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.