Senior Program Manager, Product

Justworks, Inc.; Northern, New York (KY, NY); Hybrid; USD 166,000 - 214,000; Full time

Job summary

Justworks seeks a Senior Program Manager in Technology to lead highly complex cross-functional programs that span Product, Engineering, Design, Data, and Operations. You’ll translate strategy into executable programs and deliver measurable outcomes, collaborating across teams to align priorities and drive impact.

The role emphasizes independence, strong communication, and problem-solving in a rapidly evolving fintech environment. The NYC office hosts the core team and compensation discussions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of program management, strategy, operations, product, or equivalent experience leading complex cross-functional work.
• Ability to define and structure highly ambiguous problems.
• Experience building complex programs or operating models from the ground up.
• Fluency in Product and Technology, with partnering with Product and Engineering leaders.
• Strong business acumen and ability to connect decisions to outcomes.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders without direct authority.
• Strong systems thinking and identifying dependencies.
• Willingness to learn Justworks’ products and operating environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and storytelling.
• Judgment to simplify and reframe approaches.
• Technical acumen in FinTech/HRTech is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Independently own highly complex, strategically important programs from problem definition through execution and measurable business impact.
• Translate ambiguous business and customer problems into clear program strategies, outcomes, operating models, and measures of success.
• Lead discovery across teams and functions to deeply understand the problem and ensure the right outcome is being solved.
• Build scalable program operating models with governance, decision rights, and engagement rhythms.
• Partner with Product and Technology leaders to align strategy, roadmaps, and delivery across teams.
• Build relationships and influence senior stakeholders to create alignment without formal authority.
• Anticipate risks, dependencies, and second-order effects to prevent execution issues.
• Use data to diagnose problems, measure impact, and inform decisions.
• Adapt program scope and models as priorities change and information evolves.
• Communicate complex work clearly to different audiences with strong frameworks.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Job description

At Justworks, you’ll enjoy a welcoming and casual environment, great benefits, wellness program offerings, company retreats, and the ability to interact with and learn from leaders in the startup community. We work hard and care about our most prized asset - our people.

We’re helping businesses get off the ground by enabling them to focus on running their business. We solve HR issues. We’re data-driven and never stop iterating. If you’d like to work in a supportive, entrepreneurial environment, are interested in building something meaningful and having fun while doing it, we’d love to hear from you.

We're united by shared goals and shared motivations at Justworks. These are best summed up in our company values, which are reflected in our product and in our team.

If this sounds like you, you’ll fit right in.

About the team

The Justworks Technology Program Management team advances our mission by leading the complex, cross-functional programs that turn our most important Product and business strategies into outcomes for our customers. Sitting within the Product organization, our Program Managers help teams navigate some of the most complicated challenges facing Justworks — connecting work across FinTech, Healthcare, HRTech, and the technology and operations that power our products.

Our Program Managers lead highly collaborative, cross-functional endeavors, bringing together stakeholders across Product, Engineering, Design, Data, Operations, and customer-facing teams to solve problems that extend beyond any single team or roadmap. They deeply understand the business and customer outcomes behind the work, connect threads across teams and priorities, and create the clarity, structure, and alignment needed to move from strategy to execution.

By joining us, you’ll be part of an experienced Program Management team with a track record of leading large-scale transformations and strategic initiatives that impact how Justworks builds products, serves customers, and operates as a business.

About the role

As a Senior Program Manager on the Technology team, you’ll play a high-impact role leading some of Justworks’ most complex and strategically important cross-functional programs. You’ll work across multiple Product domains, Technology teams, and business functions to solve organizational problems where the desired outcome is important, the path forward isn’t fully defined, and success depends on creating alignment across teams with different priorities and incentives.

You’ll operate as a strategic partner to Product and Technology leaders, deeply understanding the business and customer problem behind the work and translating broad strategic objectives into programs the organization can execute. You’ll look across roadmaps and organizational boundaries to identify dependencies, constraints, and opportunities for leverage, helping leaders make informed decisions about priorities, sequencing, and tradeoffs.

As a champion for the program’s outcomes, you’ll create the operating models that enable complex work to succeed and evolve them as the organization learns. You’ll operate with a high degree of independence, anticipate challenges before they become execution issues, and clearly articulate your reasoning and recommendations to senior and executive stakeholders. Your impact will extend beyond the programs you directly lead by building systems and ways of working that help the broader organization execute more effectively.

