Senior Technical Program Manager (AI)

FyrFly Venture Partners; Pleasanton (CA); Hybrid; USD 121,070 - 163,457; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid holidays

Sick leave

Parental leave

Life insurance

Disability insurance

FSA / Dependent care

Wellness benefits

Flexible time off

Job summary

Blackhawk Network is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager – AI to drive cross‑functional AI programs that automate workflows and improve efficiency. You will partner with AI architects, data, engineering, and business teams to turn opportunities into executable programs, delivering measurable business value.

The role emphasizes program leadership, technical fluency, and the ability to manage complex initiatives across multiple teams within a hybrid in-person/remote setup.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in technical program management.
• Experience managing medium-complexity programs across multiple teams.
• Strong PM fundamentals: roadmap, planning, risk, reporting, milestones.
• Experience partnering across engineering, product, business, operations, legal, compliance, analytics.
• Hands-on familiarity with GenAI tools and workflow automation.

Responsibilities

• AI Program Intake and Prioritization: translate requests into charters and roadmaps.
• Program Governance and Execution: lead end-to-end AI initiatives from planning to launch.
• Maintain AI program roadmap with dependencies, timelines, and milestones.
• Define KPIs and monitor outcomes like throughput, cycle time, adoption.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

GenAI tools familiarity

Technical fluency

JIRA & Confluence

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

Dashboards

Job description

Senior Technical Program Manager (AI)

Job ID: 2026-26673 | Category: Technology | Position Type: Full Time | Location: US-CA-Pleasanton

About Blackhawk Network

Today, through BHN’s single global platform, businesses of all kinds can tap into the world’s largest network of branded payment solutions. BHN helps businesses grow revenue, increase loyalty, motivate and reward their teams, disburse funds and engage consumers. Branded payment solutions include the issuance and distribution of gift cards, e‑gifts, corporate payouts and rewards, along with the technology to deliver these products in seamless, integrated ways. BHN’s network spans the globe with more than 400,000 consumer touchpoints. Learn more at BHN.com.

Hybrid flexibility: At Blackhawk Network, you’ll enjoy the best of both worlds—focused remote work plus in‑person collaboration on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, our regular in‑office days at our Pleasanton headquarters. This rhythm gives you the tools, connection, and autonomy you need to make a real impact.

Overview

At Blackhawk Network, we’re shaping the future of global branded payments through cutting‑edge digital technologies that connect brands and people across the globe. Our fintech solutions— from digital payments and prepaid products to scalable infrastructure and security—drive innovation, customer loyalty, and business growth.

We are accelerating the use of AI to improve how work gets done across the company while continuing to deliver innovative branded payment solutions at global scale.

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Program Manager – AI to drive cross‑functional AI programs that help business and technology teams automate work, improve operating efficiency, and deliver measurable outcomes. This role will sit at the intersection of business teams, AI architecture, AI engineering, data, operations, legal, compliance, and security to identify high‑value opportunities, define execution plans, and drive delivery from concept through deployment.

This is first and foremost a program management role. The ideal candidate brings strong program management discipline, excellent cross‑functional leadership, and enough technical and AI fluency to work effectively with business and technical partners on initiatives that automate workflows, improve decision‑making, and increase productivity through AI and workflow automation capabilities.

Responsibilities

AI Program Intake and Prioritization

• Partner with business and technology stakeholders to evaluate requests, define scope, and sequence work against capacity and business value.
• Translate business needs into clear program charters, milestones, and delivery plans for AI‑enabled automation initiatives.
• Build and maintain the AI program roadmap for assigned domains, including dependencies, delivery timelines, key decisions, and status across concurrent initiatives.
• Help teams make tradeoffs based on outcome impact, adoption, delivery risk, and business value.

Program Governance and Execution

• Lead end‑to‑end program execution for AI initiatives from planning through launch, ensuring disciplined operating cadences and predictable delivery.
• Proactively manage risks, issues, cross‑team dependencies, escalations, and tradeoffs across engineering, data, architecture, and business teams.
• Create visibility through regular syncs, decision forums, dependency tracking, and crisp status communications tailored to technical, business, and leadership audiences.
• Ensure launch readiness by coordinating testing, rollout planning, operational handoffs, documentation, and post‑deployment follow‑up for AI solutions.
• Partner closely with AI architects and technical teams to assess feasibility, identify gaps and risks, and turn automation opportunities into executable programs.
• Support pilot execution and rollout of AI capabilities, helping teams move from experimentation to repeatable operational use cases.
• Define and track program KPIs such as throughput, productivity gains, cycle time reduction, quality improvements, adoption, and business value realization.
• Create lightweight templates, checklists, and working practices that improve repeatability and help peer teams execute more effectively.
• Partner with analytics and operations teams to monitor results, identify improvement opportunities, and drive continuous optimization after launch.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in technical program management, program management, or related roles, including leading cross‑functional technology programs in complex organizations.
• Experience independently managing medium‑complexity programs across multiple teams within a product or business domain.
• Strong program management fundamentals: roadmap management, planning, dependency management, risk management, issue resolution, executive reporting, and milestone‑based delivery.
• Experience partnering across engineering, product, business, operations, legal, compliance, and analytics teams to deliver complex initiatives.
• Hands‑on familiarity with GenAI tools such as Glean, Claude, Copilot, or similar enterprise AI platforms, along with workflow automation technologies.
• Solid technical fluency, with the ability to participate in technical design and tradeoff discussions, evaluate feasibility and risks, and work effectively with highly technical partners.
• Strong business acumen, with the ability to define outcome metrics, connect programs to measurable business value, and surface when scope is growing without sufficient impact.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills, with the ability to influence and lead without direct authority.
• Experience with JIRA, Confluence, dashboards, and collaboration tools used to manage technical programs and communicate progress.
• Bachelor’s degree in technology, engineering, computer science, business, or equivalent practical experience.
• PMP or related certification is a plus.

Preferred Traits

• Outcome‑oriented and pragmatic, with the ability to balance execution detail with business impact.
• Strong communicator who can translate between engineering detail and business priorities for different audiences.
• Collaborative servant leader who removes obstacles, enables team autonomy, and builds trust through helpfulness and credibility.
• Curious, adaptable, and action‑oriented in applying AI to real business problems and measurable outcomes.

We seek candidates who not only demonstrate curiosity and adaptability in emerging technologies but have also successfully implemented and utilized AI tools to enhance their work, improve processes, or deliver measurable results. Our teams embrace continuous learning and the thoughtful integration of AI to create meaningful impact – for our employees and the future of work.

Benefits

Salary Range for California Residents Only: $121,070.00 to $163,457.00

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, Blackhawk Network offers benefits including 401(k) with employer match, medical, dental, vision, 12 paid holidays throughout the year 2025, sick pay accrual according to state law, parental leave, life insurance, disability insurance, accident and illness insurance, health and dependent care flexible spending accounts, wellness benefits, and flexible time off for all full‑time employees.