Sr Program Manager, Customer Validation

NRG Energy; Washington; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Vision benefits

Dental benefits

401K

Flexible spending accounts

Job summary

NRG Energy's Vivint Smart Home division is hiring a Senior Program Manager, Customer Validation to shape how products prove readiness before launch. You will own validation strategies, define cohorts, and oversee surveys and in-lab testing to deliver evidence-backed decisions.

As a highly autonomous SME, you will partner with Product, Engineering, Design, Quality, Operations, Support, and Research to translate customer insights into product milestones, ensuring experiences customers will love

Qualifications

• Experience translating product questions into validated customer evidence.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional programs.
• Strong skills in designing surveys and measurement plans.
• Experience with hardware, software, energy, or connected products.
• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent practical experience.
• Ability to translate data into actionable product recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Own customer validation strategy for products through alpha, beta, launch readiness, and post-launch learning.
• Define validation plans, cohorts, activities, and measurement approaches.
• Determine required customer evidence for readiness, sentiment, usability, and adoption.
• Partner with researchers to translate insights into validation strategies.
• Establish scalable validation frameworks across the organization.
• Design and execute alpha/beta programs with surveys and in-lab testing.
• Develop surveys, feedback mechanisms, and actionable insights.
• Provide executive-ready readiness reports and recommendations.
• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Design, Quality, and Operations.
• Escalate readiness concerns and drive informed launch decisions.

Skills

Customer Validation Expertise

Program Leadership

Analytical Thinking

Survey & Measurement Design

Technical & Product Fluency

Executive Communication

Customer Advocacy

Autonomous Execution

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Human Factors, Psychology, Product Development, or a related field

Job description

Welcome to the intersection of energy and home services. At NRG, we're driven by our passion to create a smarter, cleaner and more connected future.

Vivint Smart Home, an NRG owned company, is a leading smart home company in the United States, dedicated to redefining the home experience with intelligent products and services. We find purpose in proactively protecting and keeping our customers connected to home, no matter where they are. Join the Smart Home team to create smarter, safer and more sustainable homes.

Position Summary

The Senior Program Manager, Customer Validation is responsible for defining and executing customer validation strategies that help ensure products are ready to deliver exceptional customer experiences before launch.

Operating as a highly autonomous individual contributor, you will serve as the customer validation subject matter expert for products moving through alpha, beta, launch readiness, and post-launch learning. You will partner closely with Product Management, Engineering, Design, Quality, Operations, and Product Research to determine what customer evidence is needed, how it should be collected, and what it means for product readiness.

This role goes beyond traditional beta program management. You will design validation strategies, define customer cohorts, develop testing methodologies, analyze customer feedback and sentiment, and provide data-driven recommendations that influence product scope, readiness, and launch decisions.

You will help transform customer validation into a scalable discipline that provides product teams with confidence they are building experiences customers will love while ensuring launch decisions are grounded in meaningful customer evidence.

Primary Responsibilities

Customer Validation Strategy & Planning

• Own customer validation strategy for products progressing through alpha, beta, launch readiness, and post-launch learning activities.
• Define validation plans, success criteria, customer cohorts, participant requirements, testing activities, and measurement approaches.
• Determine what customer evidence is required to evaluate functional readiness, customer sentiment, usability, adoption potential, and overall experience quality.
• Partner with Product Researchers to leverage research insights and translate them into later-stage validation and measurement strategies.
• Establish scalable methodologies, frameworks, and best practices for customer validation across the organization.

Alpha and Beta Program Design & Execution

• Design customer validation programs that assess both product functionality and customer experience via surveys and in lab testing.
• Develop surveys, feedback mechanisms, testing activities, and measurement plans that generate actionable customer insights.
• Partner with beta operations teams responsible for participant recruitment, fulfillment, communications, and logistics.
• Ensure validation programs accurately represent target customer populations through appropriate cohort selection and segmentation strategies.
• Identify validation risks, gaps, and dependencies while driving programs to successful completion.

Customer Insights & Readiness Recommendations

• Analyze quantitative and qualitative feedback to identify customer experience opportunities, product readiness concerns, and launch risks.
• Measure and evaluate customer sentiment, satisfaction, confidence, and perceived value in addition to product functionality.
• Synthesize customer feedback into clear recommendations for Product, Engineering, Design, and leadership teams.
• Develop executive-ready reports, readiness assessments, and customer validation summaries.
• Translate complex customer feedback into practical actions and business recommendations.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence

• Serve as the customer validation SME for assigned products and initiatives.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, Design, Quality, Operations, Customer Support, and Research teams throughout the product lifecycle.
• Challenge assumptions, identify customer risks, and advocate for customer needs throughout development and launch planning.
• Escalate readiness concerns and help teams make informed decisions regarding scope, timing, and launch readiness.
• Drive alignment across stakeholders while operating with substantial autonomy and influence.

Required Skills & Functional Dimensions

• Customer Validation Expertise: Ability to translate product questions, risks, and requirements into effective customer validation strategies and programs.
• Program Leadership: Proven ability to manage complex cross-functional initiatives involving multiple stakeholders, dependencies, and timelines.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong ability to analyze customer feedback, identify meaningful patterns, and develop actionable recommendations.
• Survey & Measurement Design: Experience developing customer surveys, feedback mechanisms, and measurement frameworks that generate reliable insights.
• Technical & Product Fluency: Ability to effectively partner with Product Management and Engineering teams and translate technical requirements into customer-facing validation activities.
• Executive Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence decisions through clear, evidence-based recommendations.
• Customer Advocacy: Passion for representing the customer's perspective and ensuring customer evidence informs product decisions.
• Autonomous Execution: Ability to operate independently, define strategy, manage ambiguity, and drive outcomes with limited direction.

Required Education & Experience

• Experience: 5+ years of experience in Customer Validation, Beta Programs, Product Operations, Program Management, Product Development, Technical Program Management, or a related field.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Demonstrated success partnering with Product, Engineering, Design, and Operations teams to deliver complex product initiatives.
• Customer Insights & Analysis: Experience analyzing customer feedback and translating data into actionable product recommendations.
• Program Development: Proven experience developing structured testing, validation, customer feedback, or product readiness programs.
• Technical Product Experience: Experience supporting the development or launch of hardware, software, platform, AI, energy, mobile, or connected product experiences.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Human Factors, Psychology, Product Development, or a related field; equivalent practical experience considered.

NRG Energy is committed to a drug and alcohol-free workplace. To the extent permitted by law and any applicable collective bargaining agreement, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing. EOE AA M/F/Protected Veteran Status/Disability. Level, Title and/or Salary may be adjusted based on the applicant's experience or skills.

EEO is the Law Poster (The poster can be found at http://www.eeoc.gov/employers/upload/poster_screen_reader_optimized.pdf)

Official description on file with Talent.

We support the use of AI tools to help you prepare for your interview (e.g., practicing responses, researching the role, or refining your resume). However, during interviews and assessments, we expect responses to reflect your own thinking, experience, and communication. Use of AI to generate or read answers in real time, complete assessments, or misrepresent your qualifications is not permitted and may impact your candidacy.

The base salary range for this position is: $140,000 - $190,000* *The base salary range above represents the low and high end of the salary range for this position. Actual salaries will vary based on several factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of the total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonus, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition the position may be eligible to participate in the benefits program which include, but are not limited to, medical, vision, dental, 401K, and flexible spending accounts.