Senior Technical Program Manager

Avalara, Inc.; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonuses

Private medical insurance

Paid time off

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Avalara, Inc. seeks a Senior Technical Program Manager to lead modernization of customer onboarding workflows across five business lines.

You will drive AI-first automation, reduce bottlenecks, and partner with operations, product, and engineering to replace manual handoffs with scalable integrations and real-time performance tracking. You’ll own roadmaps, define KPIs, and ensure governance for AI-enabled processes while guiding change management and adoption across onboarding teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in a technical field required.
• 10+ years in TPM, business systems architecture, or operational process engineering in high-growth SaaS/fintech.
• Experience leading large-scale cross-functional workflow optimization and integrations (CRM, ERP, ticketing).
• Hands-on AI/automation experience with RPA or LLM-based tools.
• Strong agile, SDLC, cross-functional dependencies management.
• Excellent communication and executive presence.

Responsibilities

• Lead onboarding modernization across five pipelines.
• Architect AI-first workflow automation with LLMs, OCR, RPA, and agentic workflows.
• Conduct value stream mapping to identify friction points and delays.
• Define KPIs and dashboards to drive executive alignment.
• Translate requirements into epics and user stories for engineering.
• Establish governance for AI-enabled workflows and data integrity.
• Drive change management and operational adoption.

Skills

Technical Program Management

Business Systems Architecture

Operational Process Engineering

Applied AI & Automation

Agile & SDLC

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science etc.

Tools

CRM

ERP

Ticketing systems

Job description

What You'll Do

As a Senior Technical Program Manager on the Customer Onboarding Operations and Technical Programs team reporting to the Sr. Manager of Business Operations & Strategic Programs, you will lead the modernization, systems integration, and AI-driven automation of customer onboarding workflows across five key business lines. In this role, you will eliminate bottlenecks and shorten onboarding times, unlocking capacity to help new customers get up and running faster without needing linear team headcount growth. Unlike traditional TPM roles, you will directly shape our AI-first operational transformation, partnering across operations, product, and engineering teams to replace manual handoffs with smart automations, real-time performance tracking, and scalable internal systems.

#LI-Remote

What Your Responsibilities Will Be

• Lead Cross-Functional Onboarding Modernization: Own the program roadmap for internal workflow optimization and technical modernization across Property Tax, Hospitality, Avalara for Accountants, 1099, and Excise onboarding pipelines.
• Architect AI-First Workflow Automation: Partner strategically with the Senior Program Manager of Automation & AI to identify, design, and implement intelligent automations (integrating LLMs, OCR, robotic process automation, and agentic workflows) that streamline repetitive data ingestion, document classification, tax profile validation, and account provisioning tasks.
• Drive Process Engineering & Journey Mapping: Conduct comprehensive end-to-end value stream mapping of onboarding workflows across all five business lines to uncover friction points, technical debt, redundant handoffs, and cycle time delays.
• Define Metrics & Operational Observability: Partner with our Data Analysts to define and build robust operational KPIs, dashboards, and reporting frameworks (e.g., onboarding cycle time, first-time-right rate, manual touch time, and throughput) to drive executive alignment and data-backed prioritization.
• Bridge Operations, Product, and Engineering: Translate complex operational requirements into clear technical specifications, epics, and user stories. Partner with engineering squads to build systemic tooling, API integrations, and scalable internal platforms.
• Establish Human-in-the-Loop Governance: Design robust validation, exception-handling, escalation protocols, and quality assurance checkpoints for automated and AI-enabled workflows to guarantee strict compliance and data integrity.
• Drive Change Management & Operational Adoption: Serve as the core technical Subject Matter Expert (SME) providing workflow requirements, technical guidance, and source materials to the Senior Enablement Program Manager (who builds and delivers the training), while owning end-to-end accountability for ensuring actual operational adoption, process compliance, and sustained change across onboarding teams.

At Avalara, we hire only Bar Raisers—individuals who improve the average performance, talent density, and execution quality of the team by their presence. You are expected to:

• Hold yourself and cross-functional partners to the highest standards of ownership, operational craftsmanship, and accountability.
• Demonstrate sound judgment in balancing speed, scalability, customer risk, and technical rigor when designing solutions.
• Simplify complex cross-functional challenges and drive decisive, data-backed execution.
• Challenge assumptions respectfully and elevate the capabilities of everyone around you through mentorship, example, and operational discipline.
• Leave every process, system, and workflow significantly stronger, faster, and more scalable than you found it.

What You'll Need to be Successful

• Education: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Industrial Engineering, Operations Research, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 10+ years of progressive professional experience in Technical Program Management (TPM), Business Systems Architecture, or Operational Process Engineering within a high-growth SaaS, fintech, or technology enterprise.
• Process & Systems Architecture: Proven track record of leading large-scale, cross-functional workflow optimization programs, value stream mapping, and technical system integrations (CRM, ERP, ticketing, and custom operational platforms).
• Applied AI & Automation Proficiency: Demonstrated, hands-on experience designing or deploying AI-enabled workflows, robotic process automation (RPA), agentic pipelines, or LLM-based tools to automate operational business processes.
• Technical Program Execution: Deep expertise in agile methodologies, SDLC management, defining technical requirements, managing cross-functional dependencies, and mitigating risk across distributed technical and operational teams.
• Communication & Executive Presence: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to influence senior business leaders, technical architects, and front-line operational teams.

Avalara is an AI-first Company

AI is embedded in our workflows, decision-making, and products. Success here requires embracing AI as an essential capability.

• You’ll bring experience using AI and AI-related technologies, ready to thrive here.
• You’ll apply AI every day to business challenges - improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, our company, and our customers.
• You’ll grow with AI by staying curious about new trends and best practices, and by sharing what you learn so others can benefit too.

How We'll Take Care of You

Total Rewards

In addition to a great compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave, many Avalara employees are eligible for bonuses.

Health & Wellness

Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.

Inclusive culture and diversity

Avalara strongly supports diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is committed to integrating them into our business practices and our organizational culture. We also have a total of 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and exec sponsorship.

What You Need To Know About Avalara

We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech.

We’ve already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns a year. Our growth is real - we're a billion dollar business - and we’re not slowing down until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative, and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear. It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

We’re An Equal Opportunity Employer

Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.