Program Director Jobs in Illinois

At Ensono, our Purpose is to be a relentless ally, disrupting the status quo and unleashing our clients to Do Great Things! We enable our clients to achieve key business outcomes that reshape how our world runs. As an expert technology adviser and managed service provider with cross-platform certifications, Ensono empowers our clients to keep up with continuous change and embrace innovation.

We can Do Great Things because we have great Associates. The Ensono Core Values unify our diverse talents and are woven into how we do business. These five traits are the key to achieving our purpose:

Honesty, Reliability, Curiosity, Collaboration, and Passion.

About the role and what you'll be doing:

As the Program Director you will lead strategic client engagements focused on mainframe optimization, program delivery, and pre-sales solutioning. This role combines deep technical expertise with consultative leadership, helping clients modernize legacy environments, improve operational efficiency, and achieve transformational outcomes.

You will serve as a trusted advisor to clients, guiding them through complex technical decisions and delivering high-impact programs. You'll also collaborate closely with Sales, Solution Architects, and Delivery teams to shape solutions, define roadmaps, and ensure successful execution.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a Program Director and technical advisor to clients, providing strategic guidance on mainframe optimization, modernization, and transformation initiatives.
• Lead end-to-end program delivery, including planning, execution, governance, and stakeholder management across multiple concurrent engagements.
• Provide Project/Program Management for delivery of projects
• Support pre-sales activities by contributing to solution design, scoping, proposal development, and client presentations.
• Develop and maintain program plans, timelines, budgets, and resource allocations using tools such as Jira, Asana, MS Project, and Smartsheet.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless delivery of technical solutions, including installation, testing, and implementation of mainframe systems and software.
• Drive continuous improvement across mainframe environments (z/OS, tape management, scheduling, security, monitoring, etc.) through automation, cost optimization, and performance tuning.
• Translate complex technical concepts into business value for non-technical stakeholders.
• Conduct post-project reviews and implement lessons learned to improve future engagements.
• Mentor junior consultants and contribute to internal knowledge sharing and thought leadership.
• Ensure compliance with technical standards, industry best practices, and client-specific requirements.
• Supervise groups of projects and align program execution to long-term business objectives.
• Build strong client relationships and establish trusted-advisor status.
• Partner with assigned clients to confirm business requirements, objectives, success criteria, and deliverables.
• Manage clear, consistent communication across Ensono, client stakeholders, vendors, and suppliers.
• Serve as the customer advocate by coordinating with Ensono technical, build, and implementation teams to support seamless delivery.
• Participate in the pre-sale cycle (where applicable) to define program governance, interpret contractual deliverables, and confirm that the proposed delivery structure is executable.
• Work with project teams to develop project plans aligned to contracted deliverables and provide guidance, direction, and issue resolution.
• Identify and manage cross-functional programs involving multiple Ensono departments and client teams, regardless of location.
• Build resource planning and forecasting into program plans and oversee adherence to approved plans.
• Build and manage program P&L models using non-recurring revenue, monthly recurring revenue, capital expenditures, and program costs.
• Analyze revenue, profitability, and the financial performance of major projects; help resolve billing and accounts receivable issues.
• Identify, track, and maintain milestones and deliverables across the overall program and related projects.
• Manage the program delivery cycle by setting clear expectations and ensuring consistent adherence to them.
• Monitor scope and ensure variances or scope creep are documented and managed through change-control processes.
• Act as a change agent and reinforce adherence to change-management protocols.
• Lead status meetings covering deliverables, priorities, issues, risks, and outstanding concerns.
• Produce and maintain monthly and quarterly reporting on deliverable status and program performance.
• Coordinate monthly and quarterly stakeholder meetings between the client and Ensono.
• Identify and develop new business opportunities within existing client programs.

We want all new Associates to succeed in their roles at Ensono. That's why we've outlined the job requirements below. To be considered for this role, it's important that you meet all Required Qualifications. If you do not meet all of the Preferred Qualifications, we still encourage you to apply.

What You Will Need:

• 10+ years of experience in technology consulting, program management, or enterprise IT delivery.
• Deep understanding of mainframe technologies and operations (z/OS, scheduling tools, tape management, etc.).
• Proven experience leading large-scale optimization or transformation programs.
• Strong background in client engagement, solutioning, and pre-sales support.
• Proficiency with project and program management tools (Jira, Asana, MS Project, Smartsheet).
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (PMP or Agile certification is a plus).

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience in managed services or hybrid IT environments.
• Strategic thinker with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Comfortable working in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
• Skilled at building trust and long-term relationships with clients.
• Familiarity with cloud integration and modernization strategies for legacy systems.
• PMP certification.
• Familiarity with the operational aspects of delivering complex hosting and IP services.
• A combination of consulting and operational experience.

Why Ensono?

Ensono is a place to make better happen – for our clients and for your career. You can do great things through innovation or collaboration, by learning or volunteering, or to promote diversity and inclusion. You can do great things for your own health or for a healthier planet. Whatever it means to you to do great things we want Ensono to be the place you can do it.

We are a client-facing business, but we do encourage clients to allow us to work remotely most of the time so if you are not required to be on a client site, you can choose to work from home or in our Ensono offices.

Some of our benefits include:

• Unlimited Paid Days Off
• Three health plan options
• 401k with company match
• Eligibility for dental, vision, short and long-term disability, life and AD&D coverage, and flexible spending accounts
• Family Forming Benefit including fertility coverage and adoption/surrogacy reimbursement
• Paid childbearing and paternal leave
• Education Reimbursement, Student Loan Assistance or 529 College Funding
• Sabbatical leave
• Wellness program
• Flexible work schedule

As of the date of this posting, a good faith estimate of the current pay scale for this role is $135,000 to $205,000 annually based on a full-time schedule. Please note that placement in the range may vary based on numerous factors including but not limited to skills, experience, internal equity, and business needs. In addition to base salary, other compensation programs, depending on eligibility, include an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance and an equity grant under our Associate Equity Appreciation Program.

Ensono is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment to our Associates and building a diverse and inclusive workforce. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable law.

Pay transparency nondiscrimination statement/posting OFCCP's pay transparency policy can be found on OFCCP's website.

If you need accommodation at any point during the application or interview process, please let your recruiter know or email USTalentAcquisition@ensono.com.