Responsibilities

• Independently own highly complex, strategically important programs from problem definition through execution and measurable business impact
• Translate ambiguous business and customer problems into clear program strategies, outcomes, operating models, and measures of success
• Lead discovery across teams and functions to deeply understand the problem, challenge assumptions, and ensure the organization is solving for the right outcome before moving into execution
• Build scalable program operating models from the ground up, establishing governance, decision rights, stakeholder engagement, planning mechanisms, and operating rhythms appropriate to the complexity of the work
• Partner deeply with Product and Technology leaders to connect business strategy, Product strategy, and execution across roadmaps, influencing prioritization, sequencing, and tradeoffs toward broader outcomes
• Build strong relationships across organizational boundaries and influence senior stakeholders with different priorities and incentives to create alignment and drive decisions without formal authority
• Anticipate systemic risks, dependencies, and second-order impacts, establishing mechanisms that allow teams and leaders to address them before they become execution issues
• Use quantitative and qualitative data to identify the signals that matter, diagnose problems, measure impact, and inform strategic or resource decisions
• Adapt program strategy, scope, sequencing, and operating models as business priorities change and new information emerges
• Communicate complex work clearly at different altitudes, using strong frameworks and storytelling to translate ambiguity into decisions, recommendations, risks, and actions
• Build durable systems and ways of working that reduce organizational friction and continue creating value beyond your direct involvement
• Coach teams and stakeholders through complexity and take on opportunities beyond core responsibilities to strengthen Program Management capabilities across Technology
• Proactively identify and take on opportunities beyond core responsibilities to strengthen Program Management practices and drive impact across Technology

What you’ll need

• 5+ years of program management, strategy, operations, product, consulting, or equivalent experience leading complex cross-functional work in a modern technology business
• A strong commitment to problem-solving, with demonstrated ability to define and structure highly ambiguous problems rather than relying on a predefined solution or execution plan
• Demonstrated experience building complex programs or operating models from the ground up and leading them through execution and measurable outcomes
• Deep Product and Technology fluency, with experience partnering closely with Product and Engineering leaders and understanding how business strategy, Product strategy, roadmaps, prioritization, and delivery connect
• Strong business acumen and the ability to connect program decisions and tradeoffs to broader customer, business, and organizational outcomes
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior and executive stakeholders, navigate competing priorities, and drive consequential decisions across organizational boundaries without direct authority
• Strong systems thinking, with the ability to identify patterns, dependencies, second-order effects, and organizational constraints across complex environments
• A willingness to deeply understand Justworks’ products, customers, business model, and operating environment and independently invest in the learning required to become a credible partner
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use quantitative and qualitative evidence to frame problems, evaluate options, and influence decisions
• Excellent persuasion, written and verbal communication, and storytelling skills, with the ability to make complex problems understandable and recommendations compelling
• Strong judgment and the ability to determine when additional structure is needed, when to simplify, and when to challenge or reframe the approach entirely
• Technical acumen and experience operating in complex or highly regulated domains such as FinTech, Healthcare, or HRTech are a plus

The base wage range for this position based in our New York City Office is targeted at $166,000.00 to $214,000.00 per year.

Actual compensation is based on multiple factors that are unique to each candidate, including and not limited to skill set, level of relevant experience, and specific work location. Salary ranges for positions based in other locations may differ based on the cost of labor in that location.

For more information about Justworks’ Total Reward Philosophy, including all of the perks and benefits we are proud to offer our team members, please visit Total Rewards @ Justworks .

Diversity At Justworks

Justworks is committed to maintaining a workplace where diversity of identity, culture, and life experience is the norm and is celebrated authentically and respected consistently. Diversity in our work, our people, and our product drives creativity and innovation, entrepreneurial leadership and integrity, competitiveness, and collaboration throughout our business and in the market. We depend on our differences to make our team stronger, our workplace more dynamic, and our product accessible to all of our customers.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer open to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or familial status, disability, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. Justworks is fully dedicated to providing necessary support to candidates with disabilities who may require reasonable accommodations. We also provide reasonable accommodations to employees based on their sincerely held religious beliefs, as well as for other covered reasons consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. If you're in need of a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at [e-mail] . Your comfort and success matter to us, and we're here to ensure an inclusive experience.

Just Be You

We’re committed to building a culture where everyone feels welcome, supported, and empowered to thrive. We believe that a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and identities strengthens our team and helps us create the kind of workplace—and world we want to see.

We believe that in order to gather accurate demographic information we need to move beyond traditional questions about gender, race and ethnicity, and sexual orientation in favor of more inclusive and open-ended approaches. Of course, thinking around these areas is ever-evolving so, wherever applicable please feel free to select "I prefer to self-describe" and then elaborate so we can use your feedback to inform survey selections in the future.

Participation in this survey is completely optional. Any responses you choose to share will not be associated with your application and will not in any way be used in any hiring decision. We are collecting this information to deepen our understanding of our candidate pool and to continue to foster a welcoming and equitable hiring experience for all.

At Justworks, we are building an open, inclusive, and collaborative culture that values each person’s unique potential. We strive to help every Justworker grow with confidence in the collective service of our company, our community, and our customers.

We know that creating a truly inclusive workplace where everyone thrives is an ongoing journey—one that requires consistency, accountability, and shared commitment. We’re proud of the company we’re building together, one great Justworker at a time.