Assistant Program Manager Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Why you'll love Softchoice:
We are a software-focused IT solutions and services provider that equips organizations to be agile and innovative, and for their people to be engaged, connected, and creative at work. That means moving them to the cloud, helping them build the workplace of tomorrow, and enabling them to make smarter decisions about their technology. By doing these things we help them create success for their customers and their people.
We stand proudly for our people and support their success through career development and advancement. We are recognized and respected for our culture of inclusion and belonging, continuously striving to do what's good for our people and communities.
The impact you will have:
We are on a mission to help our Managed Services business unit unleash its full potential, and we are hiring an Agile Program Manager to make that happen. If you are passionate about driving strategic outcomes through disciplined Agile delivery, and you thrive in complex, fast-moving environments where technology, people, and process intersect, this role was built for you.
As an Agile Program Manager for Managed Services, you will own a portfolio of strategic and operational improvement initiatives delivered by our team of ITSM Administrators and Application Developers. These initiatives span advanced technology integrations, AI automations, cloud migration scenarios, and Managed Services infrastructure tooling, all driven through an Agile-first approach. You will also own the internal release management process, governing the end-to-end coordination of cross-platform integrations, software upgrades, and innovative AI solution development across the Managed Services environment. You will be accountable not only for delivery execution, but for the communication, change management, and stakeholder alignment that make every initiative land successfully.
You will play a meaningful role in shaping how knowledge flows through and from our strategic and operational improvement initiatives, ensuring that each initiative produces the structured knowledge assets that support our internal teams and our customers long after go-live.
What you'll do:
Agile delivery leadership

• Lead end-to-end Agile delivery for Managed Services strategic and operational improvement initiatives, owning scope, velocity, timelines, and stakeholder outcomes across a concurrent portfolio of infrastructure transformation and service innovation work
• Drive adoption and continuous improvement of Agile methods and practices across delivery teams, coaching teams toward higher performance and more predictable results with each sprint cycle
• Facilitate Agile ceremonies including sprint planning, daily standups, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, ensuring each ceremony drives meaningful outcomes rather than routine compliance
• Manage and maintain delivery backlogs in collaboration with technical leads and service owners, ensuring stories are well-defined, prioritized, and ready for sprint execution
• Assist in team development, holding teams accountable for their commitments, removing roadblocks, and leveraging organizational resources to improve capacity for delivery work; mentor and develop team members in Agile principles and practice
• Promote empowerment of the team, ensure that each team member is fully engaged and making a meaningful contribution, and encourage a sustainable pace with high levels of quality across every strategic and operational improvement initiative

Planning, communication, and change management

• Gather requirements from technical leads on each strategic and operational improvement initiative to ensure the proper communication and change management plan is in place for each deployment
• Develop delivery roadmaps, initiative charters, and status reporting artifacts that give stakeholders consistent, honest visibility into the health of each workstream
• Lead stakeholder communications across technical and non-technical audiences, translating delivery complexity into clear language without losing important operational detail
• Coordinate cross-functional dependencies between ITSM Administrators, Application Developers, Platform Engineers, and external vendors across concurrent strategic and operational improvement initiatives
• Manage risk identification and mitigation planning across the initiative portfolio, escalating appropriately and driving resolution with urgency
• Apply strong influencing and negotiating skills to align competing priorities across stakeholders, resources, and delivery timelines

Continuous service improvement and process excellence

• Champion a culture of Continuous Service Improvement (CSI) across all strategic and operational improvement initiatives, translating retrospective learnings into improved practices for future delivery cycles
• Apply process excellence methodologies to identify inefficiencies in current delivery workflows and drive measurable, sustainable improvements
• Support ITSM process implementation workstreams, ensuring that new tools, integrations, and workflows are properly scoped, tested, and documented before cutover
• Collaborate with service owners to ensure delivery outcomes align to ITIL-aligned process standards, including incident, change, request, and configuration management
• Track and report delivery metrics and execution KPIs, using data to guide sprint pacing decisions and portfolio prioritization across the full initiative landscape

Release management

• Own and manage the internal release management process for Managed Services, providing end-to-end governance and coordination across all release types including cross-platform integrations, software upgrades, and innovative AI solution development
• Establish and maintain a release calendar that coordinates deployment windows, dependency sequencing, and stakeholder readiness across all cross-platform integration workstreams and software upgrade cycles
• Lead release readiness reviews, ensuring that each release, whether a platform integration, tooling upgrade, or AI-driven capability, meets defined quality, testing, and documentation standards before go-live
• Coordinate with ITSM Administrators, Application Developers, Platform Engineers, and vendor partners to manage release dependencies, mitigate integration risks, and maintain service continuity throughout deployment cycles
• Champion innovation pipeline governance for AI solution development workstreams, ensuring that emerging capabilities move from ideation through delivery in a structured, risk-managed, and stakeholder-informed manner

