Director, Advisory Delivery Operations & Project Management

Coalfire Systems; Chicago (IL); Remote; USD 127,000 - 212,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work model

Certification and training reimburse

Parental leave

Digital mental health and wellbeing

Comprehensive insurance options

Job summary

Coalfire Systems is seeking a Director, Advisory Delivery Operations & Project Management to lead delivery excellence across advisory projects. You will supervise a team of project managers, standardize delivery processes, and partner with leadership to optimize performance.

This role supports clients nationwide from Chicago with a remote-friendly model; requires 10+ years PM experience and strong executive communication in a professional services/tech environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business administration or related field.
• 10+ years of project management or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years leading project managers or delivery teams.
• Experience integrating automation into processes is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coach a team of project managers across advisory engagements.
• Monitor performance, conduct reviews, and manage escalation.
• Standardize delivery procedures to improve efficiency and outcomes.
• Develop training materials and coach peers for consistent project management.
• Manage client relationships and ensure high-quality delivery excellence.
• Oversee risk identification, mitigation, and issue resolution.
• Coordinate scheduling, task assignments, and client communications.
• Drive delivery utilization and KPIs with leadership.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Client facing

Process improvement

Risk management

Communication

Executive communication

Cross-functional

Agile

PMO

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Smartsheet

Job description

Coalfire Systems

Coalfire is an EEO employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to respecting one another, embracing individual differences, and creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Director, Advisory Delivery Operations & Project Management

About Coalfire

Coalfire is on a mission to make the world a safer place by solving our clients' hardest cybersecurity challenges. We work at the cutting edge of technology to advise, assess, automate, and ultimately help companies navigate the ever-changing cybersecurity landscape. We are headquartered in Chicago, Illinois with offices across the U.S. and U.K., and we support clients around the world.

But that's not who we are – that's just what we do.

We are thought leaders, consultants, and cybersecurity experts, but above all else, we are a team of passionate problem-solvers who are hungry to learn, grow, and make a difference.

What You'll Do

• Working independently and collaboratively with a team to support and deliver assigned work activities
• Managing assigned team: monitoring team’s performance, completing annual and midyear reviews, conducting regular 1:1 meetings, mentoring/coaching team members through all project management phases, providing time off coverage, tracking team growth and expansion needs, and completing any other tasks required to manage a high performing team of project managers
• Collaborating with the Delivery Operations/Project Management Leadership to develop/update project management procedures with the goal to standardize our delivery approach, reporting, and optimization efforts across all advisory projects Leverages technology and automation to help optimize workflows, drive innovation, and enhance operational efficiency
• Creating or updating training materials and providing on-going coaching to individual project managers to ensure readiness to manage projects consistently and deliver projects with excellence
• Working closely with the Delivery Operations/Project Management Leadership to achieve delivery utilization targets and other Coalfire key performance metrics
• Escalating client and project issues to the Delivery Operations/Project Management Leadership to inform and engage the necessary resources to address issues
• Take the lead in risk reporting and identify high risk clients and elevate ideas to Delivery Operations/Project Management Leadership
• Collaborating with the Delivery Operations/Project Management Leadership, the quality management team, the sales team, and the delivery team members to drive for the best customer experience
• Executing and controlling project management work as an individual and providing oversight of assigned team’s performance on client engagements
• Guiding projects through proactive risk identification, mitigation and issues management
• Managing overall project coordination: scheduling, assigning tasks, enabling clear and consistent client communication, and escalating issues when necessary to ensure successful resolution and project completion
• Creating and executing project work plans and revising those work plans as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements
• Leading project status meetings to include information regarding schedules, data requirements & assignments
• Communicating project resources needed and collaborating with teams to assign individual responsibilities
• Interfacing with clients through entire engagement and interacting with numerous levels of client organizations
• Establishing and maintaining a positive, collaborative relationships with clients
• Remote position; travel for client or internal needs as required, up to 25%.

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of project management or equivalent job experience
• 5+ years of external client facing experience in a consulting, professional services, technology, compliance or related environment.
• 5+ years of experience leading project managers, project management teams, or cross functional delivery organizations, with demonstrated success as a player-coach.
• 3+ years of experience in adapting technology automations into process improvement strategies
• Strong thought leadership in integrating process improvement strategies
• Ability to proactively take the lead on client and project escalation and ongoing risk management
• Understanding of project/practice management best practices and proven success with leading cross functional project teams independently for the full project lifecycle
• Excellent communication skills including executive level communication experience
• Understanding of the essential business practices of a project management team within a professional consulting organization
• Strong presentation and organizational skills
• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration or related field

Bonus Points

• Experience or familiarity with AI automation as a tool for process improvement
• Consulting/professional services experience, familiarity with managing large and complex IT projects, cloud platform and compliance experience a plus
• Strong understanding of security principles, policies and industry best practices
• Hybrid and Agile delivery methodology experience
• Experience building and establishing PMO processes
• Hands on experience with Agile tooling suite (i.e. Jira and Confluence)
• Experience with Smartsheet
• Understanding of resource management best practices

Preferred Certifications

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Project Management Professional (PMP) is strongly preferred
• Lean Six Sigma
• ITIL Certification
• CISM
• Security +
• AWS or GCP cloud certifications

The salary range listed is a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role based on national salary averages. The actual salary offer to the successful candidate will be based on job-related education, geographic location, training, licensure and certifications and other factors. You may also be eligible to participate in annual incentive, commission, and/or recognition programs.

$127,000 - $212,000 a year

Why You’ll Want to Join Us

At Coalfire, you'll find the support you need to thrive personally and professionally. In many cases, we provide a flexible work model that empowers you to choose when and where you'll work most effectively – whether you're at home or an office.

Regardless of location, you'll experience a company that prioritizes connection and wellbeing and be part of a team where people care about each other and our communities. You'll have opportunities to join employee resource groups, participate in in-person and virtual events, and more. And you'll enjoy competitive perks and benefits to support you and your family, like paid parental leave, flexible time off, certification and training reimbursement, digital mental health and wellbeing support membership, and comprehensive insurance options.

At Coalfire, equal opportunity and pay equity is integral to the way we do business. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Coalfire is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. To request reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, contact our Human Resources team at [e-mail].

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.

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