Program Manager (Partner Lead)

Employment Type: Contract Position Location Type: Remote (Canada) Salary: Not Specified

Our Story

Able has experienced significant growth and evolution over the past several years, marked by distinct phases:

• Chapter 1 (Founded 2013): Started as a product and engineering hub for early-stage startups, operating as an in-house/external hybrid shared services model. This period established our operational and cultural foundation.
• Chapter 2 (2019 onwards): Expanded our vision beyond our initial partner base, building new relationships and delivering high-value work across diverse industries.
• Chapter 3 (2023 onwards): Entered a new growth phase with a strategy focused on two key audiences:
  • Venture Capital firms seeking scalable product and technology solutions across their portfolios.
  • Private Equity firms aiming to accelerate value creation within their portfolio companies.
• Chapter 3a: Fully aligned with our mission and vision, leveraging the transformative power of applied AI to accelerate the end-to-end software development lifecycle. We combine world-class talent with emerging practices to significantly increase our partners' product organization capacity and impact.

About the Role

Able is seeking a remote, full-time Program Manager, functioning as a Partner Lead, to join our expanding team. In this pivotal role, you will be the cornerstone of our client partnerships, leading cross-functional software development programs and ensuring project excellence from strategy through execution.

You will manage complex partner relationships, own delivery, and bring a deep understanding of product and engineering workflows. As a Partner Lead, your focus extends beyond project delivery to helping our partners build better products and scale effectively. You will collaborate closely with Product Managers, Engineers, and stakeholders at all organizational levels to ensure the success of each engagement.

Your Day to Day

• Lead and manage partner relationships, aligning their business goals with Able’s delivery excellence.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for partner engagement, communication, and strategic alignment.
• Own the success of each program, encompassing delivery, profitability, team health, and long-term partnership value.
• Translate business priorities into actionable workstreams across engineering and product teams.
• Collaborate with engineers and product managers to shape and ship impactful solutions.
• Manage financial health, scope, schedules, risks, team utilization, and partner expectations.
• Anticipate and resolve issues, blockers, and delivery risks proactively.
• Contribute to the continuous evolution of our delivery practices and internal team growth.
• Utilize data-driven insights and key performance indicators to drive partner success.
• Act as a coach and support system for cross-functional team members to ensure alignment and unblock issues.
• Promote Agile, Lean, and Continuous Development best practices.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience:
  • 10+ years of experience in program and project management at a digital agency or growth-stage technology company.
  • Proven ability to manage complex client relationships and navigate organizational dynamics.
  • Experience working on projects with 0-1 builds.
  • Experience overseeing multiple projects simultaneously within a single partner account.
  • Strong understanding of the software development lifecycle and delivery methodologies (Agile, Lean).
  • Experience collaborating closely with engineering and product teams.
  • Demonstrated success setting and maintaining standards for program management across workgroups.
  • Experience mentoring or managing project managers on related workstreams.
• Skills:
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and comfort operating in ambiguity.
  • Strong communication, organization, and leadership skills.
  • Familiarity with project management software such as Jira, Confluence, Asana, or similar.
  • Strong written communication skills.