Dir. Projects & Programs, Retail

Job Title

Dir. Projects & Programs, Retail

Job Description Summary

Position Summary
The Director of Project and Programs, Retail- leads a portfolio of projects and a team of Project Managers and Senior Project Managers to deliver end to end real estate solutions. The Director is accountable for team performance, client satisfaction, operational excellence, and financial outcomes across the portfolio—ensuring projects meet scope, schedule, budget, and quality objectives while fostering a culture of safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Job Description

Essential Responsibilities

Leadership & People Management

• Directly manage PMs and Sr PMs, including hiring, onboarding, coaching, performance evaluations, succession planning, and corrective actions as needed.
• Define clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations; set team goals and align individual objectives to business priorities.
• Create a culture of safety, accountability, inclusivity, and high performance; recognize achievements and address performance gaps promptly.
• Develop career paths and training programs to enhance team capabilities

Portfolio Delivery & Operational Excellence

• Own delivery outcomes across the portfolio; drive consistency in project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closeout.
• Establish and enforce standardized processes and best practices (charter, risk register, RACI, QA/QC, lessons learned)
• Lead resource planning and allocation across concurrent projects; balance workload and adjust staffing based on demand.
• Enable proactive issue identification and resolution; remove roadblocks and escalate risks appropriately.
• Participate and represent project management with procurement team coordination for vendor management (RFQ/RFP, selection, contracting, performance) in partnership with procurement and legal.

Client & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as executive point of contact for key clients with in respective office or retail client orgs; translate business objectives into actionable delivery plans.
• Lead governance routines (quarterly reviews) and ensure transparent communication.
• Champion client satisfaction; implement feedback loops and corrective action plans to address gaps.
• Partner with internal functions (Finance, HR, Legal, Procurement, HSE, Technology) to align on goals and deliverables.

Financial & Risk Management

• Accountable for portfolio financials: budget creation, monthly forecasts, cash flow, cost‑to‑complete, variance analysis, and profitability.
• Accountable to ensure all project management fee’s are calculated correctly at project onset when budget is established and collected as project close out.
• Implement robust change control and contingency management; validate, negotiate, and approve change orders.
• Develop and maintain integrated master schedules; monitor critical path; ensure recovery plans when deviations arise.
• Maintain comprehensive risk registers; perform risk/benefit analyses and mitigation plans across projects.

Governance, Quality & Compliance

• Establish QA/QC standards and conduct periodic audits of project documentation, estimates, schedules, and contracts.
• Ensure adherence to company policies, procedures, ethical standards, and regulatory requirements (permitting, safety, environmental).
• Manage health, safety, and environmental (HSE) expectations; champion a zero‑incident culture.
• Ensure all required client and company training is completed in a timely manner.

Business Development & Growth

• Identify and pursue growth opportunities with client stakeholders; contribute to proposals, pricing, and solutioning.
• Provide market insights and partner with senior leadership to shape regional strategy, capability investments, and go‑to‑market plans.
• Ensure all net zero sustainability opportunities are identified during project and program development.

Technology, Data & Reporting

• Drive adoption of PDS technology platforms and PM tools; ensure data integrity and standardized reporting.
• Define and maintain portfolio dashboards; analyze performance trends and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
• Leverage analytics to predict risks, optimize resource usage, and improve schedule and cost performance.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) & Success Metrics

• Client satisfacti