Senior 2 Technical Program Manager, AI Native Operating Model - HYBRID (Seattle, WA)

About the role

Nordstrom Technology is moving to an AI Native operating model, and we're rebuilding the processes, tools, and standards our engineering teams use to build and ship software - without sacrificing quality or stability as speed increases. We need a Senior 2 Technical Program Manager to bring order and rigor to this transformation while it's still taking shape.

Responsibilities

• Turn a direction that's aligned but not yet fully defined into working processes, clear metrics, and day-to-day discipline that both leadership and engineering teams can rely on.
• Partner closely with engineering and business leaders as we evolve how engineering teams work - sequencing process changes, building the metrics and reporting that make progress visible, and helping teams adopt new ways of working while some specifics are still being resolved.
• Own the day-to-day sequencing of how we roll out new processes and practices under the modern engineering operating model, translating a direction that's aligned in principle but not yet fully specified into concrete plans and checkpoints.
• Make sound judgment calls on open items, such as thresholds and process ownership, as they get resolved, rather than waiting for total clarity before making progress.
• Adjust plans as the model itself evolves, and communicate those changes clearly so teams aren't caught off guard.
• Pilot new processes with a small set of teams first, gather feedback, and refine before rolling out more broadly.
• Drive change management for the operating model itself, communications, training, and adoption tracking, as its own deliverable.
• Partner with leadership to define and stand-up key metrics and reporting structure that provide leadership visibility into how the transformation is progressing.
• Translate qualitative goals, such as moving faster or reducing risk, into concrete, trackable measures that teams can be held to.
• Drive change management for the operating model itself, communications, training, and adoption tracking, as its own deliverable.
• Track engineering delivery metrics, such as deployment frequency, lead time for change, change failure rate, and mean time to restore, alongside AI-adoption and process-health indicators.
• Partner with engineering and business leaders to align on priorities and sequence trade-offs, building consensus without formal authority.
• Communicate clearly about why our processes are evolving, and help teams adopt new practices with confidence.
• Anticipate risks and bottlenecks early, and coordinate across teams to manage dependencies that cross organizational boundaries.
• Track and escalate systemic issues before they become bigger problems.
• Weigh security, compliance, and platform constraints against delivery speed and team capacity.
• Map dependencies across the engineering toolchain, source control, CI/CD, ticketing, and observability platforms, to spot cross-system ripple effects.
• Mentor other program managers and cross-functional partners supporting the transformation, helping them build both planning skills and the judgment to operate effectively through ambiguity.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Business, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field; will accept any suitable combination of education, experience, and training.
• 10+ years of experience in technical program management with a proven track record leading large-scale, high-impact, cross-functional programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading teams through significant process transformation, including periods where the plan itself was still evolving.
• Experience helping engineering teams adopt AI-assisted development tools and practices, and turning that adoption into measurable, durable process change.
• A demonstrated bias for execution: a track record of delivering defined phases of work to completion, then moving on to the next priority that needs the same focus.
• Strong track record building measurement approaches and operational reporting that hold up under scrutiny and that leadership can act on.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build agreement and influence outcomes without formal authority.
• Experience mentoring program managers and other cross-functional collaborators, and building organizational capability.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills, comfortable using data to back up decisions and recommendations.
• Familiarity with modern software delivery practices (for example, CI/CD, release management, observability) sufficient to be credible with engineering partners; this is not a hands-on engineering role.
• Experience leading organizational change management for technology or process transformations.
• Familiarity with portfolio management and collaboration tools.
• Background in retail or technology operations environments (preferred).
• Experience with large-scale technology modernization or transformation initiatives (preferred).

Qualifications

• Experience with both waterfall and agile delivery models.
• Familiarity with portfolio management and collaboration tools.
• Background in retail or technology operations environments (preferred).
• Experience with large-scale technology modernization or transformation initiatives (preferred).

Skills

• Strategic thinking and understanding of how work connects to broader organizational goals.
• Portfolio thinking and hands-on operational skills, including technical fluency with CI/CD pipelines, deployment gating, observability, vulnerability and patch management.
• Ability to operationalize aligned directions and build processes, runbooks, and team habits.
• Finisher who keeps programs focused on results, pushing through setbacks, and creating urgency without chaos.
• Comfortable managing complexity and owning work before details are settled, adjusting plans based on evolving data.
• Directness in raising hard issues and making unpopular calls when necessary.
• Trust-building and putting organization's needs first.
• Data-driven decision-making and building measurement approaches that leadership can act on.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management, including influencing outcomes without formal authority.
• Team-building and coaching others through feedback and stretch opportunities.

Benefits

• Medical/Vision, Dental, Retirement, and Paid Time Away.
• Life Insurance and Disability.
• Merchandise Discount and EAP Resources.
• Performance-based incentives/bonuses.

Pay

$166,000.00 - $258,000.00 Annual