Associate Director, Technical Program Management

MERGE•Boston, MA

7h•$89,000 - $130,000•Remote

About The Position

At MERGE, we are Built Different. We are a marketing and technology agency purpose-built for the intersection of health and wellness—where human impact matters most. By weaving storytelling through technology, we move beyond traditional engagement to Whole Human Marketing. This approach recognizes that humans are multidimensional and complex, and uses AI to ensure every brand interaction feels natural, contextual, and relevant. This commitment to human-first innovation is what brings us together and propels us forward. We are united by our North Star: to unite people and brands to empower healthier, happier lives. Emerge to the Top of Your Career At MERGE, we strive to create a superior work experience where talented and ambitious people grow. An experience that encourages people to think higher and feel deeper. An experience where people engage their minds and hearts to do the best work of their careers. As our Associate Director, Technical Program Management, you will… Own delivery for client-facing technical initiatives—leading end-to-end website and application projects, maintaining project health (scope, timeline, budget), and coordinating handoffs between strategy, design, and engineering. You’ll act as the main bridge to account teams and Tech Ops, run disciplined planning, reporting, and risk-management practices (burn, forecasts, change control), optimize resourcing and team velocity, mentor junior PMs, and continuously improve processes—including automation or AI-driven workflows—while documenting and scaling best practices across the organization.

Requirements

7+ years in a Technical Project Management role, preferably within a marketing/ad agency, or enterprise technology environment, managing multi-million dollar digital portfolios.
An understanding of marketing technology platforms (e.g. content management systems, digital experience platforms), marketing automation, CMS website development, and custom application development.
Exceptional ability to "translate" technical constraints into business risks for executive stakeholders.
A proven track record of managing cross-functional teams where diverse disciplines (Creative, Dev, Data) must align under a single project vision.
Led end-to-end CMS website builds or custom application launches (quantify number of full launches).
Hands-on experience producing burn reports, forecasts, and tracking actual hours vs. plan for projects.
Capacity planning/resource allocation experience for technical teams (managed staffing for concurrent streams or team size).
Implemented/enforced agency PMO processes (change control, QA gates, sign-offs) on technical projects.
Documented risk identification and contingency-plan execution that protected schedule/budget.
Experience designing or implementing automation or AI-driven workflow improvements for delivery.

Responsibilities

Lead client-focused website initiatives through disciplined project coordination and technical oversight.
Exercise ownership of all assigned technical projects from an overall health perspective, ensuring adherence to scope, timeline, and budget.
Oversee the full project lifecycle, including detailed technical estimates, scope definitions, rigorous timelines, and budget management.
Understand the connections and handoffs between strategy, design, and technical execution and ensure to make the proper touchpoints.
Act as the primary bridge between the client and technical execution, relaying critical feedback and working closely with Tech Ops to ensure delivery excellence.
Optimize resource allocation to ensure technical projects are completed efficiently, meeting organizational goals while enhancing the internal user experience.
Ensure project processes follow internal best practices, aligning with the agency’s client-facing PMO.
Manage junior team members on their projects to ensure alignment with Agency processes, and foster their growth by training and looking for opportunities for them to exploit areas of focus.
Optimizing internal workflows to increase client and/or internal team satisfaction and deepen relationships.
Minimizing budget variance and tracking "Scope Creep" through rigorous change management.
Identifying areas for internal improvement and developing implementation plans for AI-driven or automated workflows.
Systematic documentation, sharing of lessons learned and best practices across departments to prevent siloed information.
Bring organization to the delivery approach, planning, and meeting execution. Own the agency process and enforce its use to ensure project quality.
Anticipate and identify project risks and bottlenecks early. Partner with stakeholders to manage scope and implement contingency plans that protect schedules and budgets.
Plan and facilitate high-impact meetings and project estimations. Confront issues openly and quickly to maintain momentum.
Deliver detailed progress reports, burn, and forecasts. Track scope changes and actual hours against project plans, making real-time adjustments to ensure profitability and on-time delivery.
Bridge the gap between Engineering, Client Experience, Finance, Casting, etc. to align technical output with corporate growth goals.
Coordinate with Casting colleagues to resource assignments and determine creative ways to distribute responsibilities across disciplines without burning out technical staff.
Collaborate with discipline leads, managing personalities and resolving conflicts, fostering a culture of ownership and accountability.