependency coordination, and executive transparency. The Program Operations Lead partners closely with Release Train Engineers (RTEs), Product Leadership, Architecture, Testing, and senior stakeholders to drive execution excellence and continuous improvement of the operating model.

Key Responsibilities

1. Program Governance & Operating Cadence

• Define, maintain, and continuously improve program governance frameworks, operating rhythms, and decision forums
• Ensure alignment between portfolio priorities, program objectives, and execution plans
• Provide input and leadership for program-level governance reviews, checkpoints, and executive forums
• Establish clear escalation paths, decision rights, and accountability structures across pods and programs

2. Partnership with Release Train Engineers (RTEs)

• Act as a senior delivery partner to RTEs, providing guidance, support, and escalation when delivery risks emerge
• Ensure consistency and quality of execution across multiple ARTs or pods
• Support RTEs in removing systemic impediments beyond ART-level control
• Align RTE execution with enterprise delivery standards and governance expectations

3. Program-Level Risk & Issue Management

• Own and maintain program-level risks, issues, and dependencies, ensuring visibility and proactive mitigation
• Aggregate and synthesize risks escalated from RTEs and delivery teams
• Drive mitigation strategies, assign ownership, and escalate critical risks to executive leadership when needed
• Ensure risks and issues are clearly communicated with impact, probability, and mitigation plans

4. PI Objectives & Business Alignment

• Ensure Product Owners, Product Managers, and key stakeholders clearly understand PI Goals and commitments
• Validate that PI Objectives align to program outcomes, release plans, and business priorities
• Reinforce accountability to PI commitments while managing trade-offs and scope adjustments
• Support PI Planning events at the program level

5. Critical Path & Release Coordination

• Coordinate creation and maintenance of program-level critical paths for major releases spanning multiple pods, ARTs, or programs
• Ensure sequencing, dependencies, and milestones are clearly documented and understood
• Partner with Architecture, Product, Testing, and Release teams to ensure feasibility and alignment
• Continuously monitor critical path items and proactively address risks to delivery timelines

6. Milestone Accountability & Delivery Oversight

• Hold pods, teams, and delivery leaders accountable to key milestones and delivery dates
• Track progress against milestones and intervene early when slippage is identified
• Drive corrective actions, re-planning, or trade-off discussions as needed

7. Testing & Quality Alignment

• Stay closely connected with Testing and Quality leads across the program
• Ensure testing strategy, environments, and readiness are aligned to delivery and release plans
• Monitor UAT progress, defect trends, and quality risks
• Escalate quality or readiness concerns that could impact release commitments

8. Executive Communication & Reporting

• Own program-level status communication to executive and senior leadership
• Translate complex delivery data into clear, concise, and decision-oriented executive narratives
• Provide materials, dashboards, and briefings to support executive reviews, steering committees, and leadership forums
• Proactively surface risks, trade-offs, and decisions requiring executive engagement

Key Competencies

• Servant leadership
• Program execution and delivery discipline
• Stakeholder management and influence
• Transparency and accountability
• Continuous improvement mindset

The Essentials - You Will Have:

• Bachelor's Degree in or equivalent relevant work experience
• Legal authorization to work in the U.S. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas, now or in the future, for this job opening.

The Preferred - You Might Also Have:

• Typically requires a minimum of 8+ years of related experience.
• Experience in program, portfolio, or large-scale delivery leadership roles
• Proven experience leading complex, multi-team or multi-program initiatives in Agile or hybrid environments
• Strong working knowledge of SAFe, PI Planning, and Agile delivery at scale
• Hands-on experience with Jira Align and enterprise Agile tooling
• Strong risk management, dependency management, and delivery governance expertise
• Experience operating in large, matrixed, or global organizations
• Background in technology-enabled transformations (e.g., Data & Analytics, Digital Platforms, ERP, CRM, Cloud)
• SAFe certifications (RTE, SPC, or LPM).
• Experience working with executive steering committees and governance boards

What We Offer:

• Health Insurance including Medical, Dental and Vision
• 401k
• Paid Time off
• Parental and Caregiver Leave
• Flexible Work Schedule where you will work with your manager to enjoy a work schedule that can be flexible with your personal life.
• To learn more about our benefits package, please visit at www.raquickfind.com.

At Rockwell Automation we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this or other roles.

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We are an Equal Opportunity Employer including disability and veterans.

If you are an individual with a disability and you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application process, please contact our services team at +1 (844) 404-7247.

Rockwell Automation's hybrid policy aligns that employees are expected to work at a Rockwell location at least Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays unless they have a business obligation out of the office.