Senior Program Manager (Category Management Programs)

BC Hydro’s Supply Chain function is integral to keeping the business running and the lights on. BC Hydro has transformed its Supply Chain model through the implementation of a full category management capability to ensure the needs of the business are met in terms of quality, safety, and reliability in what we buy, ensuring the optimal total cost of ownership and creating mutually beneficial supplier relationships. The Category Management Supply Chain team is accountable for developing and implementing strategies for key categories that account for over 80% of BC Hydro’s annual multi-billion dollar expenditure. Our job is to ensure BC Hydro is getting the best overall value through strategically managing categories and suppliers to ensure performance is optimal and risks are mitigated.

The mission of the Senior Program Manager, PMO is to provide strategic leadership, program and project management expertise, and business process improvement oversight to support the successful planning, execution, and sustainment of activities across several portfolios and initiatives. The role is responsible for leading strategic projects, as well as ensuring a consistent and disciplined approach to program management across Category Management portfolios while supporting Category Leads and leadership teams in the planning and delivery of category activities. The immediate priorities of the role include providing program management support to the Technology and Enterprise portfolios, developing and maintaining category plans and roadmaps, strengthening governance and reporting practices, and enabling effective communication, decision-making and issue escalation processes. The role also provides leadership for continuous improvement initiatives across Category Management and Supply Chain, ensuring program management practices, tools, reporting, and processes remain effective, efficient, and aligned across portfolios.

This role reports to the Manager of Category Management Programs and works in partnership with Category Management Leadership, Category Leads, Practice Leads, Supply Chain leadership, Technology stakeholders, and business partners across BC Hydro.

Key responsibilities include:

• Provide Program Management support to several portfolios and/or initiatives, including plan development and maintenance, stakeholder engagement, communication and reporting to provide leadership with visibility to progress, risks, resource requirements, and key decisions.

• Develop, implement, and maintain program management tools, reporting processes, and governance mechanisms to track and report on category and sourcing events, decisions and action items, risks, and portfolio performance.

• Provide oversight of Program Management practices across Category Management portfolios to ensure consistent application of standards, tools, governance, and reporting processes.

• Lead the sustainment and continuous improvement of Program Management capabilities, processes, and performance measurements across Category Management.

• Identify, prioritize, and lead business process improvement initiatives within Category Management and across Supply Chain to improve efficiency, consistency, and service delivery.

• Facilitate cross-functional workshops, planning sessions, and stakeholder discussions to support planning, process improvements and program outcomes.

• Provide coaching, mentoring, and guidance to Category Leads and team members on project and program management, planning, and project delivery practices.

The Senior Program Manager (SPM) will lead cross-functional teams and work across multiple portfolios to support planning and business improvement projects. The SPM will serve as a trusted advisor to Category Leads and leadership teams by providing program management expertise, coaching, governance oversight, and structured approaches to planning and execution. Success in this role requires balancing strategic thinking with operational execution while driving accountability, alignment, and continuous improvement across Category Management.

Our ideal candidate is motivated to achieve results and has expertise in planning and managing complex programs, projects, and business improvement initiatives. The individual has a strategic mindset and is an effective collaborator with strong stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and influence skills. They are proactive, customer-focused, and capable of identifying opportunities to improve planning, processes, tools, and business outcomes. Key to their success is the ability to build strong relationships, foster collaboration across teams, navigate complexity, and translate strategic priorities into practical and sustainable solutions.

High Level Role Outcomes:

• Ensures Category Management portfolios have robust, actionable category plans and sourcing roadmaps.

• Ensures consistent and repeatable Program Management processes, reporting, governance, and planning tools are established and effectively used across portfolios.

• Ensures proactive identification, tracking, escalation, and management of risks, issues, milestones, and Outline Agreement expiry requirements.

• Has well established and trusted relationships with Category Leads, leadership teams, and key business stakeholders across BC Hydro.

• Is recognized as a program management and business process improvement expert who enables successful execution of category strategies and sourcing priorities.

• Provides effective coaching and mentoring that strengthens planning, reporting, and project management capabilities across Category Management teams.

What you bring

• University degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent combination of education and experience).

• Professional designations or certifications such as PMP, Lean, Six Sigma or equivalent are considered an asset.

• Minimum of 10 years of strategic-level experience in program management, project management, business improvement, process optimization, or related disciplines.

• Experience planning and simultaneously managing multiple complex programs, projects, and initiatives with competing priorities, tight timelines, and significant stakeholder involvement.

• Experience developing and implementing business process improvements in complex organizational environments.

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and facilitate discussions involving multiple stakeholder groups with diverse objectives and priorities.

• Strong analytical, planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate complex information into actionable plans and recommendations.

• Highly skilled in change management, stakeholder engagement, facilitation, and influencing without direct authority.

• Exceptional interpersonal, relationship-building, communication, and coaching skills with the ability to drive collaboration and achieve results through others.

What else you should know

• This is a Full-Time Regular (P4) opportunity on the team based at our Edmonds location in Burnaby.

• Please note this role is classified as a Hybrid role under the flexible work model, which currently includes a mix of working from home and working in the office. At present, this role is expected to work in the office a minimum of three days per week however at times it could be more frequent due to operational requirements and does require flexibility.