Program Director
Mexico City
Project Management /
Full-Time Permanent /
Hybrid
ABOUT APPLY DIGITAL
Apply Digital is a global experience transformation partner. We drive AI-powered change and measurable impact across complex, multi-brand ecosystems. Leveraging expertise that spans across the customer experience lifecycle from strategy, design to engineering and beyond, we enable our clients to modernize their organizations and maximize value for their business and customers.
Our 750+ team members have helped transform global companies like Kraft Heinz, NFL, Moderna, Lululemon, Dropbox, Atlassian, A+E Networks, and The Very Group.
Apply Digital was founded in 2016 in Vancouver, Canada. In the past nine years, we have grown to ten cities across North America, South America, the UK, Europe, and India.
At Apply Digital, we believe in the “One Team” approach, where we operate within a ‘pod’ structure. Each pod brings together senior leadership, subject matter experts, and cross-functional skill sets, all working within a common tech and delivery framework. This structure is underpinned by well-oiled scrum and sprint cadences, keeping teams in step to release often and retrospectives to ensure we progress toward the desired outcomes.
Wherever we work in the world, we envision Apply Digital as a safe, empowered, respectful and fun community for people, every single day. Together, we work to embody our SHAPE (smart, humble, active, positive, and excellent) values and make Apply Digital a space for our team to connect, grow, and support each other to make a difference.
LOCATION: Apply Digital is hybrid/remote-friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in Mexico City, preferably working in hours that align to CT (Central Timezone).
THE ROLE:
The Program Director is a leadership role responsible for spearheading the program delivery strategy and execution across a diverse portfolio of major client account engagements. Central to this role is the cultivation and management of direct client relationships at the executive level, ensuring the successful execution of projects across an account portfolio. This role involves leading cross-functional program teams, establishing delivery governance mechanisms, and driving strategies to meet program goals, while balancing delivery and financial success to meet profitability and growth targets.
You will develop, define and lead the oversight and governance mechanisms for various workstreams across the client account, with the critical responsibility of integration across all those processes related to those work streams. A key skill set for this role is to manage cross-functional program or project teams, establish appropriate strategies and plans to meet the strategic goals of the program or project(s), and drive priorities/task assignments in-line with overall objectives/goals.
You will manage extremely complex issues with the team, through analysis of intangible variables requiring a high degree of creativity and innovation. You will navigate teams through difficult activities and challenges, independently identifying and applying effective program management principles to develop resolution plans expeditiously. You will also be responsible for building and maintaining program or project plans, schedules, and performance reports. You must be prepared to both independently lead cross-functional teams and provide program management support for programs or projects where someone else serves as the Lead.
In addition to serving as a trusted advisor to clients, the Program Director assumes a critical role within the Account Leadership Team. They are tasked with nurturing talent within their team, inspiring and guiding members towards achieving excellence in their respective roles.
This role reports to the Head of Project Management and will require to attend to the office of the client in Mexico City.
The Program Director will develop timelines with quick wins and long-term roadmaps, provide governance, lead program or project teams through program or project planning, lead workshop facilitation, drive execution and manage risk, allocate budgets and resources appropriately, and coordinate interdependencies across all the functions. Specifically:
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Client Expectation Management: Proactively communicate project status, potential risks, and changes to client stakeholders, ensuring alignment of expectations and fostering strong client relationships. This includes providing input and updates to senior leaders in accordance with the overarching program governance and working with PMO and workstream leads to ensure programs remain aligned to corporate strategies and top-down imperatives.
- Successful Delivery: Oversee the end-to-end delivery of programs and projects, ensuring they meet scope, budget, and timeline requirements while maintaining high-quality standards. This involves defining and implementing custom program governance mechanisms, establishing strategies and plans with metrics of success, and driving priorities/task assignments.
- Team Morale & Productivity: Implement strategies to foster a positive and collaborative team environment, promoting high morale and optimizing team productivity through effective resource allocation and support. This also includes coaching Project Managers on various project delivery methodologies and overseeing team capacity planning.
- Gross Margin: Manage program budgets and resources efficiently to ensure profitability and achieve gross margin targets, identifying opportunities for cost optimization and revenue growth. Actively contribute and be accountable for account growth activities.
- Monitoring and Controlling Progress: Develop and maintain schedules, timelines, milestones, and performance reports. Track progress towards accomplishing program or project milestones and deliverables, identifying and finding solutions to resource conflicts and appropriately alerting management if issues cannot be resolved.
- Change Management: Ensure effective stakeholder impact analysis is conducted before developing associated change strategy to maximize engagement and adoption and minimize resistance. Ensure the program plan remains aligned with key change management activities, utilizing team problem-solving skills to collaboratively solve and implement solutions.
- Knowledge Management: Ensure all program or project documentation is current, complete, stored and shared in a way that is consistent with PMO standards. Propose improvements and best practices for governance, processes, tools, and templates to ensure the successful management and reporting of respective initiatives.
REQUIREMENTS:
- BSc or BEng degree with 10+ years of relevant experience within technical project/program management.
- MBA or seasoned experience in management consulting firms or agencies preferred.
- Experience with agile and lean methodologies required.
- Demonstrated program or program/project management involving digital transformation, business process optimization, and organizational change management.
- Demonstrates strong technical acumen, particularly within e-commerce domains.
- Experience working with e-commerce engines such as Bigcommerce, Commercetools, VTEX, or Magento.
- Ability to travel to the client's office in Mexico City on a regular basis is required.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in both English and Spanish are essential.
- Strong knowledge of program or project management tools/software, and digital solutions with the ability to lead multiple activities and resources while maintaining a focus on quality.
- Experience managing and allocating resources within a program across multiple streams of work.
- Experience partnering with client/account managers to understand the client’s business needs and identify new opportunities that support and drive the overall account growth.
- Experience scoping activities for new account opportunities, collaborating with delivery primes to prepare high value, winning proposals.
- Experience with defining visual controls and dashboards using Google Sheet/Smart Sheet, Miro, or other digital collaboration tools.
- Exceptional interpersonal and leadership skills to effectively communicate and build relationships with a broad spectrum of audiences at all organizational levels.
- Sound technical aptitude and proven ability to grasp general knowledge of multiple disciplines and technologies with superior comfort with digital tools.
- Ability to thrive and adapt in a fluid environment and foster a strong collaborative spirit.
- Outstanding relationship, influencing, and negotiation skills.
- Ability to influence, collaborate and align with cross-functional and matrix partnerships on key programs or projects; drive accountability and outcomes.
#LI-Hybrid #LI-SE1 #Promoted
LIFE AT APPLY DIGITAL
At Apply Digital, people are at the core of everything we do. We value your time, safety, and health, and strive to build a work community that can help you thrive and grow. Here are a few benefits we offer to support you:
Great projects: Broaden your skills on a range of engaging projects with international brands that have a global impact.
An inclusive and safe environment: We’re truly committed to building a culture where you are celebrated and everyone feels welcome and safe.
Learning opportunities: We offer generous training budgets, including partner tech certifications, custom learning plans, workshops, mentorship, and peer support.
Generous vacation policy: Work-life balance is key to our team’s success, so we offer ample time away from work to promote overall well-being.
Flexible work arrangements: We work in a variety of ways, from remote, to in-office, to a blend of both.
Apply Digital is committed to building a culture where differences are celebrated and everyone feels welcome. That’s why we value equal opportunity and nurture an inclusive workplace where our individual differences are recognized and valued.
For more information, visit the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) section of our website. If you have accommodation needs at this stage of the recruitment process, please inform us as soon as possible by emailing us at careers@applydigital.com.
