Director, PMO - Store Development
Gap Inc., Folsom, CA, United States
About the Role
The Director of PMO serves as the strategic integrator for Store Development—aligning vision, data, and cross-functional expertise to deliver an annual portfolio of capital investments. This leader applies advanced problem solving, sharp critical thinking, and strong self-starting leadership to steer complex programs through governance, influence senior decision‑makers, and elevate operational excellence across Creative, Design Development, Architecture, and Construction.
What You’ll Do
Portfolio & Pipeline Leadership
- Lead the end‑to‑end pipeline operating rhythm, integrating milestones, risks, resources, and dependencies into a unified portfolio view.
- Synthesize complex operational and financial data into clear, compelling CFO/CEO/Board‑level updates.
- Apply critical thinking to evaluate scenarios, assess tradeoffs, and guide strategic prioritization.
Governance & Investment Decisioning
- Drive structured decision‑making across L1–L4 REC governance, ensuring clarity, rigor, and transparency.
- Evaluate ambiguous information using structured problem‑solving frameworks to guide investment recommendations.
- Operate independently, proactively identifying risks, surfacing insights, and removing barriers.
Program & Milestone Management
- Oversee cross‑functional program milestones and ensure Creative and Design Development deliverables align to store build schedules.
- Validate business‑case assumptions and timeline dependencies using analytical reasoning and scenario modeling.
- Translate strategy into actionable plans and lead improvements to throughput, rework reduction, and variance control.
Executive Communication & Insights
- Create executive‑ready presentations that simplify complex concepts for VP+ audiences.
- Develop data‑driven "what‑if" analyses to support strategic decision‑making.
- Represent Store Development with clarity, confidence, and compelling insight in executive forums.
High‑Profile Projects
- Independently lead complex, high‑visibility initiatives with strong ownership of outcomes.
- Use thoughtful storytelling to articulate progress, risks, and decisions to senior stakeholders.
Leadership & Core Competencies
- Critical Thinking: Identifies root causes, challenges assumptions, and evaluates long‑term implications of decisions.
- Problem Solving: Applies structured frameworks to resolve ambiguity, anticipate downstream impacts, and design scalable solutions.
- Self‑Starter Leadership: Operates with autonomy, initiates action without prompting, and models accountability and follow‑through.
- Cross‑Functional Influence: Builds alignment across functions and drives clarity and momentum in complex environments.
- Executive Communication: Tailors insights for VP+ audiences and delivers succinct, data‑backed recommendations.
Who You Are
- 12+ years of progressive experience in Program, Project, or Portfolio Management, including 6+ years leading PMO teams or managing leaders in a complex, cross‑functional environment.
- Deep understanding of Store Development disciplines—Real Estate, Architecture, Design Development, Creative, and Construction—with the ability to connect strategy to execution.
- Exceptional critical thinking skills with the ability to break down ambiguous problems, identify root causes, and evaluate multiple solution paths using structured analytical methods.
- Advanced problem‑solving capability, including scenario modeling, risk evaluation, and synthesis of complex data into clear, actionable insights for executives.
- Self‑starter with strong ownership—able to independently drive strategies, decisions, and deliverables with minimal oversight while holding self and others accountable.
- Demonstrated ability to influence and build alignment across diverse, senior‑level stakeholders; skilled at navigating competing priorities and shaping decisions without authority.
- Strong executive communication skills, capable of distilling complexity into crisp, compelling narratives for VP+, CFO, CEO, and Board audiences.
- Expertise in governance frameworks (REC L1–L4 or equivalent), portfolio reporting, and operating rhythms, with experience implementing scalable, repeatable PMO processes.