Director, Delivery Excellence and Operations (Professional Services) CE-027

About the Role

The Director, Delivery Excellence and Operations is a senior leader responsible for building and running the project management office (PMO) and operational backbone of Irth’s Professional Services organization (EDO) across all product lines.

This role owns portfolio governance, delivery methodology, resource and capacity planning, and performance reporting. The Director ensures professional services engagements are planned and delivered predictably, on time, and within budget.

Working closely with Practice Leads, Sales, Finance, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, and IT, this leader will establish consistent processes, systems, and operating rhythms that enable the Professional Services organization to scale effectively.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned PMO or delivery operations leader with deep program governance expertise and strong operational discipline. They are highly organized, data-driven, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment. They excel at building repeatable processes, establishing resource planning systems, creating executive-level reporting, and building trust across teams with different methodologies, customers, and priorities.

Key Responsibilities

PMO Leadership & Portfolio Governance

• Build and lead the PMO for Irth’s Professional Services organization (EDO).
• Establish a consistent governance framework, delivery methodology, processes, and toolset across all practices.
• Maintain portfolio-level visibility into active and pipeline services engagements.
• Track project health, milestones, risks, dependencies, budgets, and escalations.
• Establish and lead regular operating cadences with Practice Leads and executive leadership.
• Provide clear, data-driven reporting and recommendations to senior leadership.

Resource & Capacity Planning

• Own resource and capacity planning across the Professional Services organization.
• Develop staffing models, utilization targets, and capacity forecasts.
• Ensure the right skills and resources are available to support committed and pipeline work.
• Partner with Practice Leads and Sales to identify upcoming resource requirements and potential capacity constraints.
• Monitor utilization and resource allocation and proactively address gaps or risks.

PSA Platform & Services Operations

• Own the selection, implementation, administration, and ongoing optimization of the Professional Services Automation (PSA) platform.
• Configure and manage project, resource, time-tracking, billing, approval, and reporting workflows.
• Establish the PSA platform as the system of record for portfolio, resource, utilization, and delivery data.
• Design and continuously improve PSA workflows and integrations in partnership with Finance, Sales Operations, and IT.
• Drive adoption, data quality, and consistent usage across all practices.

Delivery Standards & Methodology

• Develop and maintain delivery playbooks, templates, processes, and quality standards.
• Establish consistent project management practices from kickoff through go-live and closeout.
• Partner with Practice Leads to drive adoption of delivery standards across project managers and delivery teams.
• Identify opportunities to improve delivery predictability, quality, efficiency, and customer outcomes.
• Incorporate lessons learned, customer feedback, and industry best practices into evolving delivery standards.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Own the Professional Services operations reporting layer.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting for:
• Utilization
• Project health
• Capacity
• Revenue forecasting
• Margin and profitability
• Delivery performance
• Establish reporting cadences and communicate results, trends, risks, and escalations to Irth leadership.
• Translate operational data into clear insights and actionable recommendations.

Sales, Finance & Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Sales, Finance, and Practice Leads on SOW development, pricing consistency, and deal desk processes.
• Ensure new engagements are appropriately scoped, priced, staffed, and structured for sustainable delivery.
• Collaborate with Sales and Customer Success to align commitments with delivery capacity and operational requirements.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, IT, and other cross-functional teams to resolve dependencies and improve delivery effectiveness.
• Represent the PMO and Professional Services operations function in cross-functional and customer-facing forums as needed.

Continuous Improvement

• Establish a culture of continuous improvement across Professional Services operations.
• Identify operational inefficiencies and implement scalable solutions.
• Use portfolio data, lessons learned, customer feedback, and industry practices to improve processes and outcomes.
• Drive consistency while allowing appropriate flexibility for different practices, products, and customer needs.
• Perform other duties as assigned by an appropriate administrator or their representative.

What We're Looking For

• Significant experience leading a PMO, Professional Services Operations, Delivery Operations, or similar function.
• Proven experience managing portfolios of complex professional services or technology engagements.
• Strong knowledge of project and program governance, resource planning, utilization management, and delivery methodologies.
• Experience selecting, implementing, or administering a PSA platform.
• Demonstrated ability to develop scalable processes, operating cadences, reporting systems, and delivery standards.
• Strong analytical and business acumen, with the ability to translate operational data into executive-level insights.
• Experience partnering with Sales, Finance, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, and IT.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to influence across multiple teams and practices without relying solely on direct authority.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a continuous-improvement mindset.

Success in This Role

Success in this role means Irth’s Professional Services organization has:

• A consistent and scalable PMO operating model.
• Clear visibility into portfolio health, capacity, utilization, and financial performance.
• Reliable resource and capacity forecasting.
• A PSA platform that serves as a trusted system of record.
• Consistent delivery standards and project governance across practices.
• Strong alignment between Sales commitments and delivery capacity.
• Predictable, data-driven operating cadences for Practice Leads and executives.
• Improved delivery predictability, efficiency, profitability, and customer outcomes.

Requirements

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Professional Services, program/project management, delivery operations, or a related function within enterprise software or technology organizations.
• 6+ years of experience leading a PMO, Professional Services Operations, or Delivery Operations function, preferably across multiple teams, practices, or product lines.
• Demonstrated success building, standing up, or scaling a PMO, including governance frameworks, delivery methodologies, operating cadences, and executive reporting.
• Hands-on experience implementing, administering, and optimizing a Professional Services Automation (PSA) platform such as Kantata, Certinia/FinancialForce, Mavenlink, OpenAir, or a similar platform.
• Experience designing PSA workflows and integrations, including project setup, resource requests, time tracking, approvals, reporting, and billing processes.
• Proven track record managing resource and capacity planning, utilization, forecasting, and staffing for a multi-practice Professional Services organization.
• Strong financial and operational acumen, with experience managing delivery performance, margins, utilization, revenue forecasting, and other key Professional Services metrics.
• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills, with the ability to translate complex operational data into clear insights, recommendations, and business cases for C-suite stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships and influence across Sales, Finance, Customer Success, Product, Engineering, IT, and Professional Services teams.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to balance strategic priorities with hands-on operational execution in a fast-paced environment.

AI Use in Hiring

As part of our hiring process, this role may use artificial intelligence (AI) or automated tools to assist with reviewing and screening applications. These tools support, but do not replace, human judgment in hiring decisions.

Role Type

This is a Backfill position.

Compensation

The salary range for this role is USD $160K

This range reflects base salary only and does not include other compensation components. Offers are determined based on several factors, including, but not limited to, experience, skills, qualifications, and location.

Benefits

What We Offer

• Join a dynamic, growing company with a strong reputation in its industry.
• Competitive salary.
• Comprehensive health plan options, including medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Flexible PTO policy plus company-paid holidays.
• Additional benefits, including life insurance, pet insurance, and employee discounts and perks programs.
• Generous one-time work-from-home stipend to help you set up your home workspace.
• Company events and opportunities to connect, including monthly team lunches, volunteer outings, and quarterly gatherings.
• Hybrid employees have access to complimentary snacks, beverages, and coffee at our Columbus, Ohio office.