Staff Program Manager

Engine; United States; Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity included

Hybrid work environment

Job summary

Engine is seeking a Staff Program Manager to lead complex, multi-team initiatives within its Business Operations function. You will separate signal from noise, set direction, and navigate ambiguity while building scalable operating models across teams.

You’ll drive AI and automation adoption, develop repeatable processes, and coach stakeholders to achieve outcomes that elevate the entire organization.

Qualifications

• Deep program management experience leading complex, multi-team initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end execution across one or more complex, multi-team initiatives — setting direction, sequencing the work, and making the right tradeoffs with precision.
• Build and evolve operational approaches — when established playbooks don’t apply, you develop new ones and make them repeatable.
• Understand how systems and teams connect — think strategically across functions.
• Resolve complex, ambiguous situations using deep knowledge and sound judgment.
• Develop and maintain trusted cross-functional relationships that drive real collaboration.
• Model clear, direct communication and coach others through difficult stakeholder situations.
• Lead AI and automation adoption across your initiatives — redesign workflows to eliminate low-value work.
• Guide the development of tools, guidelines, and methods that improve how the broader PGM pool operates.
• Partner with BizOps leadership to ensure initiative health is visible in company-level reporting and planning cycles.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Decision-making in ambiguity

Strategic thinking

Clear communication

AI/automation mindset

Builder mindset

SaaS experience

Job description

Engine is the AI-native platform for intelligent travel. For a decade, Engine has built the proprietary technology and supply behind modern business travel, serving over 40,000 customers and nearly 2 million travelers, along with leading travel and AI companies that build on Engine's infrastructure. One system powers business travel, group travel, human agents, and AI agents.

That work has earned recognition as one of Fast Company's Best Workplaces for Innovators (2025), TravelTech's Reservation Platform of the Year (2026), and one of Built In's Best Places to Work (2020–2026).

We're looking for bold, ambitious people to help redefine how businesses manage and experience travel. Working here, you can expect exponential growth, an ambitious pace, full ownership, and high-caliber colleagues who push you to do the best work of your career. Every hire raises the bar.

Come outpace the ordinary and build the future of travel with us.

About the Role

At Engine, we're transforming business travel — and doing it with unparalleled speed, heart, and hustle. Our biggest bets are moving simultaneously, and they need someone who doesn't just keep up — someone who redesigns the system as they go.

As a Staff Program Manager, you'll lead complex, multi-team initiatives where the path isn't always clear and the playbook doesn't always exist. You separate signal from noise. You set the direction, and navigate ambiguity with confidence — not because someone handed you a framework, but because you built one. The question you answer every day: Is this initiative going to land, and is the way we're running it making the whole org better?

You'll sit within our centralized Business Operations function — a pool of PGMs deployed where the work is hardest. At the Staff level, you're not just executing — you're defining how execution works. You build the operating model, coach the approach, and make the tradeoffs that move work forward across functions.

What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end execution across one or more complex, multi-team initiatives — setting direction, sequencing the work, and making the right tradeoffs with precision.
• Build and evolve operational approaches — when established playbooks don't apply, you develop new ones and make them repeatable.
• Understand how systems and teams connect — you think strategically across functions, not just within the initiative you're running.
• Resolve complex, ambiguous situations using deep knowledge and sound judgment — you leverage experience and context, not just process.
• Develop and maintain trusted cross-functional relationships that drive real collaboration — you steer conversations toward outcomes that are bigger than any one team.
• Model clear, direct communication and coach others through difficult stakeholder situations — you don't just communicate well, you raise the bar for how the whole team does.
• Lead AI and automation adoption across your initiatives — redesigning workflows to eliminate low-value work, with sharp judgment on what to automate, what to retool, and what to abandon.
• Guide the development of tools, guidelines, and methods that improve how the broader PGM pool operates.
• Partner with BizOps leadership to ensure initiative health is visible in company-level reporting and planning cycles.

What We're Looking For

• Deep program management expertise with a track record of leading complex, multi-team initiatives to completion — you've done this across different orgs and contexts.
• Sound judgment in high-ambiguity situations — you separate signal from noise, make decisions with incomplete information, and evolve your approach when the situation demands it.
• Strong cross-functional instincts and trusted relationships — you keep business priorities front and center and steer toward outcomes greater than yourself.
• A builder's mindset — you don't just run inside existing systems, you improve them; you develop guidelines, tools, and methods that make others better.
• Clear, direct communicator who models and coaches — you translate complexity into crisp updates and help teammates navigate uncertainty and conflict.
• AI-forward operator — you identify leverage in your domain, test confidently, and build toward scalable, repeatable approaches.
• High-growth tech or SaaS experience strongly preferred.

Compensation

Our compensation packages are based on several factors, including your experience, expertise, and location. In addition to a competitive base salary, all roles receive equity. Depending on the role, total compensation may also include an annual bonus. Your recruiter will share your complete compensation package as you move through the process.

Base Pay Range

$140,000 - $170,000 USD

The Engine Edge: Perks & Compensation

We believe in rewarding great work with great benefits:

• Compensation: Competitive base pay tied to role and experience, with equity for all employees. Some roles are also eligible for bonuses or commissions.
• Environments for Success: Different roles have different needs in terms of the environments that drive success which is why we have a hybrid-hub model. Whether you are in one of our amazing offices or fully remote, we'll make sure you have what you need to succeed.

Perks and benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and more