Director, Program Management

Think about the billions of purchases that consumers make every single day around the world. Imagine trying to make sense of the trillions of data points that represent these purchases. From a family doing online shopping for household essentials to a quick run to the supermarket, Nielsen is measuring the entire consumer path to purchase.

NielsenIQ (NIQ) is a multinational company working with the world’s largest brands across the world to inform them of where and how their best customers are shopping. The challenge is that this is a moving target and a complex problem. With the commerce landscape shifting constantly, only NIQ has the span and caliber of data to make sense of what drives a consumer to make a purchase.

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

So where do you fit here? NIQ technology projects, like our clients, span the globe and require managers that can connect the dots for the big-picture strategy. We are building out our Program Management organization to consist of highly motivated, analytical, and dynamic individuals to achieve our goals in Product, Technology, and Operations. 

As a Program Director at NIQ, you will be part of this organizational transformation as you drive and directly oversee our largest, most complex programs. You will not only lead complex, high-visibility initiatives throughout the project lifecycle, but will also lead a team of program managers responsible for program execution.   Your team’s projects will cut across time zones, clients, and technologies and it is your job to motivate, allocate work, manage execution, and communicate to senior stakeholders.

At NIQ, we empower our Program Management team to drive results and change.  If you thrive in high-energy environments, and if you love the idea of working across every business function, you would be a great fit for our team!

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Management Responsibilities:

• Coordinate between stakeholders and technology teams to create and manage release plans throughout the program lifecycle.
• Assign tasks and provide guidance to program managers or program leads.
• Oversee a team of 4-8 program managers or program leads, providing career guidance and performance evaluations.
• Develop and implement program management processes, best practices, and tools across the organization.
• Ensure the delivery and tracking of portfolio and program deliverables, maintaining program health.
• Handle documentation, change control, and communication for portfolio and program scope.
• Facilitate discussions to plan dependencies, identify gaps, and mitigate risks.
• Monitor and report program objectives and progress to upper management and stakeholders using tools like Jira Boards and Kanban.
• Lead weekly portfolio meetings or Scrum of Scrum meetings and conduct release-level retrospectives.
• Track and resolve issues promptly, managing risks effectively.
• Ensure all necessary sign-offs and documentation are completed for production readiness.
• Lead the 3YP planning process for your portfolio, including business case creation, budget planning, and resource planning
• Report agile team metrics and ensure compliance with technical leads.

• Collaborate with leadership to define and execute strategic initiatives that align with organizational goals.
• Strong financial acumen to develop and manage capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) budgets to support program and portfolio needs.
• Monthly Operating Review: Conduct monthly operating reviews with leadership to assess program performance, financial health, and strategic alignment.
• Previous experience in working with leadership in creating a comprehensive 3-year plan for technology and operations, outlining key initiatives, resource allocation, and budget requirements.

• Strong experience and skills to  engage with senior leaders to communicate and brain storm on the long term planning of Product and Technology initiatives.
• Maintain transparent and effective communication with all stakeholders to ensure alignment and support for program objectives.
• Provide career guidance and development opportunities for team members, working with HR to address any resource needs.
• Promote and implement Agile and SAFe methodologies within the team

• 15+ years in program and program management or similar role running large programs in operations, technology or engineering
• 9-10 years in a leadership role, running large scale initiatives and providing strategic direction
• Ability to prioritize, manage, and deliver on multiple conflicting priorities simultaneously; highly motivated and able to work against aggressive schedules
• Superior communication skills (interpersonal, verbal, presentation written, email)
• Expert in creating and delivering compelling presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and various analytics tools to effectively communicate data-driven insights and strategic recommendations to diverse audiences
• Proven ability to influence & gain buy-in at multiple levels, across divisions, functions, and cultures
• Comfort working with senior-level management and virtual teams
• A strong bias toward action, flexible, resourceful, and able to operate effectively within a dynamic, fast-paced environment
• You are the glue of a happy, high-performing, cross-functional team
• Positive attitude, team player, self-starter; takes initiative, ability to work independently.
• Practical experience with agile techniques and methodologies

EDUCATION:

• Masters degree in business, computer science, literature, , or related field

Our Benefits

• Flexible working environment
• Volunteer time off
• LinkedIn Learning
• Employee-Assistance-Program (EAP)

About NIQ

NIQ is the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. In 2023, NIQ combined with GfK, bringing together the two industry leaders with unparalleled global reach. With a holistic retail read and the most comprehensive consumer insights—delivered with advanced analytics through state-of-the-art platforms—NIQ delivers the Full View™. NIQ is an Advent International portfolio company with operations in 100+ markets, covering more than 90% of the world’s population.

For more information, visit NIQ.com

Want to keep up with our latest updates?

Follow us on: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

NIQ is committed to reflecting the diversity of the clients, communities, and markets we measure within our own workforce. We exist to count everyone and are on a mission to systematically embed inclusion and diversity into all aspects of our workforce, measurement, and products. We enthusiastically invite candidates who share that mission to join us. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action-Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability status, age, marital status, protected veteran status or any other protected class. Our global non-discrimination policy covers these protected classes in every market in which we do business worldwide. Learn more about how we are driving diversity and inclusion in everything we do by visiting the NIQ News Center: https://nielseniq.com/global/en/news-center/diversity-inclusion