Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Head of Delivery

🎯 Role Definition

The Head of Delivery is a cornerstone of our leadership team, a strategic and operational leader responsible for the entire service and project delivery ecosystem. This isn't just about managing projects; it's about building a world-class delivery capability. You will be the ultimate owner of client satisfaction from a delivery perspective, ensuring that we execute on our promises with precision, quality, and efficiency. This role requires a unique blend of strategic foresight, commercial acumen, and hands-on leadership to mentor a high-performing team of delivery managers and practitioners, optimize processes, and ensure that our delivery function is a key driver of business growth and client retention.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Program Manager / Program Director
Director of Project Management
Senior Delivery Manager / Delivery Lead

Advancement To:

Vice President (VP) of Operations
Vice President (VP) of Professional Services
Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Lateral Moves:

Head of Client Services
Director of Strategic Accounts

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide strategic leadership and direction for the entire Delivery department, encompassing project management, program management, and service delivery functions.
Own the end-to-end delivery of a complex portfolio of client projects, ensuring they are executed on-time, within budget, and exceed quality and client satisfaction expectations.
Develop, implement, and continuously refine the organization's delivery methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Hybrid), frameworks, and governance standards to drive efficiency and predictability.
Act as the principal point of accountability for all delivery-related P&L, including project profitability, revenue forecasting, cost management, and margin optimization.
Lead, mentor, and scale a high-performing team of Program Managers, Project Managers, and Delivery Leads, fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Oversee comprehensive resource and capacity planning, ensuring optimal allocation of team members across projects and forecasting future hiring needs to match the business pipeline.
Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with key senior-level client stakeholders, acting as a trusted advisor and the ultimate escalation point for delivery matters.
Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project and portfolio-level risks and issues, implementing robust contingency plans to safeguard delivery success.
Drive operational excellence by establishing, monitoring, and reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics for the delivery function (e.g., CSAT, on-time delivery, budget variance).
Collaborate closely with the Sales and Pre-sales teams to scope new opportunities, validate delivery approaches, create statements of work (SOWs), and ensure proposed solutions are feasible and profitable.
Champion a quality-first mindset, ensuring robust quality assurance processes are embedded throughout the delivery lifecycle.
Lead and facilitate executive-level steering committee meetings, providing transparent and insightful reporting on portfolio health, risks, and financial performance to the leadership team.
Manage and cultivate relationships with third-party vendors, partners, and subcontractors to ensure they meet our delivery standards and contractual obligations.
Spearhead change management initiatives within the delivery organization and across the company to support the adoption of new processes, tools, and strategies.
Define and manage the career progression framework for the delivery team, including conducting performance reviews, setting objectives, and supporting professional development.
Ensure all delivery activities are compliant with contractual obligations, service level agreements (SLAs), and internal governance policies.
Serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, contributing to the overall business strategy, planning, and operational decision-making.
Foster a deep understanding of clients' business objectives and challenges to ensure our delivery solutions provide tangible, measurable value.
Drive the selection and implementation of delivery management tools and software to improve visibility, collaboration, and reporting.
Mediate and resolve conflicts within project teams or between departments to maintain momentum and a positive work environment.
Act as an evangelist for best-in-class delivery practices, sharing knowledge and insights across the organization to uplift overall project execution capabilities.

Secondary Functions

Champion and evangelize best practices in delivery management and operational excellence across the wider organization.
Contribute to the company's annual and quarterly strategic planning process, providing critical insights on delivery capabilities, constraints, and opportunities.
Collaborate with Sales and Account Management teams on complex proposals, statements of work (SOWs), and strategic client engagements.
Act as a key executive escalation point for critical project issues, providing decisive leadership and ensuring swift, effective resolution.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced Project & Program Management: Mastery of managing large, complex, multi-million dollar portfolios and applying methodologies like Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and Waterfall.
Financial Acumen: Deep experience with P&L management, budget creation, resource cost analysis, financial forecasting, and margin optimization for projects and departments.
Project Management Software Proficiency: Expert-level user of tools such as Jira, Confluence, MS Project, Asana, or similar enterprise-grade PPM (Project Portfolio Management) software.
Resource Management & Capacity Planning: Proven ability to forecast resource needs, manage allocation, and optimize utilization across a large team.
Service Delivery Frameworks: Strong knowledge of frameworks like ITIL, especially in the context of managing ongoing services and support post-implementation.
Risk Management: Formal experience in creating and managing risk registers, mitigation strategies, and communicating risk posture to executive stakeholders.
Contract & SOW Management: Expertise in reviewing, contributing to, and managing deliverables against commercial contracts and Statements of Work.

Soft Skills

Executive-Level Communication: The ability to articulate complex delivery status, risks, and strategies clearly and concisely to C-suite executives, clients, and board members.
Servant Leadership & Mentorship: A genuine passion for developing people, building resilient teams, and leading with empathy, trust, and empowerment.
Strategic Thinking: The capacity to see the bigger picture, align delivery operations with company goals, and anticipate future trends and challenges.
Stakeholder Management & Influence: Exceptional skill in navigating complex organizational politics, building consensus, and influencing decisions across all levels of an organization.
Commercial Acumen: A strong business sense and the ability to connect delivery performance directly to financial outcomes and business growth.
Negotiation & Conflict Resolution: High-level ability to negotiate with clients, vendors, and internal teams to find mutually beneficial outcomes and resolve high-stakes conflicts.
Decisiveness Under Pressure: The ability to make critical, timely, and well-reasoned decisions in high-pressure situations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree (e.g., MBA, MSc in Project Management) and/or relevant professional certifications (e.g., PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2, Certified Scrum Professional).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration
Computer Science / Information Technology
Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 12-18+ years of progressive experience in technology, professional services, or a related industry.

Preferred: At least 5-7 years in a senior leadership capacity (e.g., Director, Senior Manager) with direct responsibility for leading large, cross-functional delivery teams in a fast-paced, client-facing environment such as a digital agency, consultancy, or SaaS company. Demonstrable track record of owning the P&L for a delivery function or large portfolio is highly desirable.