Sr. Program Manager – Product Innovation

SanDisk; Milpitas (CA); Hybrid; USD 154,000 - 261,000; Full time

Job summary

Sandisk’s Product Innovation team seeks a Sr. Program Manager to lead the program management operating model across the innovation portfolio.

This role partners with Product Management, Engineering, Research, and Design to translate strategy into executable programs, govern discovery, and accelerate concept progression with disciplined, evidence-based decision making. You will enable cross-functional collaboration, manage Atlassian workflows, and drive governance that bridges Innovation to

Qualifications

• 8+ years in program management or PMO leadership in consumer electronics
• Experience managing multiple early-stage initiatives in fast-moving environments
• Experience with Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence)
• Strong cross-functional leadership without direct authority
• Experience coordinating product, engineering, design, and partner teams
• Ability to operate in ambiguous innovation environments while maintaining discipline

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end PM for Product Innovation portfolio across multiple initiatives
• Translate priorities into roadmaps, milestones and plans
• Track progression through discovery gates 0–3 with criteria
• Identify risks and dependencies for proactive mitigation
• Establish and run PMO with Jira/Confluence workflows
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and governance reviews
• Prepare executive-ready portfolio views and leadership materials

Skills

Program management

PMO leadership

Atlassian tools

Cross-functional leadership

Executive communication

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Jira Product Discovery

Job description

General Information

Job Name

Sr. Program Manager – Product Innovation

Country/Region

United States of America

State

California

City

Milpitas

Work Location

Milpitas Office

Work Mode

Employees work in a hybrid mode

Salary Range

$153,600.00 - $261,100.00

Exemption Status

Exempt

Business Function

Project & Program Management

Employment Type

Full-time

Sandisk understands how people and businesses consume data and we relentlessly innovate to deliver solutions that enable today’s needs and tomorrow’s next big ideas. With a rich history of groundbreaking innovations in Flash and advanced memory technologies, our solutions have become the beating heart of the digital world we’re living in and that we have the power to shape.

Sandisk meets people and businesses at the intersection of their aspirations and the moment, enabling them to keep moving and pushing possibility forward. We do this through the balance of our powerhouse manufacturing capabilities and our industry-leading portfolio of products that are recognized globally for innovation, performance and quality.

Sandisk has two facilities recognized by the World Economic Forum as part of the Global Lighthouse Network for advanced 4IR innovations. These facilities were also recognized as Sustainability Lighthouses for breakthroughs in efficient operations. With our global reach, we ensure the global supply chain has access to the Flash memory it needs to keep our world moving forward.

Description

Sandisk’s Product Innovation Team operates at the front end of innovation—accelerating product concepts from early exploration through readiness for Product, Engineering, and Go-To-Market (GTM) incubation. As the Senior Program Manager - Product Innovation, you will lead the operational execution and program infrastructure that enables the innovation portfolio to move from insight to validated concept with speed and discipline. You will partner closely with the Director of Product Management - Product Innovation to translate innovation strategy into executable programs while ensuring discovery initiatives are managed through structured governance and evidence-based decision making. This role is responsible for building and running the program management operating model for the innovation organization, including portfolio planning, cross-functional execution, discovery gate governance, and Atlassian-based workflows. You will enable teams across Product, Engineering, Research, Industrial Design, Software, and Ecosystem Development to collaborate effectively while navigating the ambiguity inherent in early-stage innovation. The outcome of this role is a high-performing innovation operating system that enables Sandisk to rapidly explore, validate, and advance new product concepts.

What You’ll Do

Lead Innovation Program & Portfolio Management

• Own end-to-end program management for the Product Innovation portfolio, supporting multiple concurrent concept initiatives across domains such as Edge AI, wireless technologies, wearables, and immersive computing.

• Translate innovation priorities into clear program roadmaps, milestones, and execution plans.

• Track concept progression across discovery stages (Gate 0-Gate 3), ensuring entry and exit criteria are met.

• Identify risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs early, enabling proactive mitigation and timely decision-making.

Build and Operate the Innovation PMO

• Establish and run the PMO operating model supporting the innovation portfolio.

• Own Atlassian-based workflows and tooling, including:

• Jira Product Discovery for opportunity intake, hypothesis tracking, and prioritization

• Jira for sprint execution and cross-functional development workstreams

• Confluence as the system of record for concept briefs, evidence logs, and incubation packages

• Define standardized templates, dashboards, and reporting that improve transparency and execution speed.

