Technical Program Director

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Oversee the technical execution of intricate strategic initiatives involving product, engineering, and data teams.

• Define and uphold scope, schedule, and budget baselines.

• Develop integrated program plans and dependency maps across engineering, product, QA, data, and operations workstreams.

• Manage program-management processes including RAID logs, steering committees, change-control procedures, and milestone checkpoints.

• Monitor budget expenditures and forecast potential variances.

• Prepare status reports, steering committee updates, and facilitate working sessions for stakeholders and executives.

• Deliver clear, actionable updates to the CTO and executive stakeholders.

• Connect teams and facilitate decision-making across various workstreams.

• Identify, escalate, and resolve risks, issues, obstacles, and inter-team dependencies.

• Monitor program spending and resource allocation in collaboration with engineering leadership and finance.

• Supervise third-party and vendor workstreams when applicable.

• Align business stakeholders on adjustments to the program and their impacts.

• Conduct formal change management for modifications in scope, timelines, and sequencing.

• Potentially recruit and manage a small team of Program or Project Managers as the portfolio expands.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 5 years of relevant experience leading complex, technical, cross-functional programs.

• PMP certification (Project Management Professional) or equivalent demonstrated program management expertise.

• Proven experience managing programs with real budget, staffing, and executive accountability.

• Proficient in structured (waterfall/stage-gate) and Agile delivery methodologies.

• Demonstrated expertise in utilizing LLM tools, particularly Claude Cowork.

• Capability to establish and manage AI projects with scheduled, automated tasks.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication abilities.

• Aptitude to function within ambiguity across multiple simultaneous, high-visibility initiatives.

• Experience in initiating or enhancing a PMO function or program-governance model within an engineering organization.

• Practical proficiency with program/PPM tools such as Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, or MS Project.

• Preferred: experience in payroll, HR technology, entertainment/media production finance, or another regulated, operationally complex domain.

• Preferred: experience managing vendor or systems-integrator relationships on technical delivery programs.

• Additional certifications such as PgMP, SAFe, or Lean Six Sigma are advantageous.

🏝️ Benefits

• Medical, Dental, Vision coverage.

• Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Health and wellness programs.

• Employee discounts.