About the Role CNN Digital is seeking an experienced Senior Technical Program Manager to oversee and drive the development, release, and continuous improvement of key products within our best-in-class digital portfolio.
As the Senior Technical Program Manager and delivery lead for 3 Scrum teams within CNN's Platforms group, you will set the delivery approach for your program area and collaborate with Product, Design, Engineering, and multiple organizational stakeholders to ensure successful on-time delivery of features and enhancements to CNN's digital products. Your focus will span from planning through execution, ensuring each project aligns with CNN's strategic objectives, adheres to relevant industry standards, and maintains world-class reliability.
This role will focus on driving the roadmap delivery and dependency management for our Editorial Experience group. A successful candidate will:
- Understand system architecture and comfortably drive integrations across CMS and distribution endpoints with a focus on scalability and automation.
- Work with product to clearly communicate user needs to our teams, while prioritizing work against business needs, and help teams navigate tradeoffs during the successful delivery of the implementation.
- Use your technical skills to help simplify delivery with your development, product, and design partners. Ensure that end-to-end systems have been taken into consideration, and delivery gaps are minimized.
- Strengthen partnerships with end-users as well as cross-functional dependencies.
Key Responsibilities 1. Program Leadership & Strategy a. Own end-to-end technical program management for the CMS, editorial workflows, editorial tooling that multiple products within CNN's digital platforms rely on, including the multi-quarter roadmap and its dependencies.
b. Develop program plans that align to product roadmaps and map to organization objectives and user needs, outlining scope, milestones, success metrics, and resource allocation.
c. Define the delivery standards and operating model for the Editorial Experience group, and mentor TPMs and delivery leads on program management practice.
2. Cross-Team Coordination a. Coordinate with dependent teams, ensuring external partner teams have defined requirements, managing dependencies, and delivering high-quality outcomes on schedule.
b. Promote clear, consistent communication across all project stakeholders.
c. Drive technical conversations with engineering teams around architecture, solution designs, and testing.
3. Planning & Execution a. Sequence delivery across teams, defining release plans, launch criteria, and go/no-go checkpoints for each milestone.
b. Track progress, proactively resolve conflicts, and adjust timelines to keep initiatives on track.
c. Identify and manage risks and dependencies to ensure timely delivery.
4. Organizational Workflow & Team Management a. Design and optimize workflows that ensure effective collaboration across Scrum teams, from ideation to release.
b. Organize regular leadership communications (e.g., executive briefings, steering committees) for timely, data-driven decision-making and project updates.
c. Conduct retrospectives and post-incident reviews, capturing lessons learned and integrating them into the next iteration of processes.
5. Stakeholder Management a. Serve as the primary point of contact for executive leadership, partner organizations, and external vendors, providing regular updates on risks, progress, and strategic pivots, and escalating with a recommended course of action.
b. Build strong relationships across different functional groups, influencing outcomes without direct authority, while driving quick decision-making.
c. Represent the program in cross-organizational planning and prioritization forums, negotiating scope, sequencing, and resourcing commitments with partner teams.
Qualifications Education & Experience - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or Business with equivalent technical experience.
- 8+ years of experience in technology.
- 5+ years in a program management or technical program management role building and delivering complex, multi-team software programs.
- Track record of independently owning and delivering large, cross-platform programs in a fast-paced environment, including programs with ambiguous requirements or competing stakeholder priorities.
Technical Expertise - Strong understanding of system architecture, content management systems, media supply chain, and video encoding. Ability to facilitate technical solutioning and architectural meetings.
- Extra points if you can write scripts in Python or JavaScript to query databases or build dashboards.
- Experience leveraging program and development related AI tools and services.
Project Management Skills - Proficiency in Agile/Scrum methodologies, with additional knowledge of traditional project management frameworks.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, anticipate roadblocks, and orchestrate cross-functional resources effectively.
- Experience with industry-standard project management software such as Jira, Confluence, etc.
Leadership & Communication - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- Ability to adapt communication style and content to suit diverse audiences and objectives, ensuring clarity, alignment, and impact.
- Demonstrated success influencing teams and stakeholders at all levels, including executives, without direct authority.
- Experience mentoring program or project managers and raising the delivery bar across a group or organization.
Analytical & Problem-Solving - Comfortable leveraging data and analytics to drive decisions, measure results, and iterate on solutions.
- Adept at identifying, prioritizing, and mitigating risks in complex technical environments.
- Bias for action. Takes initiative, removes blockers, and drives progress with urgency and accountability.
Collaboration & Culture - Passion for media, news, and technology, with a commitment to innovation and excellence.
- A team player who embodies CNN Digital's values of integrity, collaboration, and user-centricity.
Why Join CNN? - Work alongside industry-leading professionals dedicated to delivering premium digital experiences.
- Contribute to products and infrastructure trusted by millions of global users.
- Enjoy a dynamic, inclusive environment that fosters personal growth, career advancement, and continuous learning.
How We Get Things Done...This last bit is probably the most important! Here at WBD, our guiding principles are the core values by which we operate and are central to how we get things done. You can find them at www.wbd.com/guiding-principles/ along with some insights from the team on what they mean and how they show up in their day to day. We hope they resonate with you and look forward to discussing them during your interview.
