Sr. Director, PMO, Gracenote

Thenielsencompany; United States; On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellness plans

401(k) with Nielsen match

Generous paid time off

Company vehicle (depending on role)

Job summary

Nielsen is seeking a Senior Program Manager to lead and evolve the Gated Agile PMO playbook from ideation through post-launch evaluation. You will drive change management, enablement training, and enforce Gate Reviews across Research, Alpha, Beta, Limited Availability, and GA to optimize product-market fit.

You will orchestrate multi-region product introductions across Video, Audio/Auto, Sports, and Core Platform domains, manage global RAID logs, align senior leadership, and deliver dashboards

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in program management, product operations, or GTM for B2B tech, SaaS, data or media tech.
• Proven track record building and scaling enterprise-wide Stage-Gate/Agile frameworks across multi-product portfolios.
• Strategic cross-functional fluency across engineering, legal, marketing, sales, product and finance at executive level.
• Mastery of gated Agile, hybrid Stage-Gate methodologies and SDLC.

Responsibilities

• Lead, evolve, and maintain the Gated Agile PMO playbook from ideation through post-launch evaluation.
• Drive change management and enablement training to ensure long-term process adoption.
• Host and enforce cross-functional Gate Reviews using objective criteria to optimize product-market fit.
• Orchestrate multi-region product introductions across domains (Video, Audio/Auto, Sports, Core Platform).
• Establish and run global RAID logs, escalation protocols, and retrospectives.
• Serve as primary connector across Product, Engineering, Legal, Marketing, Sales, CPX, Operations and Finance.
• Build dashboards tracking program health, milestones, and KPIs.
• Deliver clear updates and strategic risk mitigations for VP/SVP audiences.
• Measure post-launch success by adoption, ARR ramp, and efficiency vs business case.

Skills

Program management

Stakeholder management

Change management

Cross-functional leadership

SDLC knowledge

Executive communication

Risk mitigation

Education

PgMP, PMP, SAFe SPC or equivalent

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, evolve, and maintain Gracenote's Gated Agile PMO playbook (Phases, Gates, Deliverables, RACI) from ideation through post-launch evaluation.
• Drive change management and enablement training across teams to ensure long-term process adoption and eliminate cross-functional handoff failures.
• Host and enforce cross-functional Gate Reviews (Research > Alpha > Beta > Limited Availability > General Availability) using objective entry/exit criteria to optimize product-market fit, prevent premature commercial scaling, and accelerate time from initial commercial availability to first closed-won revenue and ultimately broad market adoption.
• Simultaneously orchestrate complex, multi-region product introductions across Video, Audio/Auto, Sports, and Core Platform domains.
• Enforce tier-based change control (minor, moderate, major). Establish and run global RAID logs, escalation protocols, and process retrospectives.
• Serve as the primary connector across Product, Engineering, Legal, Marketing, Sales, CPX, Operations and Finance. Align VP/SVP leadership on process compliance and define strict criteria for executive exceptions.
• Build and maintain dashboards tracking program health, milestone delivery, and other KPIs.
• Deliver clear, actionable updates and strategic risk mitigations for VP/SVP audiences during weekly operational and monthly strategic syncs.
• Measure post-launch success by tracking adoption rates, ARR ramp speed, and efficiency against the original business case.

10-15+ years of progressive experience in Program Management, Product Operations, or GTM Management within B2B Tech, SaaS, Data, or Media Technology industries.

Proven track record of building and scaling enterprise-wide Stage-Gate/Agile or similar NPI frameworks across multi-product portfolios.

Strategic, cross-functional fluency across Engineering, Legal, Marketing, Sales, Product, and Finance at the executive level.

Mastery of Gated Agile, hybrid Stage-Gate methodologies, and software development lifecycles (SDLC).

Strong executive presence and manage-by-influence skills with a demonstrated ability to constructively challenge senior leadership, manage ambiguity, and drive organizational change.

Knowledge of and success with a Project management Office for large programs

Successfully establish and lead project teams providing guidance and structure

Relevant certifications: PgMP, PMP, SAFe SPC, or equivalent.

Enabling your best to power a better media future.

Holistic Rewards: We are committed to an inclusive benefits package that supports our employees and their families. This includes comprehensive health and wellness plans, a 401(k) with a Nielsen company match, and a generous paid time off policy. Depending on the role, additional benefits may include a company-provided vehicle and/or discretionary incentive/bonus eligibility.

Compensation Transparency: The posted base salary range is a reasonable estimate that may be adjusted based on the final work location of the selected employee. Individual pay within the range is determined by factors such as experience, training, geography, certifications, and business needs. Beyond base salary, this role may be eligible for bonuses, equity, or other incentives .

Nielsen makes hiring decisions without regard to disability status, protected veteran status, or membership in any other protected class.