Unum

Program Manager - Portfolio Planning

Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA Full time
Job Posting End Date: May 07

Our Fortune 500 company is driving a digital transformation and looking for forward-thinking innovators to disrupt how our industry thinks about and uses technology. As one of the world's leading employee benefits providers, we help millions of people gain affordable access to benefits that help them protect their families, their finances and their futures.

Are you an asker of questions, a solver of problems, and a challenger of the status quo? Our mission is to provide a differentiated customer experience and exceed the expectations people have of technology at any company — not just insurers. 

We are seeking individuals to join our team of talented IT professionals who share never-ending passion and an unwavering focus on our customer experience. Team members comfortable working in an agile, fast-paced, and delivery-focused environment thrive in our environment where we value an entrepreneurial spirit and those who challenge the status-quo.

Unum is changing, and we’re excited about what’s next. Join us.

General Summary:

This Program Manager role plays a critical role in shaping how investment decisions translate into business value. This is not a delivery‑only role, it is a financially focused, portfolio‑driven leadership position responsible for overseeing large‑scale initiatives, funding decisions, and vendor investments across multiple value streams.

You will operate at the intersection of strategy, finance, and execution, owning a portfolio of initiatives with multi-million dollar annual budgets, including significant third‑party vendor spend.

Success in this role requires strong analytical thinking, financial discipline, and the ability to translate complex data into clear insights for senior leaders.

Portfolio & Financial Leadership:

  • Own end‑to‑end portfolio planning and financial oversight, ensuring initiatives are prioritized, funded, and executed in direct alignment with business strategy

  • Actively manage large, complex budgets including tracking spend, validating invoices, ensuring contracts are in place, and confirming financial accuracy

  • Analyze monthly financials and portfolio metrics to answer critical questions

  • Partner with leaders to make informed decisions on what to fund, pause, redirect, or stop
     

Business Value & Strategy Execution:

  • Plan and measure business benefit realization, ensuring initiatives are evaluated not just on delivery, but on the sustained performance of their outcomes

  • Ensure work across value streams supports key objectives such as operational efficiency, regulatory enablement, customer satisfaction (CSAT), and long‑term value creation

  • Translate financial and operational data into clear, compelling narratives that guide executive decision‑making
     

Program & Dependency Management:

  • Provide leadership and integration across multiple teams and value streams, coordinating dependencies and resolving issues that impact delivery or financial health

  • Maintain real‑time visibility into portfolio health, progress, risks, dependencies, and financial exposure

  • Identify, assess, and proactively manage risks as conditions evolve
     

Governance, Reporting & Influence:

  • Prepare and deliver executive‑level reporting that combines financial insight, progress tracking, and risk assessment

  • Ensure strong governance practices are followed across programs, including time reporting, financial controls, and compliance requirements

  • Influence without authority, indirectly driving teams, program managers, and stakeholders toward aligned outcomes
     

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

  • 8+ years of experience in program management, portfolio management, finance, or a related discipline

  • Demonstrated success managing large, complex initiatives ($1M+), including significant budgets and vendor spend

  • Strong financial acumen, able to analyze data, reconcile spend, identify anomalies, and tell the story behind the numbers

  • Advanced communication skills with the ability to influence executive, business, and technical audiences
     

Preferred Experience:

  • Experience with Agile and Scaled Agile organizations (SAFe or equivalent), with a pragmatic mindset toward delivery

  • Familiarity with common enterprise tools such as Excel, Tableau, PowerPoint, Rally, and similar reporting platforms

  • Experience managing vendor contracts and third‑party delivery partners

#LI-TS1

~IN1

Our company is built on helping individuals and families, and this starts with our employees. We want employees to maintain a positive balance, which is why we provide access to the benefits and resources they need to invest in themselves. From our onsite fitness facilities and generous paid time off to employee professional development programs, we are committed to helping employees live and work their best – both inside and outside the office.

Unum is an equal opportunity employer, considering all qualified applicants and employees for hiring, placement, and advancement, without regard to a person's race, color, religion, national origin, age, genetic information, military status, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, or protected veteran status.

The base salary range for applicants for this position is listed below. Unless actual salary is indicated above in the job description, actual pay will be based on skill, geographical location and experience.

$109,100.00-$224,000.00

Additionally, Unum offers a portfolio of benefits and rewards that are competitive and comprehensive including healthcare benefits (health, vision, dental), insurance benefits (short & long-term disability), performance-based incentive plans, paid time off, and a 401(k) retirement plan with an employer match up to 5% and an additional 4.5% contribution whether you contribute to the plan or not.  All benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of individual Plans.

Company:

Unum