Program Manager, GOLS Transformation and Owner Lifecycle

This role provides strategic leadership and coordination for the transformation of IHG’s Owner Lifecycle Management Solution (GOLS)—a multi-year initiative designed to be industry-leading and accelerate IHG’s growth ambitions. The position ensures alignment across workstreams, manages risk, drives delivery against key milestones, and drafts executive reporting to keep senior leadership informed.

The role supports the business team driving this transformation, which is critical to IHG’s growth strategy. While there will be some interaction with Product teams, this is not a Product Manager role—the focus is on business transformation and strategic execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Support
  • Champion the bold, outcome-focused vision for Owner Lifecycle Management.
  • Align workstreams to strategic commitments: product-centric mindset, value creation, and continuous evolution.
  • Focus on delivering measurable business impact (growth, owner experience, data-driven decisions).
• Program Coordination
  • Oversee planning and execution of the phased transformation roadmap.
  • Coordinate cross-functional teams (Development, Investment Analysis, Legal, Marketing, Hotel Opening, Architecture & Design, Operations).
  • Ensure consistent adoption and integration of workflows across regions (AMER, EMEAA, GC).
• Governance & Stakeholder Engagement
  • Coordinate and support governance activities across the program, ensuring effective communication and collaboration.
  • Facilitate engagement with working groups, technology leaders, and business team to align on priorities and resolve issues.
  • Help organize and support meetings, workshops, and forums to share updates, gather feedback, and drive progress.
  • Assist in maintaining alignment between different teams and stakeholders throughout the transformation.
• Risk Management
  • Support the working group to identify, assess, and mitigate risks across all workstreams.
  • Monitor program adherence to budget, timeline, and quality standards.
  • Proactively address issues related to adoption, technology, and change management.
• Reporting

  • Assist with preparing regular program reports and updates for leadership and governance forums.

  • Collect and organize information from workstreams and teams to support accurate reporting.

  • Help maintain records of progress against milestones and key deliverables.

  • Support the communication of status updates to relevant stakeholders.

Key Skills & Experience

• Experience supporting large-scale, multi-year transformation programs within a matrix organisation.

• Exceptional communication skills with a strong ability to craft and deliver executive-level storytelling through compelling presentations.

• Expertise in design of program governance, risk management, and stakeholder engagement.

• Proven ability to influence and drive alignment across stakeholders without direct authority, leveraging credibility, relationships, and persuasive communication.

• Familiarity with product-centric delivery models and agile methodologies

• Thrives in a fast pace, high energy environment. 

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Hospitality Management, Marketing or other related discipline.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Demonstrated project management experience in organizing, planning and executing large-scale projects from conception through implementation.
• Experience hiring and managing multiple vendors for large-scale projects
• Demonstrated ability to work comfortably under pressure, balancing competing priorities and adapting quickly to a constantly changing environment.
• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills for the purpose of providing information to clients, vendors, colleagues, staff, and hotels.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks/clients required with precise accuracy.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships by establishing credibility through subject matter expertise with a collaborative solution driven approach.
• Demonstrated budgeting skills
• Familiarity with meeting industry software and online registration tools, Audio/Visual equipment and experience with Virtual meeting applications/Webinars.
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems in a systematic manner.
• Demonstrated strong contract negotiation skills with understanding of event vendor contract terms/language.

Travel - up to 10% required

Location - Our hybrid work structure is an expectation of three (3) days a week in the Atlanta office.  This expectation may be adjusted to evolve with the changing needs of the business.

The salary range for this position is $106,000 to $150,000.  This role is also eligible for bonus.  We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401K and other benefits to employees.

#LI-SM1