Senior Director, Strategic Operations and Program Management

Sprout Social

18h•$216,000 - $297,000•Remote

About The Position

Sprout Social is hiring a Sr. Director of Strategic Operations and Program Management to build and lead a critical new function that drives execution excellence across the company’s highest priority initiatives. Why join Sprout’s People team? Sprout’s People team champions a strong, inclusive culture by ensuring teams have the talent, programs, and operating support they need to achieve ambitious goals. Our work sits at the intersection of strategy, execution, and organizational effectiveness, partnering closely with leaders to turn priorities into meaningful, measurable outcomes. About the Role Sprout Social is building an enterprise PMO to bring greater rigor, clarity, and accountability to how our most important cross-functional initiatives are executed. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, you will serve as the operational engine behind Sprout’s top company-wide priorities. You will translate strategy into action by designing the infrastructure, operating rhythms, and decision frameworks that ensure initiatives move from planning to results with speed and focus. This is not a traditional PMO role centered on schedules and status reporting. You will act as a trusted advisor to executive leaders, pressure testing initiative design, identifying and removing blockers, and helping leaders make informed trade-offs. You will be equally comfortable building frameworks from scratch and rolling up your sleeves to drive progress day to day. From day one, you will operate at both the strategic and operational levels, shaping how initiatives are scoped and prioritized, surfacing systemic issues that slow execution, and serving as a thought partner to senior leadership on where the organization should focus next.

Requirements

12+ years of experience in strategy, operations, program management, or management consulting, including 5+ years in a leadership role
Proven track record leading complex, cross-functional, high-stakes initiatives from strategy through execution
Deep experience building programs, operating rhythms, and execution frameworks in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
Strong analytical and quantitative skills, including designing measurement frameworks and translating insights into action
Exceptional communication skills and executive presence, with the ability to partner credibly with C-suite leaders

Nice To Haves

Experience in high-growth technology or SaaS environments
PMO or program management certification (PMP, PgMP)
MBA or relevant graduate degree
Experience in organizational design, change management, or organizational effectiveness
Background in management consulting, internal strategy, or enterprise PMO roles
Experience supporting executive or board-level strategic planning

Responsibilities

Build and scale the enterprise PMO
Establish the operating model, core rituals, and tooling to manage Sprout’s top six cross-functional company priorities
Create clear, lightweight visibility into progress, risks, dependencies, and decisions needed without unnecessary bureaucracy
Design measurement and reporting systems that provide genuine insight into initiative health and execution effectiveness
Use data to inform prioritization and resource allocation by analyzing effort versus impact, velocity, and cross-initiative dependencies
Partner closely with initiative owners to surface trade-offs, remove blockers, and accelerate decision making
Codify how Sprout executes major initiatives, iterating on what works and evolving the model as the business scales
Own end-to-end program management for six high-stakes, cross-functional initiatives
Translate executive vision into executable plans with clear ownership, milestones, and success metrics
Track leading and lagging indicators to identify early warning signs and course correct before issues escalate
Provide portfolio-level oversight by identifying patterns across initiatives, distinguishing systemic issues from one-off challenges, and advising on sequencing, integration, and resourcing
Anticipate dependencies and conflicts across initiatives and run effective operating rhythms to maintain momentum
Distill complex, multi-threaded work into clear updates, decisions needed, and next actions for senior leaders
Partner with the CPO and executive leadership team on annual and long-range strategic planning
Connect company strategy to day-to-day execution, ensuring leaders and teams have a clear line of sight to priorities and outcomes
Identify organizational friction points and capability gaps that slow execution, and design interventions that improve velocity
Develop frameworks and tools that strengthen decision making and execution effectiveness across the organization
Evolve from managing the initiative portfolio to helping shape it by making recommendations based on capacity, dependencies, and strategic value
Hire, coach, and develop one direct report to support program management execution
Build a scalable operating model and determine when additional program management capacity is needed as the company grows

Benefits

Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Premium BCBSIL medical, dental (high/low plans), and vision (Eyemed) insurance for you and your eligible dependents.
Premium Mental Health Support: Full, free access to Modern Health for you and your dependents, including coaching, therapy sessions, and digital wellness resources.
Retirement Savings: 401(k) plan with a 50% company match on your first 6% of contributions (a 3% total match).
Financial Security: 100% employer-paid Life and Disability insurance for your peace of mind.
Flexible Paid Time Off: A flexible PTO policy, supplemented with additional company-wide Rest & Recharge days throughout the year.
Paid Parental Leave: Up to 16 weeks of paid leave for new parents to support you in expanding your family.
Annual Lifestyle Stipend: A $1,000 USD annual Lifestyle Spending Account to spend on your physical, mental, and financial well-being.
Work From Home Support: A one-time $550 USD stipend to set up your home office, plus a monthly $50 USD stipend for internet.
Giving Back: 16 hours of paid volunteer time annually, plus a $100 annual match for your charitable donations.
Additional Financial Perks: Access to pre-tax commuter benefits, subsidized child/eldercare (Care.com), discounted pet insurance (Figo), and no-cost personalized financial wellness support through Your Money Line.