Staff Technical Program Manager

The strategic Staff Technical Program Manager orchestrates the delivery of our next-generation technology platform initiatives. Reporting directly to the Vice President Technical Program Management, this critical role will be accountable for driving cross-functional program execution, ensuring seamless coordination between engineering, product, and business teams throughout our modernization journey. This role will possess a proven track record of managing complex, large-scale technical programs, deep expertise in modern software delivery practices, and the ability to navigate ambiguity while maintaining focus on business outcomes. This leader will champion operational excellence and foster a culture of transparency and continuous improvement across all program touchpoints.
Program Strategy & Execution:

• Lead end-to-end program management for the modernized technology platform initiative, ensuring alignment with business objectives and technical architecture decisions
• Develop comprehensive program roadmaps, milestone definitions, and success criteria in partnership with engineering leadership and product stakeholders
• Drive strategic planning processes, including quarterly planning cycles, resource allocation, and cross-team dependency management
• Establish and maintain program governance frameworks, including risk management, escalation paths, and stakeholder communication protocols
• Champion adoption of modern program management methodologies and tools to optimize delivery velocity and quality

Cross-Functional Coordination & Delivery:

• Orchestrate complex, multi-team initiatives spanning platform modernization, AI integration, and infrastructure transformation
• Facilitate alignment between engineering teams, product managers, business stakeholders, and external partners
• Drive resolution of cross-functional blockers, technical dependencies, and resource conflicts
• Establish and maintain program dashboards, metrics, and reporting mechanisms to provide visibility into progress and risks
• Coordinate release planning and deployment strategies across multiple engineering teams and product areas

Process Optimization & Operational Excellence:

• Analyze and optimize program delivery processes, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, predictability, and quality
• Partner with engineering leadership to enhance Agile/Scrum practices, sprint planning, and retrospective processes
• Implement robust program tracking and monitoring systems to ensure adherence to timelines, budgets, and quality standards
• Drive adoption of modern delivery practices including CI/CD pipeline optimization, feature flagging, and progressive deployment strategies
• Establish program-level observability and metrics to enable data-driven decision making and continuous improvement

AI & Innovation Program Management:

• Collaborate with product and engineering teams to manage the technical execution of AI-driven features and capabilities
• Coordinate AI/ML model development, integration, and deployment processes across the platform
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment on AI roadmap priorities, technical feasibility, and business value delivery
• Ensure proper governance and compliance frameworks for AI initiatives in the healthcare domain

Stakeholder Management & Communication:

• Serve as primary liaison between engineering teams and executive leadership, providing regular updates on program status, risks, and achievements
• Facilitate weekly, monthly, quarterly business reviews, and strategic planning sessions
• Build and maintain strong relationships with product managers, business leaders, and external partners
• Drive consensus building on critical program decisions, trade-offs, and strategic pivots
• Coordinate budget planning and resource allocation processes to ensure optimal program investment

Compliance & Risk Management:

• Partner with security, compliance, and IT teams to ensure all program deliverables meet regulatory requirements including SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA compliance
• Establish risk management frameworks and mitigation strategies for complex technical programs
• Drive implementation of security-by-design principles and compliance validation processes
• Coordinate third-party vendor management and integration activities

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or related technical field; Master's degree preferred

EXPERIENCE

• 6+ years of progressive experience in technical program management, with a focus on large-scale software platform initiatives

SKILLS/ABILITIES

• Proven track record of successfully delivering complex, multi-team programs in fast-paced, high-growth environments
• Experience managing programs in regulated industries, particularly healthcare, with knowledge of compliance requirements

Technical Program Management Expertise:

• Deep expertise in modern software development methodologies including Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and scaled agile frameworks (SAFe, LeSS)
• Extensive experience with program management tools and platforms (Jira, Confluence, Monday.com, Asana, or similar)
• Strong understanding of modern software architecture patterns, microservices, containerization, and cloud-native technologies
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, SRE principals, DevSecOps practices, and infrastructure-as-code implementations
• Familiarity with observability and monitoring tooling for distributed systems

Platform & Technology Knowledge:

• Understanding of modern backend technologies including C#/.NET Core, JavaScript/TypeScript, and Node
• Knowledge of containerization (Docker), orchestration (Kubernetes), and public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Experience with event-driven architectures, API management (REST, GraphQL, gRPC), and service mesh technologies
• Familiarity with data platforms, streaming architectures (Kafka), and AI/ML integration patterns
• Understanding of security frameworks and compliance standards in cloud environments

Leadership & Communication Skills:

• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with ability to influence without authority
• Proven ability to drive alignment across diverse, cross-functional teams and manage competing priorities
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience in data-driven decision making
• Track record of mentoring and developing junior program managers and process improvement champions
• Experience facilitating executive-level meetings and presenting to C-level stakeholders

Strategic & Business Acumen:

• Demonstrated ability to translate business strategy into actionable technical program plans
• Experience with budget management, resource planning, and vendor management
• Strong understanding of healthcare industry dynamics and technology transformation challenges
• Proven ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments while maintaining focus on outcomes
• Experience driving cultural change and process transformation initiatives

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• PMP, Scrum Master, or other relevant program management certifications
• Experience with healthcare technology platforms and interoperability standards (HL7, FHIR)
• Background in platform migration or modernization programs
• Experience with AI/ML program management and productionization
• Previous experience in high-growth startups or scale-up environments
• Technical background with hands-on software development experience

WORKING CONDITIONS

• This is a hybrid role, greater Chicago area preferred
• Fast-paced, deadline-driven work environment
• Frequent collaboration and communication across teams
• Standard office hours with occasional extended hours during peak periods
• Requires regular use of computers, phones, and video conferencing tools
• Occasional travel to corporate office or offsite meetings (e.g., 5–10% travel)