Senior Program Manager

We are looking for a senior, client-facing Program Manager with strong localization experience to support a strategic enterprise account. This role will serve as a key operational and client-facing lead, helping manage complex localization, multimedia, and AI-enabled workflow programs across multiple stakeholder groups.

The role requires someone who can operate comfortably at both the strategic and tactical levels: building trusted client relationships, managing budgets and forecasts, quoting, driving intake and prioritization, handling escalations, and partnering closely with global production, engineering, linguistic, and account teams to ensure delivery excellence.

This is a highly visible role for someone who brings structure to complex programs, can navigate ambiguity, and understands the commercial impact of operational decisions.

About RWS

RWS is a global AI solutions company empowering the world’s most trusted enterprise AI. 

Our proprietary Cultural Intelligence Layer, powered by 250,000 data specialists, cultural and language experts and deep domain professionals, backed by 45+ patents, makes enterprise AI culturally fluent, contextually accurate and secure, ensuring every interaction reflects a brand’s tone, context and customer values.

Through our Generate, Transform and Protect segments, we deliver intelligent content, enterprise knowledge, large-scale localization and IP protection for global growth. Trusted by 80+ of the world’s top 100 brands, RWS provides the confidence, governance and expertise organizations need to deploy AI safely, responsibly and at scale.

Headquartered in the UK, RWS is listed on AIM (RWS.L). 

More information: rws.com. 

About Transform

At RWS, we enable the world’s largest enterprises to communicate with global audiences through cutting-edge language technology, AI-driven solutions, and expert services. Our RWS Transform division empowers organizations to accelerate digital transformation, scale global content, and unlock growth in every market.

Key Responsibilities

• Client and Stakeholder Management

  • Act as a primary client-facing program lead for assigned workstreams and stakeholder groups.
  • Build strong relationships with client-side program owners, content owners, and operational stakeholders.
  • Attend onsite client meetings in the Seattle / Redmond area as needed.
  • Lead or support weekly status meetings, triage sessions, business reviews, post-mortems, and escalation discussions.
  • Translate client needs into clear operational actions, priorities, timelines, and ownership.
  • Proactively identify risks, blockers, and misalignment before they impact delivery.

  Program and Operational Management

  • Own intake, prioritization, status tracking, meeting follow-up, and cross-functional coordination.
  • Manage complex localization workflows across translation, multimedia, DTP, engineering, linguistic QA, publishing, and content operations.
  • Coordinate with global delivery teams to ensure work is planned, resourced, delivered, and communicated effectively.
  • Support the stabilization and streamlining of new or evolving workflows.
  • Help define and improve operating models, governance routines, and process documentation.
  • Drive continuous improvement across workflow efficiency, quality, visibility, and stakeholder experience.

  Commercial and Financial Management

  • Support an account portfolio with a strong commercial and operational lens.
  • Own or support budget tracking, forecasting, pipeline visibility, and monthly financial coordination.
  • Partner with Account Leadership, Finance, and Delivery leadership to monitor revenue, margin, capacity, and risk.
  • Help evaluate the financial impact of scope changes, workflow decisions, resourcing needs, and client requests.
  • Prepare or support quotes, estimates, budget updates, and commercial recommendations.
  • Identify opportunities to protect margin while maintaining client confidence and delivery quality.

  Escalation, Risk, and Quality Management

  • Serve as a first-line escalation point for client-facing operational issues.
  • Lead issue triage, root cause discussions, corrective actions, and follow-through.
  • Partner with production, engineering, and linguistic teams to resolve delivery risks and quality concerns.
  • Ensure risks, dependencies, and client decisions are clearly documented and communicated.
  • Support governance requirements, SLA/KPI tracking, and continuous improvement reporting.

  Cross-Functional Leadership

  • Partner closely with Account Management, Project Management, Engineering, Linguistic, Multimedia, DTP, Quality, and Finance teams.
  • Provide leadership without necessarily having direct line management responsibility.
  • Help reduce operational pressure on production and technical leads by owning the client-facing coordination layer.
  • Mentor or guide project team members where needed.
  • Promote clear communication, accountability, and proactive problem solving across the team.

Skills & Experience

Required 

• 8+ years of experience in localization, globalization, content operations, or language services.
• Strong background managing complex enterprise localization programs.
• Proven experience in client-facing project or program management.
• Experience supporting large accounts or portfolios with revenue, budget, forecasting, and margin considerations.
• Strong understanding of localization workflows, including translation, review, multimedia, DTP, engineering, QA, and publishing.
• Experience working with global delivery teams across multiple time zones.
• Ability to manage executive-level or senior stakeholder conversations with confidence.
• Experience handling escalations, risk management, and corrective action planning.
• Must be based in the Seattle / Redmond area and able to attend onsite client meetings as needed.

Preferred 

• Experience with AI-enabled localization workflows, MT/LLM post-editing, automation, or content transformation programs.
• Experience with multimedia localization, eLearning, SCORM/LMS publishing, or training content.
• Familiarity with tools such as Trados, Phrase, GlobalLink, ADO, Jira, or similar localization and workflow platforms.
• Experience supporting large enterprise technology clients.
• PMP, localization certification, or equivalent program management training preferred.

Skills and Attributes

• Highly client-focused and commercially aware.
• Strong communicator who can simplify complex operational issues.
• Calm under pressure and confident in escalation situations.
• Proactive, organized, and comfortable creating structure in ambiguity.
• Able to balance client expectations, delivery realities, and financial impact.
• Strong sense of ownership and follow-through.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence across matrixed teams.
• Comfortable moving between strategic planning and day-to-day operational detail.

Success in this role will be measured by the ability to:

• • Strengthen client confidence and local account presence.
  • Improve visibility, intake, prioritization, and stakeholder alignment.
  • Reduce escalation cycles and operational friction.
  • Support accurate forecasting, budget tracking, and financial visibility.
  • Protect delivery quality, timelines, and margin.
  • Help stabilize and scale the operating model across the account.
  • Reduce dependency on account leadership and technical/production leads for day-to-day client-facing coordination.

Location

Seattle / Redmond area required
Hybrid / onsite as needed for client meetings

Benefits

• Amazing benefits! (Seriously!)  
• Generous paid time off package, plus company holidays, birthday day off, paid volunteer time, and 100% paid parental leave. 
• 401(k) Retirement plan with company match. 
• Company-wide agile work policy with flexible work arrangements. 
• Opportunities for training, professional development, and personal growth. 
• Smart, engaged co-workers and a global culture of diversity, innovation, and opportunity. 

Base Pay

$100,000 - $150,000 / year or up to $00. per hour (for hourly paid roles only) 

Actual rate of pay may vary based on factors including, but not limited to: position offered, location, education, training, and/or experience. Total compensation may also include variable incentives, bonuses, benefits, and/or other perks, as outlined in any formal offer made. 

Our purpose is to unlock global understanding. This means our work fundamentally recognizes the value of every language and culture. So, we celebrate difference, we are inclusive and believe that diversity makes us strong. We want every employee to grow as an individual and excel in their career. 

In return, we expect all our people to live by the values that unite us: to partner, putting clients fist and winning together, to pioneer, innovating fearlessly and leading with vision and courage, to progress, aiming high and growing through actions and to deliver, owning the outcome and building trust with our colleagues and clients.

RWS embraces DEI and promotes equal opportunity, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. RWS is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at RWS are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation. RWS will not tolerate discrimination based on any of these characteristics. 

RWS Values 

Get the 3Ps right – Partner, Pioneer, Progress – and we´ll Deliver together as RWS.

Covid Vaccination - All RWS employees hired for positions that require working on-site at RWS offices, customer offices, travel on behalf of RWS, and/or in-person meetings will be required to comply with the RWS USA COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing Policy. RWS complies with federal, state, and local laws regarding accommodations related to this policy.

Recruitment Agencies: RWS Holdings PLC does not accept agency resumes.  Please do not forward any unsolicited resumes to any RWS employees.  Any unsolicited resume received will be treated as the property of RWS and Terms & Conditions associated with the use of such resume will be considered null and void.