Knowledge management support

• For each strategic and operational improvement initiative, gather key knowledge requirements from technology support groups to ensure the proper knowledge articles are created for internal employees and the customer-facing service portal
• Identify existing knowledge sources within the organization that need to be incorporated into the Service Knowledge Management System as part of initiative closure activities
• Identify user groups, audiences, and integration points for knowledge management activities required within each initiative, ensuring knowledge assets reach the right people in the right format
• Review net-new knowledge articles submitted through delivery workstreams prior to publication, verifying accuracy and alignment to initiative outcomes
• Collate knowledge requirements and gaps identified across the initiative portfolio and socialize the knowledge strategy and process as required on a quarterly basis, working in close partnership with the ITIL Knowledge Manager

What you'll bring to the table:

• 5+ years of experience with Scrum and Agile methodologies in a technology delivery environment, with demonstrable experience managing concurrent program level strategic and operational improvement initiatives
• PMI-ACP, CAPM, PMP, CSM, or equivalent Agile or program management certification
• Experience in ITSM process implementations, Continuous Service Improvements, and/or process excellence methodologies and tools
• Experience managing a release management process in a technology or managed services environment, including coordination of cross-platform integrations, software upgrade cycles, and emerging technology delivery
• Effective interpersonal skills including mentoring, coaching, collaborating, and team building
• Strong analytical, planning, and organizational skills with an ability to manage competing demands across a multi-initiative portfolio
• Ability to grasp high-level technical concepts quickly and solution-oriented with a positive attitude
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Creative approach to problem-solving with the ability to focus on details while maintaining the "big picture" view
• Strong focus on CSI and process re-engineering
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills
• 2+ years' experience with ITSM process and ITIL Foundations v4 (or latest v5) preferred
• Post-secondary education in Project Management, Information Technology, or Communications preferred
• Experience with ServiceNow, Jira, Confluence, or similar PPM tools preferred

Compensation:
A reasonable estimate of the current base pay range for this position in Texas and Chicago is $84,750 to $113,000 annually + 10% as target incentives.
A reasonable estimate of the current base pay range for this position in Florida and Colorado is $85,880 to $107,350 annually + 10% as target incentives.
Actual salary will be based on a variety of factors, including location, experience, skill set, education, and related certification. The range for this position in other geographic locations may differ.
Softchoice offers a comprehensive and competitive benefit plan to all full-time employees, which includes:

• Health and Wellbeing: Medical, Dental, and Vision Care, Flexible Spending Account, Employee Assistance Program
• Financial Benefits: 401k Plan with Company Matching, Life and Disability Insurance
• Paid Time Off: PTO and Sick Leave (starting at 20 days per year), Holidays, Parental Leave, Volunteer Days, Bereavement Leave
• Additional Perks: Employee Discount Program

Not sure if you qualify? Think about applying anyway:
We understand that not everyone brings 100% of the skills and experience for the role.
At Softchoice, we offer opportunities to a diverse group including those with a variety of workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to corporate tech, returning to work after a gap in employment, or looking to transition and take the next step in your career, we are excited to learn more about you and encourage you to apply.
Why You'll Love Working Here:

• The People: You'll thrive in our collaborative environment, surrounded by incredible colleagues who foster support and innovation, driving our collective success
• High-Performing Culture: At Softchoice, we are dedicated to achieving our goals and committed to success for our customers and each other
• Flexibility: Plan your workdays in a way that suits you best
• Award-Winning Workplace: Proudly recognized as a Great Place to Work for 20 consecutive years
• Inclusive Culture: We are committed to an inclusive culture where every team member can be their authentic self
• Competitive Benefits: Benefit from competitive perks that start on day one

Inclusion & Equal opportunity employment:
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, inclusion & belonging. People seeking employment at Softchoice are considered without regard to any protected category including but not limited to, race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Require accommodation? We are ready to help:
We are proud to provide interview & employment accommodation during the recruitment and hiring process. If you require any accommodation to apply or interview for a position, please reach out directly to asktalentacquisition@softchoice.com. We are committed to working with you to best meet your needs.
Our commitment to your experience:
We are committed to the safety of all applicants and team members. With that in mind, we have implemented digital interviewing for everyone. We understand that you may need to interview with distractions around you (such as children or furry friends) and we will be doing the same.
Before you start with us, we will conduct a criminal record check, verify your education, and check your references.
When you join Softchoice, we will onboard you remotely. Don't worry. It's quick, simple and you'll be connected with your new team in no time.
Job Requisition ID: 7619
EoE/M/F/Vet/Disability
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