Program Operations Director

Company description


Overview

The Program Operations Director will oversee operational efforts for TD US business, ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in agency operations. This client-facing role covers financial oversight, reporting, process development, project management, communication flow, and best practices. The ideal candidate possesses an analytical mindset, proactive problem-solving skills, and the ability to organize and track multiple projects simultaneously. Adaptability, resourcefulness, and a solution-oriented approach are essential in this fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

OPERATIONAL STRATEGY & WAYS‑OF‑WORKING

• Own TD US operations across the account and delivery lifecycle. Identify gaps in processes, tools, and governance, and drive improvements.
• Design new systems, processes, and tools for integrated work.
• Identify opportunities to streamline workflows and improve efficiency.
• Develop and standardize standard operating procedures (SOPs) from brief → scope → estimate/SOW → scheduling → production → QC → delivery → archiving, ensuring consistent adoption by all teams and capturing best practices / procedures within the TD US Playbook as needed.
• Establish clear RACI and handshakes between Client/Brand Leads, Project/Delivery Management, and Resources for smooth intake and throughput.​‌
• Drive compliance and champion change management for new processes.
• Conduct lessons learned and process improvement reviews for ongoing enhancement.

SCOPE & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT HYGIENE 

• Manage client financials across teams and troubleshoot issues
• Partner with Finance and Account Leads to oversee hours reporting, pacing and drive utilization, recovery, and margin discipline. Ensure appropriate charges for scope and OOS requests, track unbillable time, and protect change control.
• Oversee estimates/SOWs for operational feasibility and pricing integrity; contribute to fee proposals and rescopes

DELIVERY EXCELLENCE & CLIENT EXPERIENCE

• Set operational SLAs/KPIs per client program; monitor on‑time, on‑budget, and right‑first‑time delivery; lead root cause and corrective actions on misses.
• Handle operational escalations as the designated point of contact. Support senior client sessions with data-backed insights and improvement plans.

TOOLING, DATA & AUTOMATION

• Lead operational tool enablement, with governance discipline across job opening, cost approvals, timesheets, utilization capture, resourcing, project tracking, and related activities.
• Ensure all teams complete required learning/onboarding for all tools 
• Create, update and automate dashboards for client’s and internal operational measurement.

RESOURCE & CAPACITY MANAGEMENT

• Partner with Account Leads, Producers and Resource Management to run the capacity planning rhythm; align demand vs. supply by skill, shift, and escalate make/buy decisions (perm vs. freelance vs. supplier).
• Maintain an up-to-date freelancer/supplier bench with rates, capabilities, and compliance status; ensure timely onboarding and access.

LEADERSHIP & COLLABORATION 

• Act as the primary operational support contact for business leads.
• Build bridges across multiple agency teams, fostering collaboration in dynamic environments.
• Proactively identify and remove barriers to project success.
• Improve client and team interactions, enhancing collaborative dynamics.
• At the organizational level, establish best practices, systems, and tools, and lead their rollout.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7+ years in operations or project management in a media agency setting with experience managing financials & scoping
• 3+ years people management experience
• 3+ years managing internal stakeholders + client relationships including procurement
• Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite and other PM-related tools such as Workfront, JIRA, Smartsheet
• Experience in resource and capacity planning, including aligning demand with available skills and managing freelance and supplier capacity.
• Experience managing large scale integrated projects
• Experience in project planning and process development, alongside financial management.
• Demonstrated success in three areas: standardizing ways of working and standard operating procedures, rolling out production tools, and using data to drive continuous improvement.
• Strong commercial acumen: utilization/recovery management, SOW/estimate oversight, and margin protection

Additional information

Here’s what we have to offer:

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Phone subsidies
• Group benefits plan (medical, dental, travel and disability insurance)
• Convenient downtown location
• A fun and diverse team
• Projects that leverage modern technology stacks
• Impressive client roster

Salary

Transparency matters to us. The salary range for this position is 120,000$ to 125,000$ per year. Actual compensation within this range will be based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and applicable certifications. This range reflects what we reasonably expect to offer based on current market data.

AI Use

We use artificial intelligence tools to support parts of our hiring process, such as reviewing applications or analysing resumes. These tools assist our recruitment team but never replace human decision-making. We believe in a human-first approach, where your experience and potential are recognised by people.

Publicis Canada is committed to building a diverse workforce representative of our community. We encourage and are pleased to consider all qualified candidates, without regard to race, colour, citizenship, religion, sex, marital / family status, sexual orientation, gender identity, aboriginal status, age, disability or persons who may require an accommodation, to apply.  If you require a specific accommodation please contact Human Resources.