Customer Program Manager

The job responsibilities outlined in this document are not exhaustive and may evolve over time and be reviewed according to business needs.

ROLE DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

The Customer Program Manager drives the seamless execution of managed and professional services from proposal through implementation, ensuring alignment with business objectives and fulfilling customer needs. S/he is committed to delivering consistent, high-quality programs and projects in line with budget, time, and operational efficiency whilst ensuring highest customer satisfaction.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Customer Program Management, this position will be working cross-functionally as the primary liaison between customers and internal stakeholders, including Network Engineering, Network Operations, Sales, Customer Sales Architects (CSA), Customer Service Managers (CSM), vendors, and other cross-functional teams to ensure seamless delivery of customer programs. 

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES / KEY RESULT AREAS

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of managed and professional services, from planning through implementation to operational handover, ensuring execution is on time, within budget, and aligned with contractual obligations and SES standards.
• Steer customer programs in line with defined governance and project excellence standards, ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery across the full service lifecycle.
• Own program planning, execution, and reporting, providing accurate and timely updates on progress, KPIs, risks, and recovery actions to senior management.
• Ensure SES implements services based on customer service level agreement/contract and our standard concept of operations.
• Act as the primary customer interface during implementation, building strong relationships, managing expectations, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Act as an escalation point for issues with existing processes that live in other departments such as Network Engineering, Network Operations, Finance, Sales, and Legal, during implementation of a service or changes to an existing service.
• Identify, assess, and manage risks, issues, and dependencies, driving mitigation actions and coordinating cross-functional resolution and escalation where required.
• Drive financial performance of programs, including budget management, cost control, and contribution to customer profitability.
• Continuously monitor program performance and customer feedback, using insights to drive service improvements, customer retention, and operational efficiency.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and lead on complex or strategic programs, contributing to business-critical initiatives.
• Recommend and influence enhancements to processes, policies, technologies, and services to improve delivery effectiveness and support organizational objectives.
• Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships, ensuring alignment between customer requirements, operational execution, and business objectives.

COMPETENCIES

• Customer-Centric Leadership & Stakeholder Influence: Drive programs with a strong focus on customer needs and value delivery, building trusted relationships and communicating effectively across all levels, including senior stakeholders, to ensure alignment and long-term partnership success.
• Operational Excellence & Project Delivery Discipline: Lead programs with rigor and consistency, ensuring high-quality execution against scope, schedule, cost, SLAs, and KPIs, while continuously improving delivery processes, efficiency, and scalability.
• Strategic Program Leadership & Integration: Orchestrate complex, cross-functional programs by integrating multiple workstreams into cohesive execution, aligning service delivery with customer requirements and broader business objectives.
• Financial & Business Acumen: Drive strong financial performance through budget ownership, forecasting, cost control, and an understanding of market dynamics, industry trends, and competitive landscape.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Organizational Impact: Break down silos and foster collaboration across engineering, operations, and commercial teams, ensuring shared accountability and seamless service delivery in a global, matrixed environment.
• Innovation, Continuous Improvement & Change Leadership: Promote innovation and drive continuous improvement in service delivery, enabling adoption of new products, technologies, and processes while leading teams through transformation.
• Analytical Thinking & Problem Solving: Apply strong analytical, strategic, and solution-oriented thinking to solve complex challenges, identify root causes, and develop pragmatic, high-impact solutions.
• High-Performance Team Leadership: Inspire and guide teams in a matrix organization, fostering accountability, engagement, and resilience while maintaining focus and performance in dynamic, high-pressure environments.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of ten (10) years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage and influence customers and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Proven track record of leading complex, multi-stakeholder customer programs end-to-end, delivering against scope, schedule, budget, SLAs, and KPIs while ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated leadership capability, including influencing and driving outcomes in a matrixed organization without direct authority.
• Proven ability to manage program scope, change control, risk, and resource planning while proactively identifying and mitigating potential impacts.
• Strong business and financial acumen with advanced skills in decision-making, negotiation, and executive-level presentations.
• Experience leading the delivery of complex technology programs and services, preferably within telecommunications or managed services environments.
• Track record of managing programs against service-level agreements (SLAs) and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Experience executing contractual deliverables and ensuring compliance with agreed terms, timelines, and customer expectations.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, dynamic environments while managing competing priorities and evolving requirements.
• Technical knowledge in one or more relevant domains (e.g., managed services such as media, broadband or mobility, satellite communications, or telecommunications service provider environments).
• C1 proficiency in English is required; proficiency in French is preferred.

OTHER KEY REQUIREMENTS / COMMENTS

• Advanced degree or post graduate training
• Project Management certification (Prince2, PMI-PMP, etc…)