Senior Program Manager

Position : Senior Program Manager
Location : Edmonton (Remote Possibilities)

Classification : Full Time, Immediate Hire

AutoCanada is the largest Canadian owned and publicly traded automotive dealer group operating in Canada and the US. We are innovative, data-driven and our commitment to our Team Members, customers and operational excellence fuels our success.

We find opportunities to reward high-performers regularly and are looking for managers that empower and motivate their teams to do their very best. We want someone whose values align with our own and can support our people-driven culture of learning and continuous development. Working here is fast-paced, non-stop, and a little unpredictable—and we love it.

Your area of focus.

As the Senior Program Manager, you will lead the Project Management Office within AutoCanada’s Technology team, reporting to the Chief Technology Officer. You will give the department one accurate view of all project work: what is in flight, who is doing it, when it is due, and how it is tracking. You will also lead the small number of critical, strategic projects that our executive team follows closely.

You will succeed in this role if you bring structure without bureaucracy, are comfortable working with senior stakeholders, and can keep many moving parts on track across a fast-paced, multi-team environment.

What drives your day-to-day?

We have an enthusiastic and highly effective team with no end to challenging and interesting work in sight. The company is growing, and the mindset is expansionary.

This is a highly visible role that works directly with the CTO, technology leaders, and the executive team. You will shape how a 70-person technology organization plans and delivers its work, at a time when AutoCanada is investing in data, AI, and modern Microsoft technologies.

• Lead the Technology Project Management Office (PMO), including the coaching and development of an internal project manager and contract project managers.
• Maintain a single portfolio register of all Technology projects, with due dates, status, assigned resources, and regular updates from function leads.
• Lead AutoCanada’s critical, executive-visible technology projects end to end, including detailed plans, milestones, RAID logs, cost, and resource allocation.
• Hold committed delivery dates and report early when a date is at risk.
• Assess scope changes for their impact on timelines, cost, and capacity, and present them to leadership as decisions.
• Maintain the department view of resource allocation across projects and operations, including capacity forecasts and scenario analysis.
• Partner with function leads to resource new projects against the backlog and work in flight, and bring prioritization trade-offs to the leadership team with clear options.
• Confirm project priority and criticality with the executive team.
• Run stage gates where work moves between teams, and lead operational readiness reviews before each launch, covering support model, staffing, run costs, rollout communication, and ongoing development.
• Oversee third-party vendors and delivery partners on critical projects.
• Track CapEx and OpEx by project and prepare forecasts with Technology Operations and Finance, including the cost and stage records that support software capitalization under IFRS (IAS 38).
• Produce the weekly portfolio report, dashboards, and executive review materials using Azure DevOps, Microsoft Project or Planner, and Power BI.
• Keep PMO standards and templates light, practical, and useful to the teams.

What are the must-haves…

• Related post-secondary education in business, technology, or a related field.
• 8+ years’ experience managing software, data, or technology projects and programs across multiple teams, including at least two years managing a portfolio.
• 3+ years’ experience leading project managers, including contract resources.
• Proven experience leading strategic projects with executive visibility, with accountability for plans, milestones, cost, and committed dates.
• Experience with resource and capacity planning across teams that share people.
• Strong understanding of IT financials, including CapEx, OpEx, forecasting, and project cost tracking in an environment with audit or financial-control obligations.
• Experience managing vendors and third-party delivery partners.
• Working knowledge of the software development lifecycle, agile delivery, and ITIL.
• A track record of simplifying process, not just building it.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present to executives and work closely with technical teams.
• PMP or agile certification considered an asset.
• Software capitalization experience consid