Finance Program Manager

Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for a Finance Program Manager at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement, based in our Evanston, Illinois, office. The Finance Program Manager is responsible for providing project planning and program management for ongoing initiatives within UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE). They ensure that projects are completed to specification, within the agreed time frame and budget. The Finance Program Manager will use their expertise to improve project planning and resource management within ULRI and ULSE. This role partners cross-functionally to develop financial and operational analyses and provide insights that inform decision-making and align financial plans with organizational priorities.

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

At UL Research Institutes (ULRI) and UL Standards & Engagement (ULSE), we expand the boundaries of safety science to create a more secure and sustainable world. For more than a century, we have studied the unintended consequences of innovation, designed solutions to mitigate risk, created new safety standards and shared our findings with academia, scientists, manufacturers, and policymakers across industries. We identify critical safety and sustainability issues, asking the tough questions because we believe a safer world begins with knowledge.

What you'll learn and achieve:

As the Finance Program Manager, you will play a key role in the rapid growth of UL as you:

• Assemble project team, assign roles and responsibilities, and ensure accountability.

• Drive and lead projects and teams across the organization.

• Create and maintain budget and schedule to ensure successful completion of project.

• Develop and maintain standard project management documentation and metrics to ensure high transparency of status, risk, and issues across the enterprise.

• Work directly with internal and external stakeholders, other functional area leads, and ongoing operations to deliver successful implementation and manage scope.

• Establish a robust and trusted partnership with stakeholders to ensure full buy-in and alignment from project initiation to project deployment, and complete understanding of stakeholder requirements, roles, and responsibilities.

• Serve as an integrator between project management and change management activities for projects across operations.

• Maintain key organizational tools and references including knowledge management tools and various document repositories.

• Manage system implementations through all life cycles stages including execution of project plans, monitor and control project work, manage project scope, communicate project plans, and execute resource allocation plans.

• Support financing transactions and related initiatives, including coordination of cross-functional workstreams, tracking milestones, and ensuring alignment with internal governance and approval processes.

• Perform financial and operational analysis to support strategic decision-making, including development of business cases, evaluation of investment scenarios, and tracking of key financial metrics.

• Collaborate with finance teams to ensure project budgets, forecasts, and financial impacts are accurately reflected and aligned with organizational priorities.

• Develop and maintain reporting and dashboards to provide transparency into financial performance, project spend, and key drivers impacting long-range plans.

What you'll experience working at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement: We have pursued our mission of working for a safer, more secure, and sustainable world for nearly 130 years, embedding conscientious stewardship into everything we do.

• People: Our people make us special. You'll work with a diverse team of experts respected for their independence and transparency and build a network, because our approach is collaborative. We collaborate across disciplines, organizations, and geographies to build the global scientific response that today's global challenges require.

• Interesting work: Every day is different for us here. We see what's on the horizon and use our expertise to build the foundations of a safer future. You'll have the opportunity to push the boundaries of human understanding as part of a team working to advance the public good.

• Grow and achieve: We learn, work, and grow together through targeted development, reward, and recognition programs.

• Values. Four core values guide our work: collaboration, respect, integrity, and beneficence. By living our values, we inspire the trust essential to fulfilling our mission and foster the partnerships that enable us to pursue a beneficent future in which we all can thrive.

• Total Rewards: All employees at UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are eligible for bonus compensation based on the level of the position. We offer comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans and a generous 401k matching structure of up to 5% of eligible pay. Moreover, we invest an additional 4% into your retirement saving fund after your first year of continuous employment. Depending on your role, you may be able to discuss flexible working arrangements with your manager. We also provide employees with paid time off, including vacation, holiday, sick, and volunteer days.

What makes you a great fit:

While no one candidate will embody every quality, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional competencies and personal attributes:

• Strong interpersonal skills to support team building and work effectively with key stakeholders across the organization.

• Ability to drive and lead technical and cross-functional projects.

• Excellent written, oral, and presentation communication skills to convey complex concepts and ideas in an appropriate manner to multiple levels, including peers, senior executives, and the Board.

• Project management skills, including the capacity to manage multiple projects at once, maintain status updates, and follow well-defined processes to meet deadlines and requirements.

• Strong financial acumen, including experience with long-range financial planning, capital planning, and business case development.

• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to synthesize complex financial and operational data into clear insights and recommendations for leadership.

• Ability to partner effectively across finance teams, and senior leadership on budgeting, forecasting, and financing-related initiatives.

Professional education and experience requirements for the role include:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Finance or related field required. Master's Degree in related field preferred.

• A minimum of 6 years program management experience, including 5 or more years managing enterprise projects with large cross-functional and/or cross-regional teams.

• A minimum of 5 years demonstrated project management experience in a technology-driven environment.

• Experience leading a project implementation of an ERP solution. Workday experience is a plus.

• Experience leveraging best practices in program management for Agile methodologies.

About UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement

UL Research Institutes and UL Standards & Engagement are nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing safety science research through the discovery and application of scientific knowledge. We conduct rigorous independent research and analyze safety data, convene experts worldwide to address risks, share knowledge through safety education and public outreach initiatives, and develop standards to guide safe commercialization of evolving technologies. We foster communities of safety, from grassroots initiatives for neighborhoods to summits of world leaders. Our organization employs collaborative and scientific approaches with partners and stakeholders to drive innovation and progress toward improving safety, security, and sustainability, ultimately enhancing societal well-being.

To learn more, visit our websites UL.org and ULSE.org.

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