Operations & Program Manager

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced individual to join our organization as an Operations & Program Specialist within the Insights and Data Products organization.

This critical role serves as the operational backbone, ensuring the seamless execution of day-to-day business operations that directly support our mission to deliver cutting-edge solutions and achieve our ambitious 2030 strategic goals. You'll provide the operational foundation that enables our product, engineering, and business teams to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and maintain momentum toward our long-term vision of establishing Azara as the industry-leading AI analytics platform.

CORE COMPETENCIES

• AI
• Financial Management & Budgeting
• Resource Allocation & Optimization
• Business Intelligence & Reporting
• Vendor Management
• Strategic Planning & Execution
• Process Improvement & Automation
• Stakeholder Communication
• KPI Monitoring & Performance Analysis

This role is situated in a dynamic and fast-paced product development environment, characterized by a sense of urgency and resource constraints. The person in this role must be able to be adaptable, comfortable with ambiguity, and willing to take on additional responsibilities as the need arises. This role calls for exceptional leadership, tactical & strategic thinking, strong background in the program and operations, financial acumen, and the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously. Position resides within the Business Operations functional area and will report to the I&D Operations Leader.

_Financial Management:

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• Leading the monthly financial submission process while implementing robust controls and governance frameworks.
• Ensuring accurate tracking of resources and financial data across the organization.
• Building and managing comprehensive financials for both operational and capitalizable costs, which includes developing forecasts, monitoring actuals, processing change requests, and preparing Capex charters.
• Maintain ongoing financial calendars and adhere to crucial deadlines.
• Regularly present financial updates to key stakeholders, providing in-depth analysis of variances & crafting compelling narratives to explain financial performance.
• Assisting in creating financial models & scenario planning to support strategy
• Collaborate with procurement teams to manage vendor relationships & contracts.
• Managing vendor invoices, purchase orders, and expense tracking processes

Budgets and Cost controls

• Oversee the budget management cycle, ensuring clear communication of processes and timelines across the organization.
• Developing and disseminating comprehensive budget templates, establishing and maintaining budget calendars, and implementing robust control mechanisms.
• Manage the submission process, guide teams through the various stages, and ensure adherence to established protocols.
• Refine approval processes, streamlining workflows, and implementing checks and balances to maintain financial integrity.
• Tracking spending against budgets with variance analysis for leadership decisions.

_Resource & Hiring Management:

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• Resource Optimization & Allocation: Optimize personnel, tools, & technology utilization to maximize program delivery efficiency while collaborating with finance & program teams to achieve balanced portfolios and precise resource allocations.
• Governance & Tracking Systems: assist in developing robust tracking systems and governance mechanisms for resource oversight, including automated reporting solutions that provide real-time insights into utilization and performance to enable data-driven decision-making.
• End-to-End Recruitment: Manage comprehensive recruitment activities, process approvals, and tracking all Insights & Data areas, coordinating with departments to identify staffing needs and forecast budgets.
• Hiring Progress & Compliance Monitoring: Maintain detailed tracking systems for all open positions, ensure compliance with hiring policies & procedures, and serve as primary liaison with Tech Engineering Ops team for technical resource recruitment.
• Strategic Workforce Planning: Create talent pipeline reports to inform workforce planning decisions and monitor hiring velocity against product roadmap dependencies, flagging risks when critical roles remain unfilled.

BI Dashboards and Reporting:

• Key liaison between operational needs and the BI development team.
• Defining comprehensive requirements for resource & financial dashboards tailored to the specific needs of program managers, product teams, and leadership.
• Work closely with the BI development team to ensure these dashboards are built to specification, providing intuitive, data-rich visualizations that enable informed decision-making at all levels.
• Facilitating the process to ensure that critical operational and financial data is readily accessible and easily interpretable, supporting strategic planning and day-to-day management across the organization.
• Building and maintaining dashboards for operational KPIs including product adoption, user engagement, platform performance, and accuracy metrics

_Communication & Information Mgt:

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• Build and present clear and concise presentations that include data visualizations, dashboards, strategic level directions, etc.
• Maintaining centralized SharePoint site serving as single source of truth for I&D team operations, product documentation, and strategic planning materials
• Organizing & publishing key info including product roadmaps, sprint calendars, metrics dashboards, team updates, new hire spotlights, and recognition programs
• Assist in driving operational portfolio performance through effective resource allocation and continuous monitoring of KPIs.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders, including executives, department heads, and team members, to ensure clear communication and seamless coordination across operational duties within the ID space.
• Develop automated reporting within smart sheets that are distributed to the appropriate audience, dashboards and a centralized share point site

Continuous Improvement & AI Automation

• Audit & document current operational processes (workflows, handoffs, tools used, pain points) to identify where AI agents or automation can reduce manual work.
• Design, build, and test AI agents/workflows (e.g., using tools like Claude) that automate repetitive or rules-based tasks.
• Partner directly with operations staff and other functional leads to gather requirements & validate that automated solutions actually fit how the team works.
• Pilot automations in a controlled way, measure time/error savings, & iterate before wider rollout.
• Maintain documentation on what's automated, how it works, & ownership.
• Train & support operations staff in adopting new AI-assisted workflows.
• Report progress and impact directly to the Operations Leader, including a prioritized roadmap of automation opportunities.
• Stay current on AI/agent tooling relevant to operations use cases and proactively flag opportunities.

Qualifications & Requirements:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Finance, Information Systems, or related field
• 7+ years proven experience as Operations, Finance, or Program Manager with strong operational knowledge in product development environments

Core Competencies:

• Detail-oriented and results-driven with obsessive attention to data accuracy, continuous improvement mindset, & ability to excel under pressure in fast-paced AI/analytics environments
• Strong financial acumen including P&Ls, LBAs, ROIs, budgeting, resource allocation, & vendor/invoice mgt with ability to connect operational metrics to strategic goals
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with data-driven decision-making approach and systems thinking for interconnected operational solutions
• Advanced communication and stakeholder management capabilities across all organizational levels, including senior executives, with both technical and non-technical audiences. Including building power point executive level presentations.

Technical Skills:

• Required: Advanced Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, and basic data analysis capabilities
• Preferred: AI tools (Claude), Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Smartsheet, Jira, Confluence, Workday/HRIS systems, Python automation, FinancialForce, AI & AI Agents

Additional Qualifications:

• Project Mgt experience with Agile/sprint methodologies and proficiency in operational management software, ERP systems, and BI tools
• Strategic planning, risk management, and KPI tracking experience with ability to create impactful portfolio-level presentations
• Commercial real estate industry experience preferred but not required