Sr CRM Program Manager

About Cengage

Cengage, a global education technology company serving millions of learners, provides affordable, quality digital products and services that equip students with the skills and competencies needed to be job ready. For more than 100 years, we have enabled the power and joy of learning with trusted, engaging content, and now, integrated digital platforms. We serve the higher education, workforce skills, secondary education, English language teaching, and research markets worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and execution of large-scale CRM programs and strategic Salesforce initiatives, defining scope, goals, and deliverables in partnership with senior leadership and business collaborators.
• Take full responsibility for program outcomes spanning Salesforce Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Experience Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud, and associated CRM ecosystem technologies.
• Drive enterprise CRM transformation programs, including platform modernization, process optimization, customer experience improvements, AI-enabled capabilities, and integration initiatives.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for executive sponsors and steering committees, providing clear communication on program status, risks, dependencies, financials, and strategic recommendations.
• Establish and govern CRM program operating models and delivery frameworks to ensure consistency, scalability, and alignment across teams.
• Lead cross-functional teams consisting of Product, Technology, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Data, Operations, and external partners to successfully deliver complex initiatives.
• Advance identification and mitigation of program-level risks, dependencies, and impediments while proactively resolving issues across multiple workstreams.
• Collaborate with enterprise architecture, engineering, and business groups to establish CRM roadmaps and guarantee alignment with wider technology and business strategies.
• Manage vendor relationships, including evaluation, selection, contract negotiations, performance management, and delivery oversight.
• Develop and manage program budgets, forecasts, business cases, and financial reporting, ensuring effective investment management and realization of business value.
• Drive governance of CRM platforms, including release management, change management, adoption strategies, compliance requirements, and operational excellence.
• Champion customer engagement capabilities powered by intelligent systems, workflow automation, analytics, and data-driven decision making across the CRM ecosystem.
• Foster collaboration among global and distributed teams while ensuring effective communication, transparency, and stakeholder alignment.

Requirements

• 8 or more years spent directing enterprise program efforts related to significant technology and business transformation endeavors.
• 5+ years of experience leading Salesforce and CRM programs within complex enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing Salesforce implementations, improvements, integrations, migrations, and platform governance initiatives.
• Solid knowledge of the Salesforce ecosystem features including Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Experience Cloud, Data Cloud, and related partner technologies.
• Proven ability to establish governance models, Centers of Excellence, operating frameworks, and scalable delivery processes.
• Experience managing multimillion-dollar portfolios, budgets, business cases, vendor contracts, and financial planning activities.
• Proficiency in Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery methods with the capability to adjust approaches according to program complexity and organizational needs.
• Outstanding communication, executive presentation, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into actionable business outcomes.
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams and influencing senior leaders across business and technology organizations.
• Experience with CRM analytics, customer engagement platforms, AI-enabled workflows, customer data platforms (CDPs), and digital transformation initiatives.
• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Aha!, Planview, Smartsheet, or similar program governance and reporting tools.

Pay

The full base pay range for this position is $117,100.00 - $187,300.00 USD. Individual base pay will vary based on work schedule, qualifications, experience, internal equity, and geographic location. Sales roles often incorporate a significant incentive compensation program beyond this base pay range. In this position, you will be eligible to participate in the company’s discretionary incentive bonus program with a target of 20% annually, dependent on individual performance and overall company results.