Program Project Manager Jobs in Columbia, MD (NOW HIRING)

Hiring a Program Manager for a large tech company in Arlington VA!

Job Description

This Project/Program Manager II role leads complex, compliance-focused e-commerce and public funding initiatives, coordinating end-to-end project and program activities from requirements through testing and regulatory reporting. The position oversees multiple concurrent work streams, sets direction and timelines, aligns cross-functional stakeholders, and ensures that deliverables, testing outcomes, and regulatory submissions are completed accurately and on schedule. The role combines hands-on project management, UAT testing coordination, and the design of reporting and documentation systems in a fast-paced, highly regulated environment. A bachelor’s degree and substantial project/program management experience are required, with the ideal candidate bringing 3–5 years of relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and complete project and program activities across e-commerce, testing, and public funding work streams, ensuring goals are met on time and within scope.
• Oversee all aspects of assigned projects, including planning, scheduling, resource allocation, risk management, and status reporting.
• Set project deadlines, define milestones, and assign responsibilities to team members and stakeholders across multiple work streams.
• Monitor project and program progress, summarize status, and prepare clear, concise reports for upper management and leadership.
• Design and implement tracking systems, deadline management frameworks, filing calendars, and submission workflows to manage regulatory reporting obligations.
• Create and maintain cross-jurisdictional coordination mechanisms to track state-specific reporting requirements, data elements, and deadlines across parallel state timelines.
• Drive cross-functional stakeholder alignment by building tracking and communication mechanisms between internal teams such as enablement, finance, legal, and network operations to ensure reporting inputs and submissions are delivered on time.
• Support audit readiness by helping implement and adopt repository architecture, version control protocols, and documentation standards that demonstrate adherence to federal and state program requirements.
• Conduct compliance gap analyses and support remediation efforts to maintain alignment with evolving regulatory and program requirements.
• Support e-commerce product reviews and contribute to the development and refinement of business requirements for country-specific launches and geo expansion initiatives.
• Write clear, testable business requirements for new e-commerce features, country launches, and geo expansion work streams.
• Manage testing work streams for geo expansion, including planning test cycles, coordinating resources, and ensuring readiness for launch.
• Write and review UAT (User Acceptance Testing) test cases that accurately reflect business requirements and compliance needs.
• Manage testing windows, including scheduling, communicating timelines, tracking execution, and ensuring completion of UAT activities.
• Review UAT test results, identify issues, and coordinate with relevant teams to resolve defects and confirm readiness for deployment.
• Represent testing responsibilities, which comprise approximately 25% of the role, while balancing other project and program management duties.
• Assist with 2–3 concurrent work streams, typically spanning e-commerce, testing, and public funding initiatives, and adjust focus as priorities shift.
• Lead and direct the work of others, providing guidance, coordination, and support to project team members and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Rely on extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals, exercising a wide degree of creativity and latitude in solution design and problem solving.
• Operate effectively in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment with frequently changing scope, adapting plans and communication to evolving business and regulatory needs.
• Ensure compliance work streams for e-commerce requirements delivery and testing are properly managed, documented, and executed.
• Maintain organized project documentation, including plans, requirements, test cases, status reports, and regulatory submissions.
• Communicate proactively with stakeholders, escalating risks and issues when necessary, and driving resolution to keep projects on track.
• Collaborate closely with public funding teams to support program requirements, reporting obligations, and related project activities.

Essential Skills

• 3–5 years of project or program management experience, with more experienced candidates considered.
• Proven experience managing compliance work streams for e-commerce requirements delivery and testing.
• Strong project and program management skills, including planning, scheduling, risk management, and stakeholder coordination.
• Demonstrated ability to design and implement tracking systems, deadline management frameworks, filing calendars, and submission workflows for regulatory reporting obligations.
• Experience creating cross-jurisdictional coordination mechanisms for tracking state-specific reporting requirements, data elements, and deadlines.
• Experience in program/project management and stakeholder alignment across cross-functional teams.
• Hands-on experience writing and reviewing UAT test cases and managing testing windows, including scheduling, execution tracking, and results review.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent work streams (typically 2–3) in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment with changing scope.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong organizational abilities, with a structured approach to documentation, tracking, and deadline management.
• Proactive ownership mindset, taking initiative to identify issues, propose solutions, and drive projects to completion.
• Familiarity with compliance-focused work in e-commerce or similarly regulated domains.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
• Familiarity with a variety of concepts, practices, and procedures in project and program management.
• Ability to lead and direct the work of others while collaborating effectively across teams.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with Jira and TestRail, which are preferred tools for managing requirements and testing activities.
• Experience with Smartsheet as a plus for project tracking and reporting.
• Telecom industry experience is preferred but not required, with support available for learning business-specific compliance requirements.
• Experience in highly regulated industries or large technology companies is highly preferred due to the compliance focus of the role.
• Comfort working within complex regulatory reporting frameworks and audit-readiness documentation environments.
• Ability to perform compliance gap analyses and contribute to continuous improvement of reporting and documentation processes.
• Capacity to thrive in a fast-paced environment with ambiguous and evolving requirements.
• Experience preparing concise, executive-ready status reports for upper management.
• Willingness to work in a role that may be less challenging for experienced candidates with 10+ years of experience, while still requiring strong execution and ownership.

Work Environment

This position requires 100% onsite presence during standard business hours, typically 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The work location will be based out of Arlington, VA, with the office situated next to a metro station for convenient public transit access. Paid parking is available at approximately $20 per day, and the cost is the responsibility of the employee. The environment combines independent work with collaborative sharing, where you will own your projects while regularly engaging with cross-functional teams for alignment and decision-making. You will work in a professional office setting that supports technology-driven project and program management, utilizing tools such as Jira, TestRail, and Smartsheet for tracking requirements, testing, and reporting. The role involves managing multiple concurrent work streams in a fast-paced, compliance-focused setting, with an emphasis on clear communication, thorough documentation, and structured processes.

This is a Contract position based out of Arlington, VA.

The pay range for this position is $50.00 - $54.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Arlington,VA.

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 31, 2026.

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.