Strategic Program Manager - Spend & Innovation (AI-Driven)

Direct Supply; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Direct Supply is seeking a Program Manager for Spend Management in Milwaukee to shape and govern cross-functional programs from concept to execution. You’ll partner with product, technology, operations, and customer success to turn strategic ideas into scalable outcomes.

You’ll design intake, governance, and pilot processes, drive alignment on scope and timelines, and lead initiatives that apply agile and OKR methods to deliver tangible results for the business and customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Technology, Operations, or related field.
• 7+ years leading cross-functional programs in tech, operations, or platform environments.
• Strong knowledge of agile, OKRs, and strategic planning frameworks.
• Proven success designing pilots and scaling initiatives across internal and external teams.
• Effective communicator with facilitation and organizational skills.
• Experience supporting supplier- and customer-facing initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Design scalable program structures for intake, governance, stage-gating, and reporting.
• Collaborate with leadership to define and evolve the program lifecycle.
• Drive discovery and alignment on scope, timelines, and objectives for new programs.
• Develop frameworks and materials that guide prioritization, decision-making, and resource allocation.
• Lead cross-functional pilot execution and scale-up decisions.
• Leverage OKRs and agile principles to track progress and increase visibility.
• Analyze program data to inform decisions, surface risks, and weigh tradeoffs.
• Serve as program lead for strategic initiatives, ensuring delivery of key milestones and outcomes.
• Build alignment and collaboration across Product, Technology, Engineering, Operations, Marketing, and Success teams.
• Contribute to strategic planning and roadmap development with Spend Management leadership.
• Champion an AI- and automation-first mindset across all programs and processes.

Skills

Deals with Ambiguity

Communicates Effectively

Champions Innovation

Collaborates Effectively

Program management

Agile & OKR fluency

Influencing without authority

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Technology/Operations

Job description

Direct Supply is seeking a Program Manager for Spend Management in Milwaukee to shape and govern cross-functional programs from concept to execution. You’ll partner with product, technology, operations, and customer success to turn strategic ideas into scalable outcomes.

You’ll design intake, governance, and pilot processes, drive alignment on scope and timelines, and lead initiatives that apply agile and OKR methods to deliver tangible results for the business and customers.