Director, Strategic Programs

The Director of Strategic Programs is a strategic operator responsible for driving Lone Wolf's highest-priority cross-functional initiatives and accelerating execution of the company's strategic objectives. This role serves as a force multiplier across the executive team, leading complex programs that span multiple functions and ensuring strategic priorities are translated into measurable business outcomes. Reporting to the SVP, Product & Strategy, the Director of Strategic Programs works closely with executive leadership and senior functional leaders to establish alignment, drive accountability, and maintain execution momentum across distributed teams. This role also leads M&A integration efforts and supports acquisition diligence activities as part of the broader strategic portfolio. This is a highly visible individual contributor role requiring exceptional strategic thinking, operational rigor, business acumen, and relationship-building skills. Success in this position depends on the ability to influence without authority, navigate complexity, and consistently move critical initiatives from concept to execution. ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES: Strategic Initiative Leadership Lead the execution of the company's most important cross-functional initiatives and strategic priorities. Responsibilities: Define initiative scope, objectives, success metrics, milestones, governance structures, and decision frameworks. Partner with executive sponsors and functional leaders to establish clear ownership and accountability across strategic initiatives. Drive execution across distributed teams while maintaining alignment, transparency, and momentum. Monitor initiative performance, identify risks and dependencies, and proactively drive issue resolution. Facilitate cross-functional decision-making and ensure alignment on priorities, timelines, and expected outcomes. Provide concise, decision-oriented updates to executive leadership on initiative status, risks, and business impact. Ensure strategic initiatives deliver measurable financial, operational, and customer outcomes. Strategy Execution & Value Creation Drive strategic and operational initiatives that improve business performance and create enterprise value. Responsibilities: Lead execution of strategic programs across Product, Technology, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, Operations, and Finance. Develop business cases, financial models, implementation plans, and success metrics for strategic initiatives. Partner with leaders across the organization to evaluate opportunities, prioritize investments, and allocate resources effectively. Establish KPI frameworks and reporting mechanisms that connect initiative progress to business results. Apply industry benchmarks, market intelligence, and best practices to identify opportunities for growth and operational improvement. Translate strategic priorities into executable roadmaps with clear ownership and measurable outcomes. Drive accountability for achieving targeted financial and operational results. Executive Partnership & Strategic Analysis Serve as a trusted advisor and strategic partner to executive leadership. Responsibilities: Act as a key partner to the SVP, Product & Strategy and support executive decision-making on critical business initiatives. Lead strategic analyses related to market opportunities, competitive positioning, portfolio strategy, operating models, and growth initiatives. Conduct structured evaluations of build, buy, partner, and investment opportunities. Prepare executive-level recommendations supported by data, financial analysis, and operational considerations. Facilitate discussions among senior leaders to align on priorities, tradeoffs, and business decisions. Bring an external perspective to internal strategic conversations while maintaining a practical understanding of operational realities. Program Management Excellence Establish scalable program management disciplines that improve execution quality and organizational effectiveness. Responsibilities: Design and maintain a lightweight program management framework that supports execution without creating unnecessary complexity. Develop and manage program governance processes, dashboards, milestone tracking, risk logs, and executive reporting. Ensure strategic initiatives maintain clear ownership, timelines, deliverables, and measurable success criteria. Drive a culture of accountability, transparency, and execution excellence across the strategic portfolio. Identify opportunities to improve organizational planning, prioritization, and execution processes. Standardize successful practices and frameworks that can be applied across future initiatives. Mergers, Acquisitions & Integration Management Lead integration planning and execution for acquisitions while supporting strategic diligence activities. Responsibilities: Establish and lead Integration Management Office (IMO) activities for acquisitions. Coordinate cross-functional integration workstreams across Product, Technology, Finance, HR, Sales, Marketing, Customer Success, and Operations. Develop and manage Day 1, Day 100, and long-term integration plans. Track integration milestones, dependencies, risks, and synergy realization efforts. Support acquisition diligence activities through financial modeling, market analysis, synergy assessment, and integration planning. Partner with executive leadership to assess acquisition opportunities and associated integration risks. Translate acquisition assumptions into executable integration plans and measurable value realization programs. KEY RESULT AREAS: Strategic Initiative Execution Strategic initiatives are clearly chartered, appropriately governed, and consistently delivered on time and within scope. Business outcomes and success metrics are achieved as planned. Strategy & Value Creation Strategic programs demonstrate measurable impact on revenue growth, operational efficiency, customer outcomes, and profitability. Leadership maintains clear visibility into initiative performance and value realization. Cross-Functional Leadership Strong relationships exist across departments, enabling effective collaboration and alignment. Teams work together efficiently to achieve shared business objectives. Executive Partnership Executive leadership views the Director as a trusted advisor who provides sound judgment, actionable recommendations, and reliable execution support. Operational Excellence Program management processes create consistency, accountability, and execution rigor without unnecessary bureaucracy. Strategic initiatives are managed through clear governance and reporting structures. M&A Integration Success Acquisitions are integrated successfully with minimal disruption to business operations. Synergy targets and integration milestones are achieved according to plan. Diligence activities provide leadership with accurate assessments and informed recommendations. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE: Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Management, or a related field. 8+ years of experience in strategy, management consulting, business operations, program management, corporate development, private equity portfolio operations, or related fields. Experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders and business functions. Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive results without direct authority. Strong analytical, financial modeling, and business case development skills. Experience building executive-level presentations, recommendations, and decision frameworks. Exceptional project and program management capabilities. Strong communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills. Preferred Qualifications MBA or advanced business degree. Experience within SaaS, software, technology, or recurring revenue businesses. Management consulting, corporate strategy, private equity operating partner, or business transformation experience. Experience supporting mergers and acquisitions, integration management, or corporate development activities. Familiarity with KPI development, operational performance management, and strategic planning processes.