Director, Technical Project Management

Walgreens•Deerfield, IL

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director, Technical Project Management provides strategic leadership and delivery oversight for Walgreens' Pharmacy Technology portfolio within the Value Realization & Delivery organization. The role oversees a large, complex portfolio of approximately 100 projects and hundreds of active epics supporting critical pharmacy operations and business priorities. Working closely with Pharmacy Product and Engineering leadership, the Director provides visibility into portfolio performance, resource capacity, financial planning and forecasting, risks, and cross-functional dependencies, helping leaders evaluate priorities and make informed delivery decisions. The Director leads and develops a team of portfolio, program, and project management professionals, currently 11 full-time employees, including five direct reports. The role establishes accountability, strengthens delivery practices, removes obstacles, and coordinates work across technology and business teams. It requires portfolio management experience, people leadership, financial and resource management capabilities, and the ability to influence senior stakeholders and bridge business priorities with technical execution. Hands-on software development experience is not required. The position is based at Walgreens' corporate office in Deerfield, Illinois, with a hybrid schedule requiring four days onsite and one day remote each week. Candidates must be able to meet this onsite requirement upon starting. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available now or in the future. Travel of up to 10% may be required for business purposes, within and outside the state.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering or physics.
At least 6 years of experience in technical program management and/or engineering management.
Knowledge of technical subjects and technologies relevant to the program, including methods and tools for capturing and managing product requirements and functional specifications; software project planning and development; project risk management; and software and system testing and validation.
Experience managing competing priorities across complex programs.
Knowledge of the software development lifecycle and experience applying it in a dynamic environment using Agile methodologies.
Experience building credibility and rapport with senior executives and technical and non-technical teams.
At least 5 years of experience contributing to financial decisions in the workplace.
At least 5 years of direct leadership, indirect leadership, and/or cross-functional team leadership.
Experience managing large, complex technology portfolios involving multiple programs, projects, and competing business priorities.
People leadership experience managing, coaching, and developing portfolio, program, or project management teams.
Experience managing technology budgets, financial forecasts, resource planning, and capacity across multiple initiatives.
Experience working with senior business, product, engineering, and technology leaders to support prioritization and delivery decisions.
Experience identifying and managing portfolio-level risks, dependencies, resource constraints, and delivery challenges.
Experience with portfolio governance, executive reporting, performance tracking, and communicating delivery progress to leadership.
Working knowledge of enterprise technology environments, software development lifecycles, and Agile delivery methodologies.
Experience improving portfolio management processes or leading business and technology transformation initiatives.
Willingness to travel up to 10% of the time for business purposes, within and outside the state.
Must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship is not available for this requisition, now or in the future.
Must be able to meet the hybrid onsite work requirement of four days per week at the Deerfield, Illinois corporate office upon starting employment.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting pharmacy technology, pharmacy operations, or similarly complex business environments.
Experience with medical device software development and associated documentation for regulatory submissions.

Responsibilities

Formulate a technical program management plan aligned with business objectives, budgets, and product requirements, and translate milestones and outcomes into technical-team action plans.
Oversee a portfolio of technical projects with broad organizational impact and lead alignment on program scope, vision, business goals, and structure.
Support cross-functional efforts to meet technical program needs.
Establish project milestones, roadmaps, and schedules for technical teams using Agile and technical skills.
Anticipate, capture, manage, and communicate cross-product dependencies and coordination needs across program teams.
Work with business partners and technical teams to develop programs and plans aligned with evolving business needs and product requirements.
Establish and track program plans, schedules, budgets, and technical-team resourcing; adjust plans and outcomes as scope, requirements, and issues evolve.
Support resource redistribution and engagement of supplemental resources to address critical issues and needs.
Create risk management plans, manage program risks, develop mitigations, communicate critical risks and their likelihood to leaders, and support mitigation when risks occur.
Coordinate with business-unit stakeholders and senior management to define objectives, provide status updates, and prepare for releases and deployments.
Apply engineering and business-process expertise to plan complex programs and resolve issues.
Lead stakeholder meetings to align decisions, remove obstacles, and address program issues.
Balance business goals and product requirements with technical feasibility, available technical resources, and budget.
Communicate program milestones, schedules, and critical risks to technical teams and the broader organization.
Organize alignment meetings to address program changes, tactical issues, risks, and technical challenges.
Create a collaborative environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and learning; implement policies and define approaches for technical program achievement.
Analyze the long-term impact of new or anticipated strategies and decisions.
Manage budgets, operational plans, and performance requirements for the area of responsibility, and meet budgetary goals and objectives.
Lead the team and facilitate communication among staff, management, vendors, and technology resources inside and outside the organization.
Share complex information related to areas of expertise; engage senior management to stay informed of objectives.
Work with direct reports, management peers, customer organizations, and vendors to interpret information and improve cross-functional processes and programs.
Build and enhance key internal and external contacts.