Executive Program Manager

Description

The Executive Program Manager is a strategic, cross-functional leader responsible for driving programs, business initiatives, and organizational priorities at Marvel Marketers. Taking direction directly from the CEO, this role translates executive vision into actionable plans, coordinates execution across the business, and ensures high-priority initiatives are delivered with accountability, efficiency, and operational excellence.

As a key member of Marvel Marketers’ Program Management Center of Excellence (CoE), the Executive Program Manager helps establish consistent program management practices, improve cross-functional collaboration, and strengthen the organization's ability to execute strategic initiatives. This individual works closely with the CEO and leadership team to identify priorities, resolve challenges, manage dependencies, and maintain visibility into progress and outcomes.

The primary focus is client-facing program execution, including the ability to participate in and independently lead client discussions, assess client sentiment and temperament, and represent Marvel Marketers professionally. This role requires the confidence and judgment to manage certain client meetings independently, allowing for greater autonomy as needed, while supporting broader client-related initiatives. Strong internal program management skills are also essential to ensure effective coordination and execution across internal teams.

The Executive Program Manager will provide flexible people leadership across the organization, with direct management responsibility for team members assigned to specific programs or initiatives. This includes establishing clear expectations, coordinating resources, coaching team members, and ensuring accountability for delivery.

The ideal candidate combines strategic thinking, executive presence, strong program management capabilities, and effective people leadership. They are comfortable navigating ambiguity, managing competing priorities, and moving seamlessly between executive-level planning and hands-on execution.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Partnership & Strategic Program Leadership

• Partner directly with the CEO to translate Marvel Marketers’ strategic objectives and business priorities into actionable programs, plans, and measurable outcomes.

• Lead internal strategic initiatives and special projects on behalf of the CEO, ensuring clear ownership, alignment, and timely execution.

• Translate executive discussions and decisions into defined next steps, deliverables, timelines, and accountability across teams.

• Identify organizational challenges, operational gaps, and opportunities for improvement; develop recommendations and drive solutions through implementation.

• Provide regular updates to the CEO and leadership team on program progress, risks, resource requirements, decisions, and outcomes.

• Conduct research and synthesize complex information into executive briefings, presentations, and decision-support materials.

• Exercise sound judgment and discretion when handling confidential business, financial, personnel, and strategic information.

• Apply strong mathematical, quantitative, and analytical skills to evaluate financial information, analyze program performance, identify variances, and support data-driven decision-making.

Internal Program & Project Management

• Lead cross-functional programs and projects that support Marvel Marketers’ business objectives, operational priorities, and organizational growth.

• Manage initiatives from initial scoping and planning through execution, delivery, closeout, and retrospective.

• Develop program plans, timelines, milestones, deliverables, resource plans, and success metrics.

• Coordinate workstreams, dependencies, and priorities across departments to ensure initiatives remain on track.

• Establish appropriate governance, communication plans, documentation, and tracking mechanisms to support effective execution.

• Proactively identify risks, roadblocks, and competing priorities, developing mitigation strategies and escalating issues with recommended solutions.

• Monitor program outcomes and use data, stakeholder feedback, and lessons learned to improve future execution.

Client Health & Relationship Management

• Monitor client health, engagement, and relationship strength to proactively identify risks, address concerns, and support long-term client retention.

• Establish and maintain visibility into client priorities, satisfaction, engagement trends, and overall account health using relevant data, feedback, and stakeholder insights.

• Identify early warning signs of client dissatisfaction, misalignment, disengagement, or delivery challenges; coordinate cross-functional action plans to resolve issues and mitigate risk.

• Partner with internal teams and client-facing stakeholders to ensure client needs, expectations, and priorities are understood and reflected in program execution and service delivery.

• Lead or support client-facing discussions, account reviews, and strategic check-ins as needed to assess progress, gather feedback, align on priorities, and strengthen client partnerships.

• Track client health indicators, document key risks and action items, and communicate material account developments and recommended interventions to leadership.

• Identify opportunities to strengthen client relationships, improve the client experience, and support account growth or expanded services in alignment with client needs and company priorities.

• Handle sensitive client information with discretion, professionalism, and sound judgment, ensuring appropriate confidentiality and use of client insights.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a central point of coordination for internal programs involving multiple departments, leaders, and stakeholders.

• Build strong working relationships across the organization to foster collaboration, alignment, and accountability.

• Facilitate planning sessions, leadership meetings, and working sessions that drive decisions and progress.

• Clarify roles, responsibilities, dependencies, and expectations across teams.

• Communicate program updates, decisions, changes, and priorities clearly to stakeholders at all levels.

People Leadership & Resource Coordination

• Directly manage team members assigned to programs and initiatives based on evolving business needs.

• Establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations, priorities, and deliverables for assigned team members.

• Coordinate resources across functions and initiatives, balancing capacity, capabilities, and competing demands.

• Provide coaching, mentorship, constructive feedback, and ongoing support to help team members succeed.

• Monitor individual and team performance, address delivery or performance concerns, and support professional development.

• Partner with functional leaders to resolve resource conflicts and ensure effective collaboration across teams.

• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and high-quality execution.

Program Management Center of Excellence (CoE)

• Help build and mature Marvel Marketers’ Program Management Center of Excellence.

• Develop and promote consistent program management methodologies, templates, tools, workflows, and reporting standards.

• Improve internal project intake, prioritization, resource planning, governance, and execution practices.

• Establish repeatable processes that increase visibility, efficiency, and consistency without creating unnecessary administrative overhead.

• Share best practices and lessons learned across teams to strengthen program management capabilities.

• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, AI, and automation to improve planning, reporting, coordination, and decision-making.

Executive Communication, Reporting & Operational Excellence

• Prepare executive-level presentations, briefing documents, dashboards, status reports, and recommendations.

• Provide clear visibility into initiative progress, risks, dependencies, decisions, and business outcomes.

• Develop meaningful program metrics to evaluate execution, efficiency, and impact.

• Facilitate effective meetings, document decisions, and ensure action items have clear owners and deadlines.

• Identify opportunities to streamline internal workflows, strengthen handoffs, and improve organizational effectiveness.

• Maintain accurate program documentation and safeguard confidential business information.

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience in business, operations, project management, or a related field.

• 7+ years of experience in program management, project management, business operations, consulting, or a related discipline.

• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional internal programs and strategic business initiatives.

• Experience directly managing team members, including setting expectations, providing feedback, and supporting performance and development.

• Proven ability to partner with executive leadership and translate strategic priorities into actionable plans.

• Strong skills in program planning, resource coordination, risk management, stakeholder alignment, and execution oversight.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare executive-level materials and facilitate leadership discussions.

• Ability to influence stakeholders, navigate competing priorities, and drive accountability across teams.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

• Proficiency with project management, collaboration, presentation, and reporting tools.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting a CEO or executive leadership team on strategic business initiatives.

• Experience building or contributing to a Project Management Office (PMO) or Center of Excellence.

• Experience in a marketing, agency, professional services, or other fast-paced, cross-functional business environment.

• Experience managing team members across different functions or initiatives.

• Experience developing governance frameworks, executive dashboards, performance metrics, and operational processes.

• Strong mathematical and quantitative skills, including the ability to comprehend financial and numerical information, execute calculations accurately, interpret results, and apply quantitative reasoning to real-world business scenarios.

• Experience with budget tracking, financial quality assurance, data validation, and identifying discrepancies or variances in financial and operational data.

• Familiarity with AI tools, automation, and emerging technologies that improve business operations and program execution.

Measures of Success

• Successful execution of CEO-sponsored and other high-priority internal initiatives, with clear ownership and timely delivery.

• Increased CEO capacity and time for strategic priorities through effective delegation, independent program execution, proactive follow-through, and reduced need for day-to-day CEO involvement.

• Improved cross-functional alignment, accountability, and visibility into organizational priorities.

• Effective management and development of assigned team members, enabling greater autonomy and ownership across the organization.

• Increased consistency and maturity of program management practices through the CoE.

• Improved operational efficiency, scalability, and execution quality across Marvel Marketers.

• Proactive identification and resolution of program risks and organizational roadblocks before they require executive intervention.

• Clear, actionable executive reporting that supports informed decision-making and minimizes the need for additional follow-up.

• Effective independent leadership of client-facing discussions and initiatives when required, allowing the CEO to step back from select meetings while maintaining strong client relationships and professional representation of Marvel Marketers.