Associate Director, Technical Product & Program Manager

About this role

<p><strong>WHY DEPT®?</strong></p> <p>We are a Growth Invention company built to help the world’s most ambitious brands grow faster. Operating at the intersection of technology and marketing, we create what is next by pioneering ideas, acting fast, and moving further because standing still just is not in our DNA.</p> <p>We are drawn to people who stay curious, move with intent, and never stop inventing. Our culture runs on three values: better together, relentlessly curious, and get sh*t done. It is how we work, how we grow, and how we make things that matter.</p> <p>At DEPT®, you will find the freedom to explore, the space to collaborate, and the trust to make a real impact for our clients, for each other, and for the world we are helping to build.</p> <h3><strong>The Role</strong></h3> <p>DEPT® is seeking a hybrid <strong>Technical Product &amp; Program Manager (TPM)</strong> to drive the day-to-day execution of a high-velocity AI-enablement engineering partnership program for a premier global enterprise client. In this role, you will operate at the intersection of product strategy and agile delivery, bridging the gap between localized business stakeholders and a dedicated team of embedded engineers.</p> <p>You will act as the shared strategic lead across two distinct enterprise business units, directly managing the project workflow for a pod of Forward Deployed Engineers (FDE). Partnering closely with the overarching Group Director, Program Management and the Senior Engineering Lead, you will translate raw marketer ideation and low-code prototypes into strict technical sprints, unblock development queues, and actively manage the day-to-day workflow within the client's proprietary task and issue-tracking ecosystems.</p> <h3><strong>What you’ll do</strong></h3> <p><strong>Product translation &amp; requirements gathering</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Translate the vision:</strong> Partner directly with marketing and business stakeholders to evaluate their custom AI concepts and "vibe-coded" prototypes. Translate these functional mockups into rigorous, actionable technical requirements and user stories for your engineering pod.</li> <li><strong>Help define the MVP:</strong> Act as the product owner for your specific business units, helping stakeholders prioritize features, define and document business logic, and help determine what is required for a rapid prototype versus a full production build.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Agile execution &amp; workflow management</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Run your program engine:</strong> Own the day-to-day sprint management and task execution for your dedicated pod of embedded engineers.</li> <li><strong>Master the internal ecosystem:</strong> Actively manage and maintain project momentum within the client's complex, proprietary enterprise task-flow and bug-tracking systems. You will ensure every ticket is properly routed, dependencies are logged, and code-review queues are unblocked.</li> <li><strong>Clear the path:</strong> Proactively identify and help resolve technical dependencies - such as complex infrastructure permissions, environment setups, and data access approvals - before they slow down engineering velocity.</li> </ul> <p><strong>Cross-pollination &amp; delivery</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Bridge the business units:</strong> Serve as a shared resource across two distinct enterprise verticals. You will build deep subject matter expertise in both areas and proactively cross-pollinate technical learnings, ensuring that a breakthrough in one unit is leveraged by the other.</li> <li><strong>Ensure SLA compliance:</strong> Track and enforce service level agreements (SLAs) for different technical tracks, ensuring your engineering pod delivers rapid prototypes and safe testing environments on time and on budget.</li> <li><strong>Maintain architectural alignment:</strong> Work closely with the central technical governance team to ensure all localized builds meet strict enterprise architecture, data privacy, and security standards.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>What you’ll bring</strong></h3> <ul> <li><strong>Hybrid expertise:</strong> 5+ years of experience acting as a Technical Program Manager, Technical Product Manager, or Agile Scrum Master - ideally blending the strategic "why" of product management with the executional "how" of program delivery.</li> <li><strong>System navigation:</strong> Deep experience operating within complex, proprietary enterprise ticketing, task, and bug-tracking systems (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps, or proprietary big-tech internal equivalents).</li> <li><strong>Technical fluency:</strong> A strong understanding of modern web application architecture, API integrations, cloud environments, and emerging AI/LLM capabilities. You do not need to write code, but you must be able to hold your own in deep technical architectural discussions with senior engineers.</li> <li><strong>Cross-functional agility:</strong> Proven ability to manage competing priorities across multiple distinct business units simultaneously, seamlessly context-switching between different stakeholder needs.</li> <li><strong>Unblocker and helper mentality:</strong> A relentless, proactive approach to identifying bottlenecks - whether they are bureaucratic approval queues or technical dependencies - and actively clearing the path for your developers.</li> </ul> <p><strong>WHAT DO WE OFFER?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We are a collaborative, open-door, best-idea-wins environment that fosters personal and company growth and has fun doing it. Here is a snapshot of our&nbsp; benefits package:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Healthcare, Dental, and Vision coverage</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">401k plan, plus matching</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">PTO</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 40