{"id":1294494,"url":"https://alion.io/job/sparq-principal-program-manager","title":"Principal Program Manager","company":{"id":2107477,"name":"Sparq","domain":"teamsparq.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/teamsparq","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Rippling","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":5,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-01T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Management","role_family":"Management","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Saint Louis, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":85000,"max_usd":191000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":1378},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Agile","optional":false},{"name":"Anthropic","optional":false},{"name":"Claude","optional":false},{"name":"Waterfall","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-17T13:23:21Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-17","last_verified_at":"2026-09-30T21:32:29Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":13,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":13},"description":"At Sparq, we help companies solve the right problems-not just build more technology.\nWe’re a modern product engineering partner blending strategy, craftsmanship, and speed to help organizations modernize confidently in the age of AI. From data ecosystems to digital products and AI acceleration, we turn complexity into clarity and ideas into impact.\nIf you’re driven to build what’s next, lead with empathy, and deliver excellence without ego, you’ll feel right at home at Sparq.\nC2C is not available\nMust be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship\nWhy you will enjoy Mondays again:\nOpportunity to work alongside a talented, diverse team in a collaborative and creative environment\nOngoing investment in your growth through training, mentorship, and industry certifications\nHands-on exposure to cutting-edge technologies across multiple industries\nRecognition programs and employee awards within an inclusive culture that celebrates great work, including our AI Innovators Program\nRemote or hybrid work options\nCompetitive salary \nRobust benefits package, matching 401(k) plan, and substantial PTO\nTuition reimbursement\nA Day in the Life:\nLead a highly complex, portfolio-aligned IT program from initial discovery and scope definition through execution, transition, and closeout.\nDevelop and manage an integrated program plan across multiple concurrent application development projects, ensuring timelines, milestones, and deliverables remain aligned.\nPartner with the Program Sponsor, Portfolio Manager, and other senior stakeholders to establish reporting cadences and provide clear, executive-level updates on program health, progress, financials, risks, and decisions.\nCollaborate across a large, distributed organization to define program scope, navigate ambiguity, build stakeholder alignment, and identify dependencies across projects and business areas.\nOwn program financial management, including cost estimates, budget development, forecasting, and forecast-to-actual tracking.\nWork onsite in the St. Louis, Missouri area as business needs require, up to once per week or three times per month.\nMonitor program risks, issues, dependencies, and health indicators, escalating significant concerns and leading resolution of the most complex challenges.\nDirect third-party and vendor activities by integrating external deliverables into the overall program plan and tracking performance against contractual commitments.\nOversee resource needs across the program, review requests from project managers, and escalate capacity or skill constraints that may affect delivery.\nApply Waterfall, Agile, or blended delivery approaches based on the needs of the program, projects, and stakeholders.\nLead interim and post-program reviews to evaluate outcomes, capture lessons learned, and identify opportunities to strengthen future execution.\nActively use AI tools, including Claude through our Anthropic partnership, to streamline tasks, improve the quality of your work, and share best practices with teammates while continuously seeking new ways to integrate AI into your everyday workflows\nMentor project managers and reinforce consistent project management standards, governance practices, and reporting expectations across the PMO.\nSupport organizational change activities by anticipating stakeholder impacts, strengthening adoption, and maintaining effective relationships throughout the program lifecycle.\nWhat it takes:\nConsultative approach and problem solving skills to successfully align digital solutions with long-term business goals of the client\nHands-on experience using AI tools to enhance daily work, or a strong desire to do so, including a willingness to experiment, learn, and champion AI adoption within your role\nClaude Certified Developer or Architect highly preferred; possible opportunity to obtain as a Sparq colleague\nCommitment to understanding and exceeding client expectations\nAbility to perform project oversight and execution of deliverables\nFlexibility to adapt within a high-growth organization\nAbility to lead, mentor and motivate those around them\nHunger for continuous learning and professional development\nIntellectual curiosity to provide creative solutions\nFull understanding of the software development life cycle\nAbility to positively impact fellow colleagues through effective leadership, presentations, coaching, etc. \nDesire to work in a team environment\nGood interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills\nRegardless of your specific role, we seek individuals who are excited to explore, adopt, and evangelize AI tools and methodologies. If you have experience in AI or a proven track record of rapidly learning and mentoring others on emerging tech, you’ll fit right in.\nEqual Employment Opportunity Policy: Sparq is proud to offer equal employment opportunity without regard to age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.\nWe are committed to providing equal employment opportunities and believe in an inclusive workplace. If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, please let us know by contacting \n#LI-HYBRID","description_format":"text","description_chars":5332,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Continuous learning","Hybrid work","Professional development"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Artificial Intelligence","Science & Engineering","Engineering Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-26T08:53:59Z"}],"liveness":{"score":71,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.794,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":13,"expected_fill_days":24,"reasons":["conf:8","velocity","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-10-01T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/sparq-principal-program-manager","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/sparq-principal-program-manager.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-01T10:18:49Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":1391,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":3609,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-10-02T00:00:00Z"}}}