Overview

The client is a global leader in the entertainment industry, producing iconic movies, shows, and characters. Within Studio Technology, the Studio Technology Operations & Insights (STOI) team drives scalable, secure, and innovative solutions that power production, data, and enterprise technology ecosystems - from production technology and data systems that enable financial operations to stakeholder applications that propel its legacy forward. We are seeking a Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional programs (which include products, services, and support) that integrate technology delivery, AI-enabled workflows, and financial value realization. This role elevates traditional project management into a strategic program leadership function focused on outcomes, operational intelligence, and business impact - combining program leadership, technical fluency, financial acumen, and AI literacy to shape the future of its iconic cinematic legacy., The Program Manager will oversee a portfolio of initiatives across production support and software development teams, ensuring alignment to strategic priorities, financial outcomes, and AI-enabled operating models. Acting as a connector across engineering, product, finance, and business/production stakeholders, this role translates strategy into execution while continuously optimizing for efficiency, ROI, and scalability.

Core Responsibilities

Execution & Delivery

· Lead complex, cross-functional programs across the full lifecycle - intake, requirements and scope definition, planning, resource capacity allocation, execution, and post-mortem/value realization.

· Manage tasks and resources through waterfall, scrum, kanban, or hybrid methodologies; lead sprint ceremonies including planning, daily standups, reviews, and retrospectives.

· Prioritize and escalate critical operational tasks, and revise project work plans as business needs and priorities evolve.

· Work with managers to assign day-to-day activities, remove blockers, and maximize team throughput and resource utilization.

Metrics & Insight

· Define and track program-level success metrics tied to business outcomes, financial performance, and adoption - not just delivery milestones.

· Determine and track the portfolio of products and services that align to the offerings of Studio Technology to its end stakeholders (i.e., productions, Corporate, or other groups).

· Design and maintain real-time program and KPI dashboards (e.g., Power BI) using modern analytics and AI-assisted tools to provide operational intelligence to leadership.

· Conduct portfolio reviews that give executive leadership visibility into progress, risk, portfolio/project health, and resource utilization.

· Create workflow diagrams and process maps to identify inefficiencies and streamline operations.

Stakeholder & Change Management

· Partner with product, engineering, finance, and business leaders to translate strategic objectives into scalable program roadmaps and prioritized initiatives.

· Facilitate key program ceremonies and leadership reviews, ensuring clarity, accountability, and alignment across teams.

· Develop executive-level communications - presentations, business cases, and technology roadmaps - to support decision-making.

· Mentor and guide project managers and team members, elevating program management maturity and best practices across the organization.

Governance & Quality

· Manage interdependencies and complex risk scenarios across teams and initiatives; develop contingency plans and strategic risk assessments.

· Organize and maintain project documentation, governance artifacts, and reporting standards in a clear, accessible manner.

· Support quarterly planning, OKRs, and portfolio prioritization, ensuring alignment with business goals, technology strategy, and resource capacity.

· Follow the portfolio governance process of “greenlighting” products/projects/services and support the business teams as they go through evaluation of whether to move forward with proposed work.

Financial Acumen

· Drive financial planning and governance across programs, including budget management, forecasting, cost optimization, and ROI tracking.

· Connect program investments to measurable value, enabling data-driven decision-making and transparency for leadership.

AI Workflow Management

· Establish and evolve AI-enabled workflows, including integration of LLM-powered tools, automation agents, and intelligent dashboards.

· Design prompt frameworks and oversee AI governance practices - output validation, bias mitigation, and continuous improvement of AI systems.

· Partner with technology teams on AI integrations and manage adoption/rollout of new AI-enabled process agents.

· Delivery Discipline: Proven ability to drive end-to-end execution and adapt plans to changing business needs.

· Data Literacy & Insight: Strong capability interpreting analytics and AI-generated insights and translating them into actionable strategy.

· AI Fluency: Ability to leverage AI tools (LLMs, automation agents) to enhance delivery, reporting, and decision-making.

· Financial Acumen: Experience managing budgets, forecasting, and connecting program spend to business value and ROI.

· High EQ & Stakeholder Management: Builds cross-team trust, communicates clearly, and drives change adoption.

· Risk Judgment & Governance: Establishes scalable governance models that balance speed, quality, and compliance., · 7+ years of experience in program/project management, technical project management, or product operations, utilizing waterfall and agile methodologies.

· 5+ years managing a diverse portfolio of complex, cross-functional programs and products across multiple teams and technologies, including data-focused and production-oriented initiatives.

· Demonstrated leadership managing cross-functional technical teams (e.g., architects, infrastructure/data engineers, software developers, site reliability engineers, storage engineers, audio/visual or post-production engineers).

· Demonstrated ability to manage financial aspects of programs, including budgeting, forecasting, and ROI analysis.

· Experience leveraging data, analytics, and/or AI tools to improve operational efficiency and decision-making.

· Expert in project management and ticketing tools (e.g., Jira, Jira Service Manager, Smartsheet) and process mapping tools (e.g., Lucidchart).

· Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and meeting facilitation skills; ability to work under pressure while managing multiple priorities in a fast-changing environment.

· Exceptional written, oral, and visual communication skills, with demonstrated ability to present programs and business cases to executives., · Experience as a Scrum Master or Product Manager/Owner that manages the product roadmap and development of product functionality.

· Experience in media, entertainment, or production environments.

· Experience working with AI products, data platforms, or advanced analytics initiatives.

· Certifications such as PMP, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or SAFe.

· Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related technical discipline.

· Consulting experience., · Program & Agile: Jira, Jira Service Manager, Smartsheet, Airtable

· Collaboration & Visualization: Microsoft Teams, Miro, Lucidchart

· Analytics & AI: Power BI, Cursor, Claude or similar AI-assisted platforms, dashboarding tools

· Productivity: Microsoft Office Suite, Atlassian Suite