Program Director - Customer Architect

Title: Program Director, Customer Architect 

Location : Remote

Job Description

The Program Director owns the execution and delivery integrity of Sapiens customer programs. This role sits within the Delivery Success team and is the primary accountable leader for program governance, milestone management, and value delivery inside a customer engagement.

The Program Director is a senior delivery leader who brings deep insurance industry fluency, commercial discipline, and the judgment to manage complex, multi-workstream programs with clarity and speed. The role is accountable for ensuring that every milestone is delivered to agreed exit criteria, that every risk is visible before it becomes a crisis, and that the delivery model operates at the pace that shortens time-to-value for the customer.

The Program Director operates an AI-native delivery model in which the execution layer is progressively automated, enabling the role to focus on discernment, governance, and the customer relationship. The role works in close partnership with the Customer Success team, together stewarding the Customer Value Journey – the end-to-end path from implementation through to long-term success and value realization. Commercial outcomes – NRR, ARR, account margin, and customer referenceability – are shared responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities

Program Delivery & Commercial Outcomes :

• End-to-end delivery ownership : Leads the full program lifecycle from initiation through planning, execution, and closure. Accountable for delivery on time, within scope, and within budget across all workstreams – including platform implementation, integration, data migration, and business change.
• Time to Value : Owns the pace at which the customer realizes measurable business outcomes from the Sapiens engagement. Defines the time-to-value baseline at program initiation, tracks progress at every milestone, and uses delivery decisions to actively shorten it.
• AI-led SaaS implementation velocity : Moves programs toward faster implementation cycles consistent with Sapiens’ AI-led SaaS delivery model, applying configuration-over-customization discipline.
• Commercial Outcomes: In partnership with Customer Success, owns NRR contribution of the customer portfolio, drives expansion levers, and reports against them.
• Growth : Identifies upsell and cross-sell potential during delivery and converts insight into pipeline opportunities.
• AI-native execution model: Operates a delivery model in which AI supports execution activities such as status tracking, risk summarization, documentation, and reporting cadence.

Milestone Management & Exit Criteria :

• Milestone ownership : Defines, manages, and tracks program milestones with clear definitions of done, agreed exit criteria, and formal customer acceptance.
• Exit criteria discipline : Works with the customer to agree exit criteria at the start of each phase; manages scope through change orders aligned to those criteria.
• Milestone-based billing alignment : Ensures delivery milestones align with billing triggers and commercial events.
• Risk and dependency management : Maintains a live program risk register, manages interdependencies across teams, and drives resolution proactively.

Insurance Industry Fluency & Customer Understanding:

• Insurance domain depth : Develops deep understanding of the customer’s business, operating model, and regulatory environment.
• Customer relationship ownership : Holds the customer relationship at the program level, including C-suite engagement and trust-based partnership.

Proactive Customer Relationship & Escalation Management:

• Customer relationship ownership at the program level: Holds the customer relationship at the C-suite level on substance and trust. Is the person the customer calls when something genuinely matters.

• Proactive escalation management : Anticipates delivery risks and customer concerns, addressing issues before they escalate.
• Customer Success partnership : Works in close coordination with the Customer Success Manager on the account. The PDCA owns delivery execution; the CS team owns the commercial relationship and expansion trajectory. Together, the PDCA and CS team own the Customer Value Journey – the handoff between these functions is deliberate, documented, and clean. Customer health is a shared metric.

Resource Orchestration & Team Leadership:

• Cross-functional team orchestration: Manages delivery across blended teams: Sapiens employees, offshore delivery resources, SI partners, and customer-side teams. Ensures alignment, accountability, and pace across all.
• Team leadership and development: Treats team development as a commercial lever, not an HR task – holding growth conversations early and building capability with intention. Leads the full talent lifecycle with candor and integrity, from onboarding through to role transitions.
• Sapiens ambassadorship: Carries the Sapiens point of view into customer environments. Knows the Insurance Ontology argument, the AutonomousInsurer thesis, and the AI moat – and can hold them in a room.
• Project Manager leadership: Directly leads a team of Project Managers across the program. Sets standards, drives accountability, and develops PM capability with intention. The PDCA is the delivery standard-setter on the account – the team performs to the level the PDCA models and demands.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience leading complex enterprise software programs, including at least 5 years in senior delivery leadership roles.
• Deep insurance domain knowledge (Life & Pension, Property & Casualty, or equivalent specialty lines), with familiarity in insurance technology platforms.
• Demonstrated expertise in milestone-based delivery governance, exit criteria design, scope control, and change management.
• Experience leading global cross-functional teams, including SI partners and offshore delivery resources.
• AI transformation experience, including use of AI tools across program management and delivery.
• Strong program financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost-to-serve awareness.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including executive-level presentations.
• Preferred: Experience with SaaS implementation programs, Scaled Agile (SAFe), or hybrid delivery models; PMP, PgMP, or PRINCE2 certification.
• Undergraduate degree required; relevant postgraduate qualification is a plus.

At Sapiens, we are dedicated to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. We believe that diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences make us stronger and more innovative. We are committed to creating a culture where every individual is valued and can thrive regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or any other characteristic.

Sapiens is an E-Verified & Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

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