Drive Cross-Functional Execution

• Coordinate execution across Product Management, Engineering, Research, Industrial Design, Software (UX/UI), Ecosystem & Partner Development, and Technical Applications Engineering teams.

• Lead the operating cadence including sprint reviews, concept reviews, portfolio syncs, and leadership updates.

• Ensure alignment across teams on scope, timelines, ownership, and success criteria.

Enable Governance and Incubation Readiness

• Partner with Product Innovation leadership to prepare incubation-ready concept packages, including value propositions, evidence summaries, and readiness assessments.

• Maintain governance frameworks that ensure concepts progress based on clear evidence and decision criteria.

• Ensure smooth transitions from Innovation into Product, Engineering, and GTM teams.

Support Executive Decision Making

• Create clear, executive-ready views of portfolio health, progress, and decision points.

• Prepare materials for leadership reviews and concept approval discussions.

• Frame tradeoffs and options that enable informed strategic decisions.

Qualifications

Required:

• 8+ years of experience in program management, PMO leadership, or technical program management within consumer electronics, hardware-software systems, or platform organizations.

• Proven ability to manage multiple early-stage initiatives simultaneously in fast-moving environments.

• Experience implementing and operating program management frameworks using Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence.

• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to drive execution without direct authority.

• Experience coordinating teams across product, engineering, design, and partner organizations.

• Strong communication and organizational skills with the ability to simplify complex programs for executive stakeholders.

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous innovation environments while maintaining program discipline.

Preferred:

• Experience supporting innovation labs, advanced development teams, or incubation programs.

• Familiarity with consumer electronics platforms, storage technologies, Edge AI, embedded systems, or wireless platforms.

• Experience using Jira Product Discovery for opportunity tracking and innovation workflows.

• Background working with product management, industrial design, UX/UI teams, or ecosystem partners.

• Experience implementing discovery-to-delivery frameworks or evidence-based governance models.

Compensation & Benefits

• An employee’s pay position within the salary range may be based on several factors including but not limited to (1) relevant education; qualifications; certifications; and experience; (2) skills, ability, knowledge of the job; (3) performance, contribution and results; (4) geographic location; (5) shift; (6) internal and external equity; and (7) business and organizational needs.

• The salary range is what we believe to be the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in California, Colorado, New York or remote jobs that can be performed in California, Colorado and New York. This range may be modified in the future.

• You will be eligible to participate in Sandisk's Short-Term Incentive (STI) Plan, which provides incentive awards based on Company and individual performance. Depending on your role and your performance, you may be eligible to participate in our annual Long-Term Incentive (LTI) program, which consists of restricted stock units (RSUs) or cash equivalents, pursuant to the terms of the LTI plan. Please note that not all roles are eligible to participate in the LTI program, and not all roles are eligible for equity under the LTI plan. RSU awards are also available to eligible new hires, subject to Sandisk's Standard Terms and Conditions for Restricted Stock Unit Awards.

• We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid vacation time; paid sick leave; medical/dental/vision insurance; life, accident and disability insurance; tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts; employee assistance program; other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity; tuition reimbursement; transit; the Applause Program, employee stock purchase plan, and the Sandisk's Savings 401(k) Plan.

• Note: No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, benefits, or any other form of compensation and benefits that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company’s sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

Additional Information

Sandisk is committed to providing equal opportunities to all applicants and employees and will not discriminate based on their race, color, ancestry, religion (including religious dress and grooming standards), sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, breastfeeding or related medical conditions), gender (including a person’s gender identity, gender expression, and gender‑related appearance and behavior, whether or not stereotypically associated with the person’s assigned sex at birth), age, national origin, sexual orientation, medical condition, marital status (including domestic partnership status), physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, protected medical and family care leave, Civil Air Patrol status, military and veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. We also prohibit harassment of any individual on any of the characteristics listed above. Our non-discrimination policy applies to all aspects of employment. We comply with the laws and regulations set forth in the Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law (https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf) poster.

Sandisk thrives on the power and potential of diversity. As a global company, we believe the most effective way to embrace the diversity of our customers and communities is to mirror it from within. We believe the fusion of various perspectives results in the best outcomes for our employees, our company, our customers, and the world around us. We are committed to an inclusive environment where every individual can thrive through a sense of belonging, respect and contribution.

Sandisk is committed to offering opportunities to applicants with disabilities and ensuring all candidates can successfully navigate our careers website and our hiring process. Please contact us at [e-mail] to advise us of your accommodation request. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting as well as the job title and requisition number of the position for which you are applying.