Program Executive, Strategic Accounts

Role Description

The Program Executive serves as the senior-most delivery leader and primary customer-facing executive for one of FORTNA’s most strategic, high-value accounts (>$100M). This role operates as the “enterprise-level project manager” and trusted advisor to the customer, accountable for the successful execution of multiple, concurrent automation programs across various U.S. sites. This individual must thrive in a fast-paced, high-demand customer environment, balancing executive stakeholder engagement, multi-site coordination, and internal team leadership to ensure consistent, high-quality delivery. The Program Executive is ultimately responsible for aligning customer expectations with operational execution while driving accountability, communication, and results across all workstreams. This is a remote role with significant travel required based on customer and project needs.

Primary Responsibilities

Customer Leadership & Relationship Management

Serve as the primary point of contact and executive sponsor for a critical, high-demand customer.

Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior customer stakeholders, ensuring alignment on priorities, expectations, and outcomes.

Act as the voice of the customer internally while maintaining appropriate boundaries, accountability, and execution discipline.

Lead regular executive-level communication, including program updates, issue resolution, and performance reviews.

Drive program and account financial performance through disciplined forecasting, margin management, risk mitigation, and change management practices.

Program Oversight & Multi-Site Delivery

Own end-to-end execution of multiple simultaneous automation implementations across geographically dispersed sites.

Coordinate across site leaders, project managers, and functional teams to ensure consistent execution, communication, and performance.

Manage program scope, budget, timelines, risks, and contractual obligations across all workstreams.

Anticipate and proactively address operational and customer challenges in a complex, high-visibility environment.

Ensure successful delivery of solutions including MHE, robotics, WCS/WMS, and integrated software systems.

Cross-Functional Leadership

Provide functional leadership to a matrixed team of project managers, engineers, consultants, and operations leaders across multiple locations.

Set clear priorities, expectations, and accountability across teams while fostering collaboration and alignment.

Mentor and develop team members, ensuring strong leadership capability at the site and project level.

Drive a culture of ownership, urgency, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Strategic Execution & Operational Excellence

Align program execution with both customer business objectives and FORTNA strategic goals.

Partner with Sales, Engineering, and Delivery teams to ensure seamless transition from solution design through implementation.

Lead risk mitigation planning and decision-making across complex program dependencies.

Drive value engineering, cost optimization, and performance improvements without compromising quality or outcomes.

Provide thought leadership in supply chain automation and large-scale implementation best practices.

Qualifications

Demonstrated executive-level program management experience leading large, complex, multi-site initiatives.

Exceptional ability to operate as a customer-facing leader in high-pressure, high-demand environments.

Proven success managing multiple concurrent projects and distributed teams.

Advanced business acumen with strong financial and budget management capabilities across programs.

Expert-level communication skills, including executive presentations and stakeholder management.

Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to navigate ambiguity and drive decisions.

Experience leading matrixed organizations and influencing without direct authority.

Highly proficient in project management tools and Microsoft Office Suite.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (or international equivalent).

10+ years of experience in program management, project delivery, or supply chain/automation leadership.

Experience managing large-scale automation, material handling, or supply chain transformation programs preferred.

PMP® certification preferred.

Physical Requirements

Travel to sites will require time in operational/construction environments and use of PPE as required.