NELSON is seeking a Senior Director to lead resource management and strategic resource planning across AI, automation, data, and infrastructure services. This senior leader holds ultimate accountability for translating approved enterprise priorities into coordinated execution, ensuring the people, skills, funding, and enabling technology capacity are aligned to deliver business outcomes.
Reporting to the CIO, with dotted-line functional alignment to the VP of AI and the Digital Services Strategy Leader, this role connects strategy, portfolio planning, workforce management, and delivery oversight. The Senior Director coordinates across data and infrastructure, AI, and other stakeholder teams to resolve competing demands, establish achievable schedules, and report measurable value.
Attributes to support the NELSON culture:
- Go All In. Own the Outcome. We go all in—with urgency, follow-through, and pride in the result.
- Be Direct. Be Respectful. Be Authentic. We keep it real—with clarity, candor, and care.
- Grow with Purpose. We embrace growth—through learning, coaching, and continuous improvement.
- Think Bold. Execute Smart. We think boldly—and pair ambition with discipline.
- Make Space for Everyone. We value you—and build a culture where people can thrive and do their best work.
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Critical features of this job are described under the headings below. They may be subject to change at any time due to reasonable accommodation or other reasons.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned:
Strategic Prioritization and Portfolio Accountability:
- Translate NELSON strategic objectives into an integrated portfolio execution plan for AI, automation, data, and infrastructure initiatives, including sequencing, delivery commitments, and enabling work.
- Lead prioritization with the CIO, the VP of AI and Digital Services Strategy Leader, and business stakeholders, balancing value, urgency, risk, capacity, and dependencies.
- Own portfolio execution accountability across participating teams. Establish milestones, accountable workstream owners, escalation paths, and corrective action when commitments are at risk.
- Maintain transparent intake and prioritization decisions; resolve conflicts within delegated authority and escalate material tradeoffs or funding changes to the CIO and VP of AI and Digital Services Strategy Leader.
Resource Management and Strategic Workforce Planning:
- Maintain a consolidated view of demand, capacity, skills, assignments, and schedules across AI, automation, data, and infrastructure, covering both project delivery and ongoing operations.
- Build rolling workforce and capacity plans with team leaders, identifying staffing gaps, critical skills, succession needs, training priorities, and external partner requirements.
- Coordinate resource commitments and allocation decisions with functional leaders; resolve overcommitment, scarce-skill bottlenecks, and competing assignments across teams.
- Recommend hiring, contracting, sourcing, and funding plans to the CIO, informed by strategic demand, delivery forecasts, support obligations, and financial constraints.
Integrated Execution and Value Reporting:
- Oversee integrated schedules and dependencies, including data readiness, infrastructure provisioning, security reviews, AI delivery, deployment, and operational transition.
- Partner with the AI Program Lead on project commitments and resource needs while holding team leaders accountable for their workstreams, readiness, and delivery performance.
- Establish executive reporting on portfolio health, workforce capacity, schedule forecasts, financial performance, risks, and decisions requiring leadership action.
- Define value measures with business owners, establish baselines and benefit owners, and report realized outcomes against expected value, including adoption, service quality, capacity, and financial results.
- Reconcile benefits with finance and business stakeholders, distinguishing verified savings, released capacity, cost avoidance, and revenue contribution; use results to recommend portfolio adjustments.
Data Modeling, Reporting and Dashboards:
- Design, build, and maintain reports and interactive dashboards for NELSON and its clients, translating business needs into clear metrics, visualizations, and actionable insights.
- Develop and maintain data models that combine information from multiple systems, with clearly defined relationships, calculations, and business rules to support reliable reporting.
- Partner with internal stakeholders and clients to define reporting requirements, key performance indicators, and intended uses, ensuring deliverables address the decisions they need to make.
- Validate data accuracy, completeness, and reporting logic; investigate discrepancies and establish consistent metric definitions across reports and dashboards.
- Interpret results, identify trends and performance gaps, and explain findings and limitations to technical and nontechnical audiences.
- Establish reusable reporting practices, documentation, refresh processes, and access controls that support ongoing maintenance and protect company and client data.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in business, information systems, technology management, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 12+ years of progressive experience in technology delivery, portfolio management, resource planning, or related disciplines, including senior leadership of complex cross-functional programs.
- Demonstrated accountability for execution of strategic technology portfolios spanning multiple teams, budgets, schedules, and competing business priorities.
- Proven experience in workforce planning, demand and capacity management, skills forecasting, resource allocation, and internal and external sourcing strategies.
- Strong understanding of how AI, automation, data platforms, and infrastructure depend on one another across delivery and operational support.
- Experience developing integrated roadmaps, managing portfolio dependencies, resolving resource conflicts, and recovering initiatives that are off track.
- Financial and analytical skills covering business cases, resource costs, budgets, forecasting, benefit measurement, and executive performance reporting.
- Ability to lead through a matrix, negotiate commitments with functional leaders, and communicate clear recommendations to executives and business stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience establishing or leading an enterprise portfolio, technology delivery, resource management, or transformation function.
- Experience planning AI and automation adoption alongside data and infrastructure modernization, including ongoing operational capacity.
- Experience in professional services, architecture, design, or technology-enabled client service delivery.
- Advanced degree or relevant portfolio, program management, workforce planning, financial management, or technology leadership certifications.
Success Measures:
Success will be assessed through the following outcomes, using agreed baselines and targets:
- Strategic execution: approved portfolio outcomes and milestones achieved, with forecast changes and corrective actions visible to leadership.
- Resource alignment: priority work staffed with appropriate skills and capacity; staffing gaps and overcommitments resolved against agreed plans.
- Workforce readiness: forward demand forecasts, sourcing actions, and skills development support upcoming delivery and operational needs.
- Schedule and financial discipline: integrated forecasts remain credible, dependencies are managed, and resource spending aligns with approved plans.
- Value realization: benefits are measured against documented baselines and costs, validated with business owners, and reported without double-counting.
- Leadership alignment: the CIO and VP receive timely, consistent information and actionable recommendations on priorities, capacity, investment, and delivery risk.
Why Join NELSON:
Shape how NELSON aligns talent, technology, and investment to deliver its strategic priorities. This role provides enterprise visibility and accountability for building the capacity and coordinated execution needed to turn AI, automation, and data-enabled services into measurable business value.
National average salary range: $150,000 – $175,000 (12+ years experience). Factors such as years of relevant experience, qualifications/licensure, education, and location are taken into consideration during the hiring process. Additional compensation includes bonuses and benefits. Bonuses can include but are not limited to: Long Term Incentive Plan, Short Term Incentive Plan, Profit Sharing
Benefits of NELSON: (additional benefit details can be found at: nelsonworldwide.com/careers)
- 401(K) plan with company match
- Full health benefits including medical, dental, and vision
- Wellness program with rewards for healthy activities
- Pet Insurance
- Opportunities for career advancement
- Paid time off and holiday pay
- Paid parental leave
- Flexible working schedules and work from home options based on client’s needs
- Professional Development including discretionary support and reimbursement for registrations, certifications, and membership to a professional organization
NELSON and its related affiliates are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender, national origin, status as a protected veteran, disability or any other classification protected by law.
#LI-MV1
#LI-Remote
Bachelor's degree in business, information systems, technology management, engineering, or related field; 12+ years progressive experience in technology delivery, portfolio management, resource planning, including senior leadership of complex cross-functional programs.
Key Responsibilities
- leading resource management
- managing strategic portfolios
- developing data models
Job Details
- Category: Information Technology
- Seniority: Senior Level
- Commitment: Full Time
- Workplace: Remote — Minneapolis or Philadelphia or Atlanta or Cincinnati
- Salary: USD 150,000 – 175,000 / year
- Languages: English
Benefits
- 401k matching
- Generous paid time off
- Tuition reimbursement
- Retirement plan
- Generous parental leave
About NELSON Worldwide
A professional services firm providing architecture, design, and technology-enabled client service delivery. — Industry: Consulting Services