Lead Program Manager

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Lead Program Manager based in India. This role offers the opportunity to lead large-scale AI training data programs supporting complex, high-volume operations. You will own program strategy and delivery across multiple projects, vendors, and cross-functional teams. As the primary client contact, you will establish strong governance, align priorities, and ensure delivery remains connected to business objectives. You will work closely with quality, operations, technology, sales, and vendor management teams to maintain high standards while scaling efficiently. The role combines program leadership, client management, financial oversight, risk management, quality partnership, and process improvement. It is suited to an experienced program leader who can operate confidently in a fast-moving, technology-enabled environment and drive measurable outcomes at scale.

Define and execute program strategy, including goals, roadmaps, milestones, operating models, and delivery plans across multiple projects and vendors. Lead and develop a delivery team comprising Program Managers, Coordinators, and other operational stakeholders through clear objectives, capacity planning, coaching, and performance feedback. Serve as the primary day-to-day client contact, leading governance meetings, planning sessions, business reviews, and discussions around scope, priorities, and changes. Partner with Quality leadership to maintain consistent quality outcomes, align guidelines and acceptance criteria, coordinate audits, and implement corrective actions. Plan and secure sufficient rater and annotator capacity to meet high-volume delivery targets while optimising shifts, handoffs, workflows, automation, and tooling. Develop and manage program budgets, margins, and change orders while maintaining alignment between commercial commitments and delivery requirements. Maintain comprehensive RAID management covering risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies, and lead root-cause analysis and remediation for significant challenges. Escalate high-impact risks and issues with clear options, implications, and recommended actions. Drive process improvement by standardising SOPs, templates, reporting dashboards, and operating practices across the program. Partner with operations technology teams to identify, pilot, and scale automation opportunities that improve efficiency, quality, and throughput. Ensure adherence to data handling, privacy, security, and platform access requirements across program activities. Coordinate closely with Sales, Account Management, Quality, Operations, Vendor Management, and other stakeholders to deliver client and business objectives. Monitor program performance and use operational insights to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and scalable delivery. Requirements Significant experience in program or portfolio management, preferably within AI training data, data operations, technology services, content operations, or another high-volume delivery environment. Proven experience managing multiple projects, vendors, workstreams, or operational teams at scale. Strong leadership experience, including managing delivery professionals, setting objectives, planning capacity, coaching team members, and providing performance feedback. Demonstrated experience managing senior client relationships and acting as a primary point of contact for complex programs. Strong understanding of program governance, planning, change management, risk management, and operational performance management. Experience managing budgets, margins, commercial commitments, or change orders is highly desirable. Ability to partner effectively with quality teams and drive consistent quality standards, audits, corrective actions, and continuous improvement. Experience scaling high-volume operations, including workforce or capacity planning, shift optimisation, workflow design, and vendor coordination. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to conduct root-cause analysis and develop practical remediation plans. Experience implementing process improvements, standard operating procedures, dashboards, automation, or operational tooling. Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across Sales, Account Management, Quality, Operations, Technology, and Vendor Management functions. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with confidence presenting program performance, risks, recommendations, and business updates to senior stakeholders. Strong organisational skills, commercial awareness, and attention to detail. Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, global, and technology-enabled environment with changing priorities. Strong understanding of data privacy, information security, and responsible data-handling practices. Benefits Fully remote working opportunity within India and the broader Asia region. Full-time employment opportunity. Opportunity to lead large-scale AI training data and technology-enabled programs. High level of ownership across program strategy, delivery, quality, client relationships, and commercial performance. Exposure to global clients, cross-functional teams, and international vendor networks. Opportunity to work closely with AI, automation, operations, and technology teams. Professional growth through leadership of complex, high-volume programs. Opportunity to drive automation, process improvement, and operational transformation at scale. Collaborative environment involving program management, quality, operations, sales, account management, and technology specialists. Opportunity to develop further expertise in AI data operations, program governance, client management, and scalable delivery.

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