Program Manager, Onsite Data Collection

TELUS Digital

6d•$172,000 - $195,000•Remote

About The Position

The Program Manager owns end-to-end delivery and execution of onsite and in-the-wild data collection client programs. The role oversees financial performance, client engagement, and cross-functional execution from pre-sales through delivery, with an emphasis on operational excellence, client satisfaction, quality, throughput, and safety. The position guides program strategy across staffing, vendors, equipment, facilities, and field operations. It leads Project Managers and project teams, coordinates cross-functional partners, manages client relationships and escalations, monitors delivery and financial performance, and identifies risks and opportunities to scale the data collection delivery model. The ideal candidate works remotely from Los Angeles, California, with required and regular travel to program facilities and field data collection sites.

Requirements

3–5+ years managing global or large-scale onsite or field operations programs supporting Data Collection, User Research, Clinical Research, Machine Learning, or a similar environment or domain.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related field; relevant experience may substitute for formal education.
Proven success leading cross-functional teams and delivering high-stakes programs.
Prior client-facing program or account management experience.
Ability to translate complex client and technical requirements into scalable, executable delivery models.
Strong financial ownership, including forecasting, P&L management, invoicing, and budget accountability.
Experience managing high-risk, high-volume onsite and in-the-wild environments, including safety and compliance considerations.
Ability to enable cross-functional alignment and speed across Operations, Talent Acquisition, Legal, Finance, and Quality.
Strong stakeholder management and customer-centric mindset, with the ability to build trust and alignment across global, distributed teams.
Structured, results-oriented approach to planning, monitoring, and control; ability to manage escalations and execute contingency plans.
Comfort presenting performance, financials, and risks to client and internal leadership audiences.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with program or project management methodologies such as PRINCE2, PMI, or similar.

Responsibilities

Own overall program performance, including financial health, forecasting, P&L, invoicing, delivery success, and client satisfaction.
Serve as the primary contact and escalation point for operational and client challenges; lead regular client syncs and onsite or virtual business reviews.
Provide weekly status updates, dashboards, and progress reviews to internal leadership and client stakeholders.
Lead and develop project teams, manage performance and productivity metrics, and address gaps through coaching and development.
Work with Legal and Liability to ensure collection activities meet compliance, safety, and insurance standards.
Partner with Talent Acquisition to define hiring strategies and job profiles for collectors across full-time, part-time, and crowd-based staffing models.
Guide execution strategy across staffing, vendor engagement, equipment, and day-to-day operations.
Select staffing models to meet program scale, coverage needs, and cost targets.
Lead Project Managers to ensure timelines, budgets, and milestones are met across facility-based and field collection workstreams.
Support facility sourcing, setup, and readiness, and own logistics for in-the-wild collection sites.
Oversee procurement strategy for equipment and staffing in line with approved program scope.
Support new workstream launches and integrate third-party contributions into the delivery model.
Identify and mitigate delivery risks, recommending interventions or contingency plans to address gaps or quality and yield issues.
Align Operations, Talent Acquisition, Legal, Finance, Quality, and vendors around a single delivery plan.
Translate client requirements for approach, calibration, and equipment into staffing plans, timelines, and budgets, ensuring field execution meets agreed technical standards.
Align execution with financial expectations and drive clear stakeholder communication and accountability.
Contribute to strategic planning with the client account and leadership team, identifying opportunities to scale the delivery model to new accounts and programs.