Director, Technical Programs

PayPal•San Jose, CA

About The Position

Scope: The project & program responsibilities are focused on the delivery of a product or computer-based system from design to release for customers. Develop and implement the strategic vision for engineering operational programs. Oversee the planning and execution of engineering programs. Ensure alignment of engineering programs with business goals. Manage and mentor program managers and engineering teams. Monitor program performance and drive continuous improvement. Communicate program status and strategic initiatives to executive leadership. Manage program budgets and financials. Design and maintain the operating model for agentic commerce: how ideas become funded programs, how pilots are run, and how scale decisions are made Establish and chair cross functional governance forums and steering groups for agentic programs, including clear decision rights and escalation paths Ensure that launches are sequenced logically (e.g., pilots vs. broad rollouts) and that readiness criteria are met before moving between phases Collaborate with VP of Agentic Commerce to define program level and portfolio level KPIs specific to agentic commerce Maintain a consolidated risk view for agentic commerce programs, including AI specific, regulatory, trust & safety, and operational risks Partner with Legal, Risk, Compliance, and Security to define guardrails and approval pathways for new agentic features, LLM integrations, and data usage Ensure appropriate monitoring and incident management processes are in place once programs are live Work with Commercial Operations to codify agentic processes into repeatable BAU workflows (e.g., intake for new opportunities, qualification, solutioning, implementation, and support) Collaborate with Operations, Support, and Service teams to define standard operating procedures, runbooks, and handoffs for live agentic solutions Partner with Finance, Billing, and RevOps to establish scalable models for pricing, invoicing, tracking revenue, and managing incentives for agentic offerings Designing Futureproof BAU Processes Ensure documentation, training, and knowledge management are in place so that new teams and regions can adopt agentic commerce offerings without bespoke guidance every time Establish a joint governance rhythm with Commercial Operations, Product Ops, and other enabling functions to review BAU metrics, pain points, and improvement opportunities Ensure feedback from BAU teams (sales, support, implementation, operations) is systematically fed back into the agentic roadmap and program design.

Requirements

10+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor's degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
Proven ability to manage large, complex engineering programs.
Strong understanding of AI/LLM platforms, agentic commerce frameworks, payments infrastructure, and commerce ecosystems
Knowledge of emerging trends at intersection of AI and commerce, including agent protocols, smart wallets, and agentic shopping behaviors
Experience managing complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives from planning through delivery with on-time execution

Responsibilities

Develop and implement the strategic vision for engineering operational programs.
Oversee the planning and execution of engineering programs.
Ensure alignment of engineering programs with business goals.
Manage and mentor program managers and engineering teams.
Monitor program performance and drive continuous improvement.
Communicate program status and strategic initiatives to executive leadership.
Manage program budgets and financials.
Design and maintain the operating model for agentic commerce: how ideas become funded programs, how pilots are run, and how scale decisions are made
Establish and chair cross functional governance forums and steering groups for agentic programs, including clear decision rights and escalation paths
Ensure that launches are sequenced logically (e.g., pilots vs. broad rollouts) and that readiness criteria are met before moving between phases
Collaborate with VP of Agentic Commerce to define program level and portfolio level KPIs specific to agentic commerce
Maintain a consolidated risk view for agentic commerce programs, including AI specific, regulatory, trust & safety, and operational risks
Partner with Legal, Risk, Compliance, and Security to define guardrails and approval pathways for new agentic features, LLM integrations, and data usage
Ensure appropriate monitoring and incident management processes are in place once programs are live
Work with Commercial Operations to codify agentic processes into repeatable BAU workflows (e.g., intake for new opportunities, qualification, solutioning, implementation, and support)
Collaborate with Operations, Support, and Service teams to define standard operating procedures, