Technical Program Manager

Title: Technical Program Manager

Location: Portland, OR / Hybrid

Reports to: Platform Manager or CIO / CTO

Organization: Technology

Role Overview

The Program Manager is responsible for orchestrating complex, cross-team technology initiatives that span Platform, Development, Operations, and Product at CLI.

This role exists to ensure that multi-system, multi-team initiatives move forward predictably, with clear sequencing, managed dependencies, and transparent risk-without burdening engineering teams with coordination overhead.

The Program Manager does not own feature delivery or people management. Instead, the role serves as the execution backbone for platform- and system-level initiatives that no single team owns end-to-end.

This role closely partners with Platform leadership and Development teams to support CLI's DevOps operating model: embedding operational readiness, reliability, and delivery discipline directly into how work is planned and executed.

Core Responsibilities

Program Execution & Coordination

• Drive execution of cross-functional technology programs spanning multiple teams and systems
• Translate strategic and architectural goals into clear, executable program plans
• Identify, sequence, and manage inter-team dependencies and critical paths
• Maintain momentum across initiatives that cut across Platform, Development, and Operations
• Ensure delivery is predictable, risks are visible, and tradeoffs are explicit

• Proactively surface risks, constraints, and delivery blockers early
• Coordinate resolution across teams without direct authority
• Track readiness for major milestones, releases, or system changes
• Ensure operational, security, and reliability considerations are addressed-not deferred
• Drive disciplined go-/no-go decision support for leadership

• Work closely with Platform Managers, Architects, and Development Leads to understand system impacts
• Support DevOps ways of working by reducing handoffs and ambiguous ownership
• Reinforce shared accountability for production outcomes
• Help teams plan work in a way that balances delivery speed with platform stability

• Provide concise, decision-ready updates to senior technology and business leaders
• Maintain clear program artifacts (roadmaps, dependency maps, risk dashboards)
• Facilitate planning, review, and alignment forums without creating unnecessary ceremony
• Act as a trusted connector between technical and non-technical stakeholders

• Improve how programs are planned, tracked, and executed over time
• Establish lightweight, repeatable practices for dependency tracking and delivery hygiene
• Contribute to maturing CLI's execution discipline as platforms scale
• Help institutionalize learnings from major initiatives

• Cross-team initiatives ship with fewer surprises
• Dependencies are identified and resolved before they become blockers
• Engineering and Platform leaders spend less time coordinating and escalating
• System reliability and operational readiness improve alongside delivery velocity
• Leadership has confidence in timelines, risks, and tradeoffs

• 5-10+ years of experience in Technical Program Management, Engineering Program Management, or similar roles
• Proven experience coordinating complex, cross-team technology initiatives
• Technical fluency with modern software systems (cloud, APIs, DevOps lifecycles)
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence rather than authority
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially with senior stakeholders

• Experience partnering closely with platform, infrastructure, or reliability teams
• Familiarity with DevOps and Agile delivery models
• Background working in SaaS, real-time platforms, or high-availability environments
• Comfort translating architectural or technical complexity into execution plans
• Experience with telecom projects (particularly call centers)
• Experience supporting platform migrations, reliability initiatives, or system modernization