Lead Services Program Manager

At NiCE, we don’t limit our challenges. We challenge our limits. Always. We’re ambitious. We’re game changers. And we play to win. We set the highest standards and execute beyond them. And if you’re like us, we can offer you the ultimate career opportunity that will light a fire within you. NiCE Actimize is seeking a commercially sharp, senior-level Lead Services Program Manager to join the Cloud Professional Services team. Despite the individual contributor designation, this is a high-influence role with direct exposure to executive leadership, cross-functional ownership, and a mandate to shape how Actimize scales its AI-powered financial crime solutions through the partner channel. Why this role, why now: Growing our partner delivery ecosystem is one of Actimize's highest-priority strategic initiatives. This person will define how partners deliver our AI-powered solutions, enable them to meet our quality bar, and ensure the program scales effectively as more partners are onboarded. The work carries executive visibility and has a direct impact on Actimize's ability to grow through the channel. The role carries three responsibilities in priority order: leading PS's contribution to the Partner Program, owning Professional Services sales for the Essentials portfolio, and program managing one or two critical internal initiatives. These responsibilities are distinct and clearly prioritized - this is not a role where everything is equally urgent. How will you make an impact? Partner Program Support Act as the PS representative to the NiCE Actimize Partner Program, supporting three ongoing workstreams as the partner ecosystem scales: Enable the partner certification program - work with the Education team to ensure the right training content is available for each partner track, and keep course offerings current as the program evolves. Own and evolve the Partner Delivery Methodology - maintain the PS delivery framework for AI-powered financial crime solutions, update RACI and handoff documentation, and incorporate learnings as additional partners enter the program. Support active partner delivery engagements - serve as the PS point of contact for partners in the pilot and onboarding phases, resolving delivery issues and feeding lessons learned back into program materials. PS Sales - Essentials Portfolio Own the end-to-end Professional Services sales motion for the Essentials product line, from opportunity qualification through contract execution. Develop, negotiate, and finalize Statements of Work (SOWs), project estimates, and service proposals in collaboration with sales, legal, and delivery teams. Serve as the PS subject matter expert in pre-sales conversations - scoping engagements, defining delivery models, and setting client expectations. Partner with Account Executives to ensure PS is positioned early and consistently in the Essentials sales cycle. Maintain pipeline visibility; track bookings, forecasts, and conversion rates. Continuously refine SOW templates, pricing models, and scoping methodologies. Program Management - Strategic Initiatives Act as Program Manager for one or two high-priority internal initiatives as assigned by senior leadership. Define scope, milestones, resource plans, risk registers, and escalation paths. Drive cross-functional alignment and communicate program status proactively to executive sponsors. Education & Experience 7+ years in professional services or implementation roles delivering financial crime compliance solutions (AML, fraud, transaction monitoring, or similar platforms). Hands-on Actimize implementation experience is a strong advantage. Comfort working with AI/ML-based products and communicating their value and delivery requirements to both technical and business audiences. Demonstrated experience authoring and negotiating SOWs, MSAs, and professional services agreements. Strong program management fundamentals - structured, disciplined, able to manage multiple concurrent workstreams. Comm