Chief Program Officer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Germany.

📋 Description

• Manages the complete portfolio of projects and programs, ensuring that prioritization is in line with the company's strategic goals, capacity, and financial objectives.

• Maintains a realistic and continually updated delivery plan in close collaboration with software engineering leadership.

• Provides insights into program health and its effect on overall company performance.

• Serves as the escalation point for strategic customers concerning program performance.

• Facilitates decision-making regarding trade-offs, resource allocation, obstacles, and inter-departmental dependencies.

• Promotes ongoing improvements in delivery speed, predictability, and quality.

• Oversees budgeting at the project level, cost tracking, margin analysis, and inputs for revenue recognition.

• Identifies risks across programs and implements strategies for mitigation.

• Fosters a culture of accountability, transparency, and a customer-centric approach to delivery.

• Involved in tender evaluations, proposal preparations, partner negotiations, long-term planning, integration of mergers/acquisitions, and organizational design.

• Encourages collaboration among Engineering, Sales, Offer Management, Marketing, In-Service Support, and Product teams by closely working with the Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), In-Service Support lead, and Head of Product Management, while reporting to the ATM Director to align operational plans with strategic objectives.

• Supervises project managers and program managers.

• Builds, leads, and mentors a high-performing project/program team.

• Defines career paths, hiring criteria, and training programs for project and program management personnel.

• Ensures uniform project management practices across all project managers and delivery teams.

• Collaborates with the ATM Business Unit Director to establish revenue targets, budgets, and financial forecasts.

⛳️ Requirements

• Bachelor's degree, MBA, or equivalent qualification.

• Professional experience in the aviation sector: over 10 years of continuous experience in project management, program leadership, or operations within a software or technology context.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in project and people management, including leading other project managers, effectively acting as a manager of managers.

• Preferred: experience mentoring junior managers and exhibiting strong leadership skills.

• Experience in client leadership involving large teams and a high volume of products.

• Proven success in delivering projects/programs within a highly international business environment.

• Experience in international markets and cross-cultural business settings.

• Experience working closely with senior executives (C-level) to align delivery with strategic goals.

• Deep knowledge of program governance, portfolio management, resource planning, risk management, and project delivery frameworks.

• Language proficiency: excellent command of both English and German.

• Highly organized, structured, and disciplined in execution.

• Capable of creating and maintaining delivery plans and reporting structures across multiple parallel initiatives.

• Understanding of financial forecasting, budgeting, cost control, and revenue recognition related to project delivery.

• Flexible mindset with experience in navigating complex organizations while balancing market and country perspectives.

• Collaborative leadership style.

• Customer-focused mindset with a commitment to high-quality delivery.

• Proactive, accountable, and transparent in approach.

🏝️ Benefits

• Flexitime without core working hours.

• 30 days of vacation.

• Good work-life balance facilitated by mobile working options.

• Opportunity for workations.

• Individual support through regular training programs.

• Engage in international team collaborations.

• Possibility to utilize Jobrad, Wellpass, Deutschlandticket, Edenred City Card, and corporate benefits.