Director, Technical Program Management

Sambatv; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Samba, a media intelligence company, seeks a Director of Technical Program Management to lead and grow our TPM function at a pivotal expansion moment. This leadership role partners with engineering, product, data science, and executive leadership to plan, execute, and govern complex cross‑functional programs across the ad tech stack.

You will build and mentor a small TPM team, establish scalable operating models, and personally own the most high‑impact programs, balancing technical credibility

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in technical program management.
• Experience leading TPM teams and hiring/coaching.
• Deep ad tech domain knowledge (programmatic, identity, data platforms).
• Peer to VPs and Sr. Directors; influence executive decisions.
• Expertise in Agile, Scrum, SAFe methodologies.
• Strong governance: earned value, risks, dependencies, escalation.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication.
• Experience with regulatory/privacy constraints (GDPR/CCPA).
• Background in software engineering or related technical field.
• Experience with cloud data platforms and real-time data pipelines.
• Familiarity with ACR, connected TV data, or OEM data collection.
• Experience guiding TPM functions through growth, M&A, or geographic expansion.
• MBA or advanced degree valued but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 2-4 TPMs, setting a high bar for program ownership, communication, and technical credibility.
• Define the TPM team's operating model - staffing, governance, escalation, and reporting - and scale it with the organization.
• Serve as the senior TPM voice in leadership forums, reporting program health, risk posture, and execution capacity to the CTO and cross-functional peers.
• Drive hiring decisions, performance development, and career growth for the TPM team.
• Own the end-to-end program execution strategy for the technology organization’s complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Define and enforce program governance frameworks: scope, milestones, dependency management, risk registers, and earned value tracking.
• Partner with Engineering, Product, and Data Science leadership to align roadmaps with business priorities and capacity.
• Shift from bespoke execution to scalable, repeatable program infrastructure across hundreds of integrations.
• Personally lead the highest-stakes programs when needed.

Skills

TPM leadership

People management

Ad tech domain knowledge

Executive communication

Agile / SAFe

Program governance

Cross-functional collaboration

Cloud data platforms

Big data technologies

Regulatory compliance (GDPR/CCPA)

Software engineering background

M&A / org growth experience

MBA or advanced degree

Education

MBA or advanced technical degree

Tools

Claude

Gemini

Cursor

Codex

Job description

Samba is a media intelligence company. We know what the world is watching, reading, and thinking about - in real time, at scale, across every screen. Our data exists with the consent of over a billion people, organized into the most complete picture of consumer attention ever built. The biggest brands in the world use that picture to make smarter decisions. We think it’s the most interesting data asset on the planet, because it’s the most culturally relevant.

We are looking for a Director of Technical Program Management to lead and grow our TPM function at a critical inflection point in the company's expansion. This is not a pure execution role - it is a strategic leadership position. You will be a peer to VPs and Sr. Directors across Engineering, Product, Data Science, and Executive Leadership, owning how we plan, execute, and govern complex programs that span the full ad tech stack: data collection, identity, audience platforms, measurement solutions, and third-party integrations.

You will own, build and develop a small but high-impact team of TPMs, establish the frameworks and operating model that scale with the organization, and personally drive the most complex, cross-functional programs. The right candidate brings deep engineering discipline, ad tech domain knowledge a plus, proven people leadership, and the organizational instincts to operate credibly at the senior leadership level.

Organizational Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 2-4 TPMs, setting a high bar for program ownership, communication, and technical credibility.
• Define the TPM team's operating model - how programs are staffed, governed, escalated, and reported - and evolve it as the organization scales.
• Act as the senior-most TPM voice in leadership forums, representing program health, risk posture, and execution capacity to the CTO, SVP of Engineering and cross-functional peers.
• Drive hiring decisions, performance development, and career growth for the TPM team.

Program Strategy & Execution

• Own the end-to-end program execution strategy for the technology organization's most complex, cross-functional initiatives - from annual planning through delivery.
• Define and enforce program governance frameworks: scope, milestones, dependency management, risk registers, and earned value tracking.
• Partner with Engineering, Product, and Data Science leadership to align program roadmaps with business priorities, capacity constraints, and strategic objectives.
• Drive the shift from bespoke, one-off execution to scalable, repeatable program infrastructure - ensuring teams build for hundreds of integrations, not one at a time.
• Personally lead the highest-stakes programs when complexity, risk, or organizational span demands senior TPM ownership.

Cross-functional Influence & Stakeholder Management

• Operate as a credible peer to VPs and Sr. Directors - not just a coordinator, but a strategic partner with a clear point of view on tradeoffs, priorities, and risk.
• Communicate program status, risks, and strategic dependencies to the CTO,SVP of Engineering and executive leadership with clarity, precision, and appropriate urgency.
• Build and maintain alignment across Engineering, Product, Legal, Data, and Operations on programs that cut across organizational boundaries.
• Surface and resolve cross-functional blockers that cannot be handled at the team level - escalating with a recommended resolution, not just a flag.

Process, Tooling & Governance

• Use of AI tools and skills for acceleration of automations from the perspective of TPM artifacts. Claude / Gemini / Cursor / Codex preferred
• Establish and continuously improve the standard TPM toolkit: program templates, RAID frameworks, status reporting cadences, and planning rituals.
• Champion Agile and scaled Agile (SAFe) practices across engineering teams, partnering with Engineering Managers to ensure methodology serves delivery - not the other way around.
• Ensure programs reflect regulatory and compliance requirements (GDPR, CCPA, privacy-by-design) as first-class planning inputs, not afterthoughts.
• Stay current on industry trends in ad tech, programmatic advertising, and digital measurement - bringing external perspective into internal planning.

• 10+ years of experience in technical program management, with at least 5+ years in a senior or lead TPM role.
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing a team of TPMs - hiring, coaching, setting standards, and building a high-performance culture.
• Deep domain expertise in ad tech - including programmatic advertising, audience data platforms, measurement and attribution solutions, identity, and/or data product delivery. This is a hard requirement; candidates without ad tech context will not be considered.
• Proven track record operating as a peer to VPs and Sr. Directors - influencing strategic decisions, representing program risk at the executive level, and driving alignment across senior leadership.
• Expertise in Agile, Scrum, and SAFe methodologies with hands-on experience driving adoption across engineering organizations.
• Strong command of program governance: earned value metrics, dependency management, risk mitigation, and structured escalation frameworks.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication - able to adapt from engineering deep-dives to executive briefings without losing precision or credibility.
• Experience managing programs that span regulatory or compliance constraints (GDPR, CCPA, or similar privacy frameworks).
• Background in software engineering, computer science, or a related technical field - prior hands-on engineering experience gives strong credibility with technical teams.
• Experience with cloud-based data platforms, big data technologies, and/or real-time data pipeline infrastructure.
• Familiarity with ACR (Automatic Content Recognition), connected TV data, or OEM-level data collection.
• Experience managing TPM functions during periods of rapid organizational growth, M&A integration, or geographic expansion.
• MBA or advanced technical degree - valued but not required where equivalent experience is clear.

Samba is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strive to empower connection with one another, reflect the communities we serve, and tackle meaningful projects that make a real impact.

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