Sr. Program Manager

About the role

Job Description:

Providing for loved ones, planning rewarding retirements, saving enough for whatever lies ahead – our policyholders count on us to be there when it matters most. It’s a big ask, but it’s one that we have the power to deliver when we work together. We collaborate and innovate – pushing one another to transform not just Pacific Life, but the entire industry for the better. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. Pacific Life is more than a job, it’s a career with purpose. It’s a career where you have the support, balance, and resources to make a positive impact on the future – including your own.
We’re actively seeking a talented Program Manager to join the Strategy & Program Management Office (PMO) in our Workforce Benefits Division (WBD) in Newport Beach, CA. This role is hybrid. We believe in empowering our employees to get work done both in and out of the office.
As a Program Manager, you’ll move Pacific Life, and your career, forward by leading complex, cross-functional programs from concept to delivery. You’ll partner with business and technology leaders across the organization to translate the division’s strategy into action. Your initial focus will be leading our Paid Family & Medical Leave (PFML) program. This role requires a self-starter and delivery leader who brings structure, drives clarity, and ensures steady progress, even when priorities shift. The ideal candidate embraces the ambiguity and complexity of scaling a new business, balances planning with adaptability, and operates with a strong sense of ownership and urgency.

How you’ll help move us forward:

• Lead and manage multiple, complex programs and projects across the division, including new product development, new capability development, and operational readiness, from concept to delivery
• Develop integrated program roadmaps, master plans, timelines, and deliverables that align business, technology, and operational workstreams to strategic objectives and business outcomes
• Lead delivery using a combination of Agile, waterfall, and hybrid methods, adjusting plans based on team feedback, stakeholder input, and shifting priorities
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across the value chain within the Division and with Enterprise teams, ensuring dependencies, impediments, and delivery constraints are actively managed
• Drive timely program decisions; identify risks early, manage trade-offs, and escalate when appropriate to maintain delivery momentum
• Monitor and report on program performance, key metrics, and progress, communicating clearly and effectively to senior leadership and stakeholders
• Develop program and project business cases, partnering with stakeholders to define value, key metrics, resource needs/costs, and delivery assumptions
• Act as a liaison between internal teams and external vendors, ensuring tightly coordinated program execution
• Partner with product managers, business owners, and delivery leads to ensure scope, timing, and outcomes are aligned

The experience you bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, technology, or a related discipline
• 10+ years of program and project management experience leading highly complex, cross-functional programs in hybrid Agile environments (Agile, Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or mixed models)
• Experience bringing new products or capabilities to market, from concept to implementation
• Experience managing external vendor relationships and coordinating vendor-delivered work
• Strong facilitation and communication skills, with a proven ability to lead through ambiguity
• Experience managing delivery in environments with both iterative and milestone-driven work
• Ability to track and manage progress across multiple teams and technologies without heavy overhead
• Familiarity with project, portfolio, and collaboration tools such as Planview, Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, Microsoft Project, or Smartsheet
• Demonstrated ability to influence without authority and coordinate across stakeholder groups
• Experience in regulated industries (e.g., insurance, financial services, healthcare) preferred

What makes you stand out:

• Experience with PFML, statutory disability, leave and absence management, or group disability programs, whether at a carrier, TPA, or state program
• Group benefits experience
• Familiarity with state insurance product filing and regulatory approval processes
• Experience with insurance policy administration and claims platforms and their integrations
• Thrives in a dynamic environment, taking initiative and driving progress with minimal direction
• Experienced living in the space between strategy and execution, with a results-oriented mindset and the ability to drive innovation and change
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or Certified Scrum Professional (CSP)
• SAFe® Scrum Master (SSM) or SAFe® Agilist (SA)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)®
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)®
• Lean Six Sigma Yellow or Green Belt (a plus)

What Success Looks Like:

• Work progresses iteratively, with direction and purpose
• Product, filing, technology, and operational readiness plans come together in one coordinated program plan
• Risks are surfaced and addressed early, not after the fact
• Stakeholders remain informed, engaged, and aligned
• Delivery plans remain current and useful, not theoretical
• Teams are supported and business outcomes are delivered with consistency

You can be who you are.
People come first here. We’re committed to an inclusive workforce. Learn more about how we create a welcoming work environment through Inclusion at www.pacificlife.com. What’s life like at Pacific Life? Visit Instagram.com/lifeatpacificlife.

#LI-TM1

Base Pay Range:

The base pay range noted represents the company’s good faith minimum and maximum range for this role at the time of posting. The actual compensation offered to a candidate will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to experience, qualifications and geographic location. Also, most employees are eligible for additional incentive pay.

$152,010.00 - $185,790.00

Your Benefits Start Day 1

Your wellbeing is important to Pacific Life, and we’re committed to providing you with flexible benefits that you can tailor to meet your needs. Whether you are focusing on your physical, financial, emotional, or social wellbeing, we’ve got you covered.

• Prioritization of your health and well-being including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Wellbeing Reimbursement Account that can be used on yourself or your eligible dependents

• Generous paid time off options including: Paid Time Off, Holiday Schedules, and Financial Planning Time Off

• Paid Parental Leave as well as an Adoption Assistance Program

• Competitive 401k savings plan with company match and an additional contribution regardless of participation

You Can Be Who You Are

We are committed to a culture of diversity and inclusion that embraces the authenticity of all employees, partners and communities. We support all employees to thrive and achieve their fullest potential.

What’s life like at Pacific Life? Visit Instagram.com/lifeatpacificlife

EEO Statement:

Pacific Life Insurance Company is an Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer, M/F/D/V. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request an accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career center as a result of your disability. To request an accommodation, contact a Human Resources Representative at Pacific Life Insurance Company.