Orchard - Program Manager (Health/Pharma agency team lead)

We're looking for a Program Manager (Health) to own delivery across one of our most significant health client portfolios while leading and developing the PM team around you. This is a hands-on leadership role: you'll lead and run complex programs yourself while holding accountability for delivery quality, commercial health, client confidence, and team capability.
You'll work at the intersection of delivery leadership, health-sector governance, commercial management, and people development. You will create the structure that enables teams to move with confidence, surface risk early, and deliver high-quality work in a regulated environment.
What You'll Own
Delivery excellence you carry your own clients and programs. You estimate, build timelines, run governance, and navigate real briefs and real issues. You're in the work, not above it, while simultaneously leading the team around you and creating the conditions them to deliver at their best.
MLR governance - you ensure our delivery discipline includes the right amount of care for regulatory, medical, legal, and quality considerations. You will help teams create structure around review cycles, claims, references, approvals, documentation, and launch readiness while keeping delivery practical and outcome-focused.
Program visibility you maintain a clear view of your portfolio: milestones, dependencies, and risks. You surface problems early and come with options, not just issues.
Commercial accountability you track budget vs actual, manage scope change, and flag margin risk before it becomes a write-off. You understand the commercial shape of your portfolio and act on it. You also keep a close eye on pipeline: spotting forecast dips before they become gaps, identifying growth opportunities within existing clients, and actively contributing to new business efforts.
Team development you lead and coach a team of PMs with genuine investment. You build an environment where work is owned at the right level and people are empowered to deliver.
Client partnership you're the senior delivery contact, working closely with Account Direction to translate business objectives into executable programs. You build delivery credibility that retains and grows client relationships.
AI & continuous improvement you use Claude and other AI tools as a genuine part of how you work, bring new approaches back to the team, and help build Orchard's AI delivery capability from the inside out.
What We're Looking For
8+ years working in advertising agencies as a Project Manager, Producer or hands-on Account Director, you have demonstrable end-to-end campaign delivery experience. Preference for healthcare clients or similarly regulated industries.
Experience across multi-program portfolios with meaningful commercial responsibility
Solid commercial instincts: you understand margin, own your forecasts, and manage scope change
A people-first approach: you invest in the people running the work, not just the work itself
Systems thinker who builds frameworks that scale and empowers others to carry them
Calm, transparent, and decisive under pressure: you surface risk honestly and present clear options
Hungry for growth: you spot opportunities within existing clients and actively pursue new business; you see pipeline health as part of your job, not someone else's
Comfortable with ambiguity: you don't wait for a perfect brief to get moving; you create structure where there isn't any and make calls with incomplete information
Active user of AI tools with genuine curiosity about where it's heading
Committed to self-directed learning and bringing new thinking to the team
Highly regarded
Experience delivering digital health, pharmaceutical, medical, or other regulated-sector programs.
Familiarity with MLR review processes, Veeva workflows, claims frameworks, or reference-pack standards.
Experience improving approval velocity, delivery predictability, or portfolio margin performance.
A track record of developing PMs into confident, autonomous delivery leaders.
Experience using AI tools to improve delivery quality, speed, and decision-making.

Employment type
Full-time

Work arrangement
Hybrid