Director - SW Software Portfolio Excellence

Description

A billion-dollar global retail technology company in Research Triangle Park, NC, is hiring a Director, Software Portfolio Excellence to lead the operating discipline, cross-functional alignment and business execution that turn software portfolio strategy into measurable results across the software line of business.

This leader connects the software portfolio with the functions it depends on. They build one integrated view of priorities, commitments, risks, dependencies, investment, commercial readiness and performance, and drive accountability across Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, Professional Services, SaaS/Operations, Finance, Legal, Procurement and other stakeholders.

This is not a software delivery program management role. Engineering stays accountable for engineering execution, quality, schedule and delivery. Product leaders stay accountable for portfolio strategy and commercial results, and functional leaders stay accountable for their own execution. The director builds the system that ties these together, spots where momentum is slowing, clears blockers and escalates the top issues with clear recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Build and run an integrated management system across the software portfolio, covering commerce, security suite, AI and agentic, payments and legacy, marketplace and other priorities.
• Turn portfolio strategy into clear priorities, decisions, commitments, owners, milestones, dependencies and measurable outcomes, and keep trade-offs visible so attention and resources go to the highest-value work.
• Make functional commitments explicit and visible without taking on execution that belongs to those functions.
• Find where momentum is slowing, identify the root blocker and its accountable owner, push actions to closure, and escalate when needed.
• Build one view of portfolio performance covering revenue, ARR/SaaS, pipeline, margin and gross profit, investment, adoption, releases and other key metrics.
• Work with Finance and functional owners to spot variances, risks and investment or utilization problems, define corrective actions, link execution progress to commercial and financial results, and follow through.
• Drive readiness for major launches and releases across product, engineering, sales, marketing, technical enablement, services, operations, customer communications, legal, procurement and partners. Make sure launch plans are substantive, owned, measurable and started early enough, and surface gaps early so owners can resolve them.
• Run portfolio reviews, KPI scorecards, strategic initiative reviews, risk and dependency reviews and action closure. Turn complex data into short executive insights, decisions, recommendations and escalations, filtering out noise to the few issues that threaten outcomes or need executive action.
• Lead strategic and tactical initiatives that span products or functions and have no natural home in one group. Keep improving governance, operating processes, decision rights, metrics and accountability mechanisms.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree with 12+ years of relevant experience, or an equivalent mix of education and experience.
• A record of leading complex cross-functional initiatives where results depend on influencing people outside your direct reporting line.
• Strong business and financial skills, including revenue, ARR/SaaS metrics, pipeline, margin/GP, investment, budgets, forecasts and business cases.
• Proven ability to set up operating cadence, governance, KPI scorecards, executive reviews, decision forums and action management.
• Sound judgment and executive presence, with the ability to separate critical portfolio issues from noise and bring concise, grounded recommendations.
• Able to challenge senior functional leaders constructively, drive accountability and keep momentum without taking over their functional responsibilities.
• Solid understanding of the software product lifecycle, engineering and delivery, commercialization, sales, marketing, services and SaaS operations.
• Able to connect strategy, execution, financial performance and customer or commercial outcomes across a broad portfolio.
• Excellent analytical, written, presentation and communication skills, with the ability to turn complex information into clear decisions and actions.
• High ownership, urgency and persistence, and comfort working in ambiguity and across organizational boundaries.
• Preferred: an MBA or equivalent business leadership experience.
• Preferred: experience in enterprise software, SaaS, retail technology or complex global product businesses.

Conditions

Based in Research Triangle Park, NC.

The company offers a competitive salary.

Benefits

• Group health coverage: medical, dental and vision.
• Employee assistance programs.
• Pre-tax spending accounts.
• 401(k) plan with company match.
• Company-provided life insurance.
• Pet insurance.
• Employee discounts.
• Generous paid holidays, paid vacation and sick/personal days.