Location: Tucson, Arizona

Employment Type: Full-Time

About AKIVA

AKIVA is an AI-native engineering firm specializing in enterprise services, domain-specific solutions, and high-performance infrastructure from strategy through deployment. We build innovative systems that drive measurable results for commercial enterprises and government agencies. AKIVA is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).

Position Overview

The Program Director / Executive Sponsor provides executive-level oversight and strategic leadership for AKIVA's temporary employment and staffing services delivery. This role owns overall contract performance, customer relationship management, operational oversight, compliance posture, escalation resolution, and continuous improvement. The Program Director ensures staffing operations align with contract requirements, service-level expectations, and public-sector compliance standards while supporting workforce planning and service delivery across all participating customer departments.

Key Responsibilities

•       Provide executive oversight of all staffing operations, fulfillment performance, and service-delivery quality across customer departments

•       Serve as the senior accountable executive for contract compliance, performance metrics, and customer satisfaction outcomes

•       Lead executive-level customer engagement, quarterly business reviews, and strategic planning sessions

•       Manage escalation paths for service-delivery issues, candidate disputes, and operational risks

•       Oversee program reporting cadence, including monthly performance reports, workforce dashboards, and ad-hoc analytics

•       Establish and monitor key performance indicators (fill rate, time-to-fill, candidate quality, retention, billing accuracy)

•       Direct workforce planning, surge-capacity strategy, and continuity-of-operations posture

•       Coordinate cooperative purchasing program participation and intra-agency utilization opportunities

•       Champion continuous-improvement initiatives based on customer feedback, performance data, and emerging workforce trends

•       Approve internal policy changes, training programs, and operational investments supporting the contract

Required Qualifications

•       Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Human Resources, Public Administration, or related field — or equivalent experience

•       10+ years of progressive experience in staffing operations, workforce solutions, or contract management

•       5+ years of executive or senior-management experience leading public-sector or government staffing engagements

•       Demonstrated success managing multi-departmental staffing contracts with measurable performance outcomes

•       Strong understanding of public-sector procurement, cooperative purchasing programs, and contract administration

•       Excellent executive communication, stakeholder management, and negotiation skills

•       Proven track record of building and leading geographically distributed program teams

•       Experience with workforce analytics, performance reporting, and KPI-driven operations

•       Must be authorized to work in the United States

Preferred Qualifications

•       Experience supporting state, county, or municipal staffing contracts

•       Familiarity with Arizona public-sector procurement practices and cooperative purchasing

•       PMP, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, or comparable senior credential

•       Experience with VMS/MSP platforms and modern workforce technology stacks

•       Background in process automation, AI-assisted workforce operations, or RPA implementations

•       Veteran or military-affiliated leadership experience

Tools, Technologies & Frameworks

Workforce: VMS/MSP platforms, ATS systems, time-and-attendance | Reporting: Microsoft Excel, Power BI, Tableau | Collaboration: Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Outlook | AI: AKIVA-provided AI productivity tools for workforce analytics and reporting | Methodologies: ITIL, PMBOK, continuous-improvement frameworks

What AKIVA Offers

•       Professional development and skill-building opportunities

•       Supportive management team with Veteran-owned company values

•       Opportunity to work on impactful public sector engagements

•       Long-term contract engagement with potential for extension

•       AI productivity tools and training provided at no cost to employees

•       401(k) with generous company match

•       Medical Insurance

•       Dental Insurance

•       Vision Insurance

•       Short-Term & Long-Term Disability Insurance

•       Paid Time Off (PTO)

•       Profit Sharing

Join Our AI Innovation Network

Interested in staying connected with AKIVA's AI initiatives, research, and opportunities?

Join our AI Innovation Network here: https://www.akiva.com/ai-network

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

AKIVA is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical disability, marital status, military and Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We believe that diversity among our teammates is critical to our success as a company, and we seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people within a qualified candidate pool.

AKIVA is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB).