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

As an Events Strategy Program Manager on our Development team, you will help build and lead the program-management capability behind a growing portfolio of high-impact, in-person experiences. You will translate strategy into an operating model that enables senior leaders and cross-functional teams to make sound decisions, prioritize the right opportunities, and move complex work from concept through evaluation. This is a builder role for someone who can create clarity in ambiguity, establish scalable systems and governance, and influence stakeholders without relying on formal authority. If successful, you will strengthen how we plan, coordinate, measure, and continually improve experiences that deepen partner relationships and advance fundraising outcomes.

Own the operating model in motion

• Serve as the single point of accountability for moving each in-person experience from intake through execution to debrief, keeping momentum across every hand-off between teams.
• Run the intake and approval flow, receiving each request, triaging it against the established event taxonomy, and routing it to the right decision-makers, keeping the process fast and low-friction.
• Staff and coordinate the steering committee for larger, more complex events, preparing the business case and materials so the committee can decide quickly.

Keep the year-round calendar coordinated

• Actively surface and resolve scheduling and resource conflicts before they strain top-partner relationships.
• Provide portfolio-level oversight across the full slate through a regular calendar check-in cadence.
• Hold the lead-time standard so teams have the runway to design and deliver high-impact experiences, even when last-minute requests press against it.

Drive the work forward and keep it visible

• Track status across all in-person experiences so that, at any moment, you can say what's on track and what's stuck - and unstick it.
• Drive owner accountability and deadlines.

Close the loop so the program keeps improving

• Coordinate the post-event debrief and the three-to-four-month and twelve-month look-backs (scheduling them, capturing the inputs, and making sure the data are captured)  in partnership with the operations and strategy owners who set the measures.
• Equip partnership advisors with the resulting insights to sharpen forecasting and deepen partner engagement.
• Surface data-driven recommendations for the process and tooling improvements that let us convene more, without losing quality.

A drive to own outcomes and move work across the finish line

• A track record as the person others count on to carry complex, cross-functional efforts to completion, keeping many moving parts visible, knowing where things are stuck, and unsticking them.
• The presence and judgment to drive work forward and hold a high bar, gracefully, through influence rather than formal authority.

Exceptional project and program management

• Deep experience running structured processes, gates, and approvals on cadence, with the rigor to keep a large, moving portfolio on schedule.
• Strong attention to detail and a bias for follow-through and iteration.

Cross-functional collaboration and influence

• Ability to align senior leaders and partnership advisors around a shared way of working.
• A record of building trust and driving adoption of new processes.
• Comfort operating with two reporting relationships, proactively keeping both stakeholders informed and aligned, rather than letting priorities triangulate.

Operational judgment with data

• Comfort using data and status information to keep work on track, evaluate how the process is performing, and inform practical improvements.
• Facility with the tools that make coordination visible, calendars, trackers, and approval workflows.

Enthusiasm to contribute to Stand Together's vision and principled approach to solving problems, and a commitment to stewarding our culture, which champions values including transformation and innovation, entrepreneurialism, humility, and respect. 

• Experience with event strategy, event portfolios, donor or partner experiences, or other high-touch convening programs.
• Experience in fundraising, development, philanthropy, or advancement.
• Strong systems thinking and the ability to design scalable solutions across connected teams and processes.
• Fluency with data and reporting, including defining measures and turning insights into recommendations.
• A track record of building trusted cross-functional relationships and aligning teams with different priorities.
• Experience with CRM, portfolio-management, workflow, event, or reporting tools.

·       Competitive benefits: Enjoy a 6% 401(k) match with immediate vesting, flexible time off, comprehensive health and dental plans, plus wellness and mental health support through Peloton and Talkspace. 
·       A meaningful career: Join a passionate community of over 1,400 employees dedicated to improving lives and driving innovative solutions to complex social challenges. 
·       Commitment to growth: Thrive in a non-hierarchical environment that empowers employees to discover, develop and apply their unique talents. 

For this role, the anticipated base salary range is $100,000-$150,000 per year. This role may also be eligible for additional bonus compensation designed to align total compensation with an employee’s overall contribution to the organization.

Our Principles-Based Management™ (PBM) compensation philosophy is grounded in an individualized approach that rewards the long-term value each person creates for the organization. Compensation decisions are informed by a variety of factors, including relevant experience, capabilities, demonstrated skills, role responsibilities, and expected contribution. Consistent with this approach, base salary may vary within or outside of the anticipated range based on these considerations.