Senior Program Manager

About the company: Stage Entertainment

Stage Entertainment is a theatrical production company founded in 1998 by Joop van den Ende. Today, Stage Entertainment holds a unique, market leader position in Europe. There is no other company that can parallel the size and depth of its operation.

The business model 

Stage Entertainment’s business model consists of three key activities:

1. Producing a wide range of internationally successful musicals such as Disney and The Really Useful Group to produce shows like Mamma Mia!, The Lion King, Tarzan, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. To this aim, Stage Entertainment works with leading intellectual property owners such as Disney and The Really Useful Group.
2. In-house development of new musicals and shows, both international productions such as Sister Act and Rocky, and local titles such as Hij Gelooft in Mij, Ich war noch niemals in New York and Das Wunder von Bern.
3. Owning and operating a network of theaters in capital cities all over Europe.

The strategy: analytical management and creativity

At Stage Entertainment, there will be a stronger focus on fact-based decision making – in every aspect of the business. CVC Capital Partners stepping in as new majority shareholder fits well with that strategy. Hiring CFO Marijn de Wit (ex-McKinsey) will help implement a stronger analytical rigor in financial management. Recruiting a Senior Program Manager from a first-tier consulting firm is another step that shows the commitment towards an analytical management approach.

About the job: Senior Program Manager

The mission of the Senior Program Manager is to improve operational excellence by executing a company-wide Improvement Program.

The improvement program

The Improvement Program consists of 12 different initiatives, each run by a business owner. While some have a top-line focus, others are focussed on bottom-line improvements. For example, a top-line upgrade can be made by revamping the marketing strategy to increase effectiveness of the marketing spend. Bottom-line improvement may come from restructuring and cashing in on international synergies by centralizing procurement of commodities (energy, travel, cleaning). The Program is expected to yield significant operational improvements and is the top priority for the shareholders (CVC Capital Partners and Joop van den Ende), the Management Team and senior management, which makes it a highly visible platform for future career steps.

Tasks and responsibilities for the Senior Program Manager

The initial focus (the first year) will be on Program Management. A diligent execution of a widely scoped and impactful program. Monitoring progress, reporting to the Management Team, acting as thought leader and sparring partner for business owners, resolving bottlenecks and fixing implementation issues. Once the right rhythms are established, the program will evolve. Naturally, the Program Manager will evolve with it. There are significant growth opportunities that will be needing attention in the nearby future.

Career expectations 

As with most consulting exit roles, this position will initially resemble the type of work a strategy consultant is trained to do. Over time, it will gradually evolve into more of a business leadership role. Not in an operational sense, as this is an international headquarters environment. But it is obvious that this Program Manager position will be fundamental to the transformation the company is going through and therefore an ideal launching pad for whatever comes next.