Director, delivery management

Role Overview

Bristlecone is seeking a Director of Presales to lead the technical selling motion for its Cloud Engineering and Product Engineering Services practice. This is a practice-defining role: you will be Bristlecone's primary technical voice in competitive pursuits, the architect of winning proposals, and the strategic bridge between client business problems and Bristlecone's engineering capability.

You will work in close partnership with Account Managers, Practice Heads, and Delivery Directors to shape opportunities, respond to RFPs, lead solution workshops, and build the repeatable presales assets that scale Bristlecone's pipeline across named strategic accounts and new logo acquisitions alike. The ideal candidate combines deep cloud and engineering solutioning expertise with executive-level presence, sharp commercial instincts, and a hunger to win.

Key Responsibilities

Delivery Governance & Client Management (35%)

Own the end-to-end delivery lifecycle for multiple concurrent client engagements spanning discovery, implementation, and post-go-live managed services Maintain rigorous delivery governance including Steering Committee cadences, weekly/monthly status reviews, risk registers, and executive dashboards Ensure all delivery commitments are being met on scope, schedule, quality, and budget; proactively surface risks and implement mitigation actions before they become escalations Serve as the primary delivery relationship owner with key stakeholders (Internal & Client side) Directors, VPs, and CXOs across Bristlecone's named strategic accounts Translate complex client business challenges into actionable delivery strategies and ensure tight alignment between client expectations and Bristlecone delivery outcomes Drive financial accountability across the Accounts including revenue recognition, profitability targets, margin improvement, and cost optimization Ensure continuity of services through robust transition planning and operational resilience protocols

Technology Leadership & Innovation (35%)

Champion the adoption of cloud-native architectures (AWS, Azure, GCP), low-code platforms, and AI/Gen AI capabilities within client delivery Lead the evaluation and productionization of AI-augmented engineering practices across delivery teams, including AI coding assistants (Git Hub Copilot, Amazon Q), intelligent test generation, and automated code review tooling to improve delivery velocity and code quality Hands-on delivery oversight of full-stack engineering programs spanning frontend frameworks (React, Angular, Vue), backend services (Java/JEE, Node.js, Python), and cloud-native runtimes Experience leading delivery of custom application development programs for digital transformations for both internal enterprise users and external customer-facing products, including web applications, mobile platforms, portals, and self-service tools Experience governing delivery across the full SDLC from requirements and architecture through engineering, QA, UAT, and production release for complex multi-stakeholder programs Promote engineering best practices across delivery teams including Dev Ops pipelines, test automation, CI/CD, microservices patterns, and clean core principles Drive continuous improvement through retrospectives, delivery framework enhancements, and adoption of emerging technologies that create measurable client value, support account growth and competitive advantage

People Leadership & Team Development (20%)

Lead, mentor, and develop large, distributed teams of 100 to 150+ engineers across onshore, nearshore, and offshore delivery locations Design and execute workforce planning and talent optimization strategies to ensure the right skills are deployed against the right delivery needs Build new capabilities and leadership pipelines by identifying new areas and developing next-generation Development managers and QA Managers Manage performance, resolve resource conflicts and escalations, and maintain high team engagement and retention Create a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and client-first thinking across all delivery teams

Business Development & Growth (10%)

Proactively identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities within named accounts and develop structured growth strategies in partnership with account and sales teams Contribute to RFP responses, SOWs, and business proposals by providing delivery credibility, effort estimation, and risk framing Leverage strong delivery track records to support new logo acquisition conversations and capability showcase events Work with the PES practice head to ensure delivery outcomes feed into Bristlecone's go-to-market narrative across targeted verticals

Experience

18 to 22+ years of IT program delivery experience, with a minimum of 6 to 8 years in senior delivery leadership roles (Delivery Director, Senior Delivery Manager, or equivalent) Demonstrated track record managing multi-million-dollar client accounts and global delivery portfolios Deep experience with onshore-offshore delivery models across India, US, and nearshore locations Domain exposure in one or more of: Life Sciences, Consumer Goods, Manufacturing, Retail, Agribusiness, or other related verticals

Technical Competencies

Cloud Platforms: Hands-on familiarity with AWS, Azure, or GCP delivery programs and cloud-native application architectures, Lift & Shift strategies (Experience with any of the cloud) Engineering Practices: Proficiency in Agile (Scrum, SAFe), Dev Ops, CI/CD, microservices, and modern test automation frameworks AI-Augmented Engineering: Familiarity with AI coding assistants (Git Hub Copilot, Cursor, Amazon Q, Codex, Claude) and their impact on developer productivity, code quality, and delivery velocity within engineering teams AI Integration Patterns: Experience overseeing delivery of AI-powered features embedded within enterprise applications, including chatbots, intelligent document processing, recommendation engines, and predictive analytics modules

Leadership & Commercial Skills

Exceptional executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills; able to command credibility in CXO conversations Strong commercial acumen with experience managing P& L, margin optimization, and revenue recognition for large delivery portfolios Proven negotiation and conflict resolution skills for managing complex multi-party delivery environments Ability to thrive in ambiguity, navigate organizational complexity, and drive results under challenging timelines Strong analytical mindset with the ability to synthesize delivery data into executive-level insights and recommendations

Preferred Qualifications

Cloud certifications: Good to have (any of the certifications) AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, or GCP Professional Cloud Architect PMP, Pg MP, or equivalent program management certification Experience working in a professional services environment with billable delivery accountability