Program Director

RESPONSIBILITIESProgram LeadershipDefine and lead the delivery strategy for multi-million dollar, multi-track programs from discovery through delivery, establishing custom governance mechanisms, steering committees, and executive reporting cadences.
Set program strategy, plans, and success metrics, overseeing milestones, dependencies, resources, risks, and assumptions across all workstreams.
Scope and shape new business initiatives, translating business needs into clear delivery approaches, requirements, and estimates.
Coach cross-functional teams and Project Managers on Agile, Waterfall, Kanban, and Agentic delivery frameworks tailored to project needs.
Client Services & Account ManagementServe as the primary client relationship lead, cultivating trusted C-suite and Director-level relationships while driving long-term account growth plans.
Share accountability for account revenue, profitability, client satisfaction, and commercial agreements (SOWs, change orders, pricing, margin targets).
Navigate complex client conversations and sensitive situations with diplomacy, ensuring team alignment with client priorities.
Manufacturing Industry LeadershipApply deep understanding of manufacturing operations, plant systems, and R&D processes to inform solution design and client advisory.
Serve as internal subject matter expert, shaping APPLY's manufacturing points of view and partnering with Business Development on RFPs, proposals, and new business.
Agentic & AI-Enabled Delivery LeadershipGuide client adoption of Gemini Enterprise and agentic delivery methods, defining review gates, human-in-the-loop governance, and value metrics.
Promote reusable prompts, skills, and automated workflows and improve PjM processes to elevate delivery efficiency across the discipline.
REQUIREMENTSProgram Delivery & Client Services Experience10+ years leading end-to-end digital delivery in consulting or agency environments for enterprise clients.
Proven track record in client services and account management, building C-suite relationships and driving account growth.
Experience managing multi-track programs or portfolios with $7-10M+ annual financial responsibility, diverse stakeholders, and competing priorities.
Strong commercial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, proposal estimates, and scoping multi-million dollar engagements.
Expertise in Agile, Kanban, Waterfall, and agentic delivery frameworks across the full software development lifecycle.
Proficiency with AI tools (Gemini, Claude) and modern project management software (JIRA, Confluence, Smartsheet, Workspace).
Previous experience as a Strategist, Business Analyst, Technologist, or another role that contributed directly to digital project deliverables.
Manufacturing ExperienceExperience consulting or working within B2B manufacturing environments, with a strong understanding of plant-level operations and engineering systems to drive digital and AI opportunities.
Proven track record supporting innovation, R&D, or product development functions.
Communication & Soft SkillsCommunication Excellence:
Exceptional written and verbal communication, tailored across audiences from steering committees to delivery teams with clarity and transparency.
Influence & Gravitas:
Able to lead, advise, and sell, with the gravitas to influence C-level executives, with a high degree of independence and autonomy in decision-making.
Interpersonal Intelligence:
High emotional intelligence, navigating conflict with empathy, practicing compassionate candor, and influencing stakeholders without formal authority.
Sound Judgment:
Experience-based judgment to guide teams, address complex challenges, and make sound business decisions balancing client satisfaction, profitability, quality, and team cohesion.
AI & Agentic DeliveryAs APPLY operates on an agentic model, hands-on AI fluency is essential. You will use these tools daily, coach others in them, and lead discussions about agentic workflows with clients and internal teams.
Hands-on experience with Claude and Gemini (Gemini Enterprise), is strongly preferred.
Hands-on experience using LLMs and AI workflows to accelerate planning, documentation, and reporting, with strong critical evaluation skills to refine outputs and set team review standards.
A passion for AI with a commitment to continuous growth, experimentation, and guiding teams and clients through evolving ways of working.
Experience leading program-level agentic delivery, designing human-AI workflows, and guiding change management is a nice to have.
Familiarity with BMAD, Markdown, CLI AI tools (e.G., Claude Code), and MCP connectors is a bonus.
Relevant AI certifications (e.G., GCP Generative AI Leader, Gemini Enterprise, Anthropic Academy) are considered an asset.
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