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APPLY

Posted 7 days ago

Program DirectorAPPLY · Toronto

Program Director

TorontoHybrid

AI Summary

Leads delivery and client relationships for a multi-track enterprise manufacturing program, owning governance, steering committees, account growth and agentic AI adoption. Oversees a team of Project Managers and manages multi-million dollar commercial responsibility.

About this role

ABOUT APPLY
APPLY is the Agentic Customer Experience (ACx) partner for the world's most ambitious consumer and entertainment brands. We bring together deep domain expertise across Retail, CPG, Sports, and Media with AI-native delivery capability, designing and delivering agentic solutions that turn CX vision into commercial reality. We are the partner of choice for brands like Arc'teryx, NFL, Lululemon, and Kraft Heinz. For more information, visit applydigital.com.
LOCATION:APPLY is hybrid/remote friendly. The preferred candidate should be based in Canada, working in hours that align to ET (Eastern Timezone).
THE ROLE:

As a Program Director at APPLY, you will hold a hybrid role combining senior program leadership, account management, and client services for a strategic enterprise manufacturing client. You will lead delivery across a multi-track program while acting as the executive relationship lead, establishing governance, steering committees, and account plans to position APPLY for strategic growth.

Leading a team of Project Managers who handle day-to-day execution, you will focus on high-level program structure, executive stakeholder alignment, and expansion. Following the rollout of the client's Gemini Enterprise infrastructure, you will lead subsequent phases to transform their innovation and R&D processes across multiple business units.

Bringing a digital agency or consultancy background with manufacturing sector experience, you are an AI-forward leader accountable for operationalizing APPLY's agentic delivery model. You will establish robust human-in-the-loop guardrails, maintain high quality standards, and guide clients in adopting modern AI-driven workflows.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Program Leadership

  • Define 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 Management

  • Serve 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 Leadership

  • Apply 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 Leadership

  • Guide 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.

    • REQUIREMENTS

    Program Delivery & Client Services Experience

  • 10+ 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 Experience

  • Experience 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 Skills

  • Communication 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 Delivery

    As 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.

    • Skills

    Agentic DeliveryAgileBudgeting And ForecastingChange ManagementClaudeConfluenceGemini EnterpriseGoogle WorkspaceHuman-in-the-loop GovernanceJiraKanbanManufacturing OperationsProposal EstimationR&D ProcessesSmartsheetWaterfall

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