SVP, Deputy Program Manager

Adelphi Group•Chicago, IL

2d•$250,000 - $275,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We're looking for a sharp, strategic Deputy Program Account Manager (DPAM or Deputy) to join our Chicago office and own client relationships that matter. The Deputy is a strategic orchestrator who reports to the Program Account Manager for the U.S. Army Account, with primary accountability for leading all recruitment marketing activity. This role demands deep expertise in understanding and orchestrating modern, integrated marketing capabilities enabled by emerging and integrated technologies—serving as the essential bridge between internal agency partnerships and external Army stakeholders. As the central point of contact for the Director of Marketing for the Army Enterprise Marketing Office (AEMO), the Deputy must combine technical acumen with strategic vision to assess program effectiveness, identify and evaluate new technology capabilities to drive measurable results, and champion continuous marketing advancements. Success requires coordinating across the entire cross-agency functional leadership team (IAT) and U.S. Army Workstreams to ensure seamless program execution, issue escalation and resolution, while engaging with Senior Level Army leadership.

Requirements

At least 12+ years experience in marketing or communications
Bachelor’s degree or higher
Confidence to lead teams and represent the agency
Fosters effective teamwork and strong relationships
Strong problem-solving skills, initiative, and consistently adds value.
Great creative instincts and passion for helping develop and sell award winning creative work.
Commands and fosters an environment of respect and trust
Adaptable and flexible
Problem-solver first: You anticipate issues, propose solutions proactively, and stay calm under pressure
Relationship builder: You earn trust across teams—clients, creatives, strategists, producers—and collaborate naturally
Strategic advocates for creativity: You balance business pragmatism with passion for great ideas
Resourceful and flexible: You adapt to change, ambiguity, and shifting priorities without losing focus
Team-focused leader: You genuinely invest in your team's success and growth, not just task completion
Always learning: You ask good questions, seek feedback, and look for ways to improve processes and work quality
Deep understanding and mastery of modern, integrated technology capabilities—from data platforms and AI to digital marketing systems.
Comfortable advocating for and orchestrating tech solutions that expand digital and AI capabilities to unlock effectiveness and efficiencies.
Actively identifies emerging technologies, evaluates their strategic fit for the Army account, and leads cross-functional teams in seamless integration of tech-enabled marketing solutions to drive program transformation and measurable results.
Demonstrates mastery of contractual and operational boundaries, managing cost, schedule, and performance against agreed deliverables within cost-type/project-based contracts.
Comprehensive understanding of the $300MM+ marketing ecosystem.
Comfortable with data across all aspects of the program (research, media, performance, etc.).

Nice To Haves

Develops growth plans, provides timely feedback, and coaches individuals with clarity and momentum.

Responsibilities

Leading all recruitment marketing activity.
Serving as the essential bridge between internal agency partnerships and external Army stakeholders.
Assessing program effectiveness.
Identifying and evaluating new technology capabilities to drive measurable results.
Championing continuous marketing advancements.
Coordinating across the entire cross-agency functional leadership team (IAT) and U.S. Army Workstreams to ensure seamless program execution, issue escalation and resolution.
Engaging with Senior Level Army leadership.
Driving accountability and understanding of the U.S. Army Recruitment Mission.
Leading the account management team in creating innovative marketing solutions.
Unifying the right cross-discipline experts—including technology, creative, strategy, and operations—for the best program outcomes.
Neutralizing conflict throughout the broader Integrated Agency Team and fostering collaboration that advances excellence in the marketing program.
Steering operations for the overall U.S. Army account as a partner to the PMO lead.
Driving process consistency, proposal development, activity planning, budgeting, and cross-agency staffing.
Managing cost, schedule, and performance against agreed deliverables within cost-type/project-based contracts.
Shifting between strategic and program conversations across call center operations, data & privacy management, content development, prospect experience, and political atmospherics.
Digging deep to tell a story in multiple ways using data.
Asking the right probing questions to drive insights.
Identifying important business Army challenges and converting them into strategic and creative opportunities for the agency.
Leading by example, establishing work ethic expectations.
Challenging, inspiring, and holding teams accountable.
Developing growth plans, providing timely feedback, and coaching individuals.
Advancing team members' acumen as marketing professionals and leaders.
Building positive and productive relationships that engender trust.
Presenting CMO-level decks, thinking on feet, and redirecting as necessary.
Answering questions confidently.
Taking a leadership role in creating an environment that encourages the pursuit of big ideas.
Diplomatically pushing the creative envelope while respecting boundaries.
Guiding sell-in strategy development, pre-conditioning the client and protecting the big idea once sold.
Acting as an energizer that sparks team motivation towards success.
Fostering a positive work environment with maturity and good judgment.