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.
• Partner with leadership to define and stand-up key metrics and reporting structure that provide leadership visibility into how the transformation is progressing.
• Build the operational cadence, reviews, checkpoints, escalation paths, and reporting rhythms, that make the new way of working durable rather than a one-time push.
• 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.
• Drive change management for the operating model itself, communications, training, and adoption tracking, as its own deliverable.
• Communicate clearly about why our processes are evolving, and help teams adopt new practices with confidence.
• 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 broader organizational goals.
• Trend spotting and issue identification for future impact.
• Portfolio thinking and hands-on operational execution.
• Operationalizing aligned directions with metrics and processes.
• Decision-making under uncertainty and balancing open items.
• Complexity management and adaptability.
• Communication and stakeholder influence.
• Data-driven decision-making and measurement approaches.
• Change management and organizational capability building.
• Team-building and coaching.

Benefits

Our employees are our most important asset and that’s reflected in our benefits. Nordstrom is proud to offer a variety of benefits to support employees and their families, including:

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

For Los Angeles or San Francisco applicants: Nordstrom is required to inform you that we conduct background checks after conditional offer and consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with legal requirements per Los Angeles, Cal. Muni. Code 189.04 and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

For additional state and location specific notices, please refer to the Legal Notices document within the FAQ section of the Nordstrom Careers site.

Current Nordstrom employees: To apply, log into Workday, click the Careers button and then click Find Jobs.