Program Manager
Cialfo
Cialfo is a leading platform connecting students, higher education institutions, and counselors through technology-driven solutions. Launched in 2017 with a mission to make education accessible to 100 million students, Cialfo provides a range of mobile and web solutions to students, K-12 institutions, and higher education institutions. We’re one of the fastest-growing tech startups in the region, consistently charting new heights!
About the Role
We are looking for a highly organised, detail-oriented Program Manager to help the Product Department operate smoothly, collaborate effectively across teams, and deliver on our product roadmap with clarity and efficiency. Reporting directly to the Chief Product Officer (CPO), you will play a central role in ensuring that Product, UX, Engineering, and Marketing stay aligned and moving in the same direction. You won’t manage product or design directly, but you will be the operational engine that keeps the department structured, informed, and coordinated.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in complex environments, is excellent at communication and organisation, and enjoys ensuring that people, processes, and information flow seamlessly.
What You Will Be Doing
- Product Department Operations & Organisation
- Implement and maintain processes that keep the Product Department structured, efficient, and well organised.
- Drive accountability across Product Managers and UX Designers to ensure documentation, planning, and updates are consistently maintained.
- Own weekly meeting rhythms (standups, planning reviews, reporting cycles).
- Roadmap & Planning Coordination
- Ensure roadmap planning cycles run on schedule and key milestones are reached on time.
- Track progress against quarterly and annual product plans, highlighting risks and dependencies.
- Facilitate alignment between Product, UX, Engineering, and Marketing around priorities and delivery timelines.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration Management
- Serve as the connective tissue between Product and partner functions (Engineering, Marketing, UX).
- Coordinate information flow to ensure all teams are working with clear, up-to-date context.
- Escalate blockers, clarify responsibilities, and support teams in resolving cross-department dependencies.
- Reporting & Insights
- Lead the weekly reporting process for the CPO, ensuring updates are timely, accurate, and actionable.
- Coordinate with Product Managers to deliver high-quality status reports, progress summaries, and KPI updates.
- Own engagement reporting (weekly), including data collection, consistency checks, and distribution.
- Program Execution & Continuous Improvement
- Monitor execution across multiple product initiatives to ensure they stay on track.
- Identify gaps in processes, communication, or tooling; recommend and implement improvements.
- Maintain documentation and knowledge repositories for the Product Department.
About You
- Qualification
- Bachelor's degree in the relevant field.
- Experience
- 4–7 years of experience in program management, project management, PMO, or related operational roles—ideally in product-led, SaaS, or technology organisations.
- Exceptional organisational skills with a track record of structuring complex, multi-team workflows.
- Strong analytical and reporting skills; able to uncover insights from data and present clearly.
- Skills and Qualities
- Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to translate between technical and non-technical teams.
- Experience coordinating across Product, Design/UX, Engineering, or Marketing functions.
- Highly proactive, reliable, and detail-oriented; able to anticipate needs before they arise.
- Comfortable with tools such as Asana, Jira, Notion, Airtable, or similar workflow platforms.
- Strong analytical and reporting skills; able to uncover insights from data and present clearly.
- Familiarity with Agile/Scrum environments (you do not need to be a Product Manager, but must understand the rhythms).
What Success Looks Like
- The Product Department runs smoothly with high operational clarity and minimal chaos.
- The product roadmap moves forward on schedule, with risks surfaced early and mitigated effectively.
- Collaboration between Product, UX, Engineering, and Marketing feels structured and efficient.
- Weekly reporting is timely, insightful, and consistently high quality.
- CPO and product leadership always have clear visibility on progress, risks, and engagement metrics.