The Program Director, Strategic Partnership (NHL – Building Automation) will serve as the senior leader responsible for shaping and executing a multi-year partnership between Honeywell and the National Hockey League (NHL). The partnership’s mission is to modernize and optimize building automation and energy management across thousands of hockey venues (nearly 5,000 rinks) in North America – helping to create more resilient, energy-efficient arenas and community rinks that deliver world-class experiences for fans and stakeholders. The Program Director will balance high-level strategy development and deal-making with hands-on partnership execution and governance, ensuring strong commercial alignment, robust program management, and the delivery of tangible outcomes such as improved operational efficiency, sustainability, and enhanced customer experiences. This role requires exceptional strategic leadership, cross-functional coordination, and executive relationship management skills, as well as deep expertise in building automation technologies and energy efficiency programs.
Key Responsibilities:
- Partnership Strategy & Roadmap: Develop and drive the long-term strategic plan for Honeywell’s NHL partnership, aligning it with Honeywell’s building automation and sustainability objectives and the NHL’s venue modernization goals. Define a multi-year partnership roadmap to achieve mutual success, including milestones for scaling advanced building automation solutions across professional arenas, practice facilities, and community rinks.
- Executive Relationship Management: Serve as the primary relationship manager for the NHL partnership at the executive level. Cultivate and manage relationships with senior leaders at the NHL and within Honeywell to ensure trust, alignment, and shared vision for value creation and strategic collaboration. Act as a spokesperson and advocate for the partnership’s mission, communicating progress and value to internal and external stakeholders.
- Commercial Alignment & Value Creation: Ensure the partnership delivers mutual value and ROI for both Honeywell and the NHL. Work closely with Honeywell Business and Building Automation leadership to align partnership initiatives with broader commercial objectives, identifying new revenue opportunities and ensuring the program contributes to revenue growth and enhanced customer satisfaction. Negotiate and structure partnership agreements, investments, and joint initiatives that drive sustainable business results for both parties.
- Program Governance & Performance Management: Establish and run a robust program governance structure, including joint steering committees, regular operating reviews, performance tracking, and risk management processes. Define clear KPIs(e.g., energy efficiency improvements, cost savings, operational performance and satisfaction metrics) and use data-driven program management practices to monitor progress. Identify and mitigate program risks proactively, ensuring any issues are addressed swiftly to keep partnership projects on track.
- Cross-Functional Execution: Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams – spanning engineering, product development, services, sales, marketing, and operations – to deliver partnership commitments. Oversee the execution of building automation and energy management projects across NHL venues, ensuring on-time delivery, high quality standards, and achievement of the partnership’s targeted outcomes (such as improved operational efficiency and fan experiences). Drive collaboration among teams to address technical challenges, align resources, and ensure the scalable deployment of Honeywell’s technologies across the large network of rinks.
- Innovation & Continuous Improvement: Champion innovation within the partnership by identifying opportunities for new technology integrations (e.g., AI-driven energy management or “Rink of the Future” concepts) that advance energy efficiency and smart arena capabilities. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, gathering feedback from the NHL, venue operators, and customers to refine solutions over time. Stay abreast of emerging trends in building automation, IoT, and sustainability to ensure the partnership remains cutting-edge and responsive to evolving needs.
- Communication & Reporting: Provide regular executive updates on partnership status, achievements, risks, and strategic recommendations to Honeywell senior leadership (e.g., Building Automation and corporate executives) and the NHL’s key stakeholders. Prepare and present high-impact reports for business reviews, town halls, and external communications, highlighting how partnership initiatives are strengthening customer relationships and satisfaction through this collaboration.
Basic Qualifications & Experience:
- Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or a related field. Minimum 10–15 years of progressive experience in program management, strategic partnerships, business development, or a related field – including at least 5+ years in the building automation, energy management, smart buildings or similar industry (e.g., Building Management Systems (BMS), HVAC, or industrial IoT).
- Industry Knowledge: Deep understanding of building automation and energy efficiency technologies as well as the operational needs of large-scale facilities (e.g., sports arenas, campus or commercial real estate). Familiarity with sustainable practices and modern infrastructure modernization initiatives.
- Partnership & Deal Track Record: Proven track record of leading complex, high-impact strategic partnerships or large-scale programs, including negotiating and executing multi-year agreements or deals that have delivered significant business outcomes (e.g., revenue growth, cost savings, or innovation milestones). Experience building partnerships with major enterprise, public sector, or industry organizations is highly desirable.
- Program Leadership: Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment to deliver large, multi-site programs. Experience with program governance, project management frameworks, and performance measurement at scale (e.g., establishing KPIs and managing budgets, timelines, quality, and risk for a portfolio of projects).
- Stakeholder Management: Strong background in executive-level stakeholder management and communication – capable of engaging, influencing and building trust with C-suite leaders and external partners. Outstanding communication, presentation, and negotiation skills are essential for success.
- Travel: Ability and willingness to travel (estimated ~20-30% of time) within North America as needed to visit NHL partner sites and Honeywell offices.
Leadership Competencies & Preferred Attributes:
- Strategic Vision & Commercial Acumen: Strategic thinker with big-picture vision who can craft and execute long-range plans balancing strategic growth and operational execution. Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to translate high-level partnership goals into actionable strategies and tangible outcomes. Sees around corners and identifies new opportunities that align with Honeywell’s and the NHL’s future needs.
- Collaborative Leadership: Exceptional cross-functional leadership skills, fostering collaboration across engineering, product, sales, marketing, services, and external partner teams. Inclusive team leader who can inspire and coordinate diverse groups towards shared goals, building a culture of accountability and innovation focused on customer success.
- Influence & Relationship Building: Polished relationship-builder with superior influencing and interpersonal skills, capable of navigating a global, matrix organization and externally, engaging with senior industry partners. Able to drive alignment and consensus among stakeholders, and adept at managing change and conflict resolution when needed.
- Execution Excellence & Innovation Mindset: Results-driven with a bias for action and meticulous attention to detail in program execution. Adept at problem-solving and risk management, ensuring that complex initiatives are delivered successfully. Embraces innovation and continuous improvement, leveraging data and feedback to adapt strategies and maintain the partnership’s leadership in smart, sustainable building operations.
This Program Director role offers a unique opportunity to lead a flagship Honeywell partnership with the NHL, directly contributing to modernizing critical infrastructure and delivering positive environmental, operational, and customer satisfaction outcomes on a continent-wide scale. The successful candidate will be an influential, mission-driven leader ready to make a substantial impact by transforming the future of hockey venues through innovation in building automation, strengthening relationships with key partners, and ensuring long-term success for both the NHL and Honeywell.
The annual base salary range for this position is $220K - $276K. Please note that this salary information serves as a general guideline. Honeywell considers various factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate's work experience, education and training, key skills, as well as market and business considerations.
In addition to a competitive salary, leading-edge work, and developing solutions side-by-side with dedicated experts in their fields, Honeywell employees are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package. This package includes employer subsidized Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance; Short-Term and Long-Term Disability; 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, EAP, and Educational Assistance; Parental Leave, Paid Time Off (for vacation, personal business, sick time, and parental leave), and 12 Paid Holidays. For more information visit: Benefits at Honeywell
The application period for the job is estimated to be 40 days from the job posting date; however, this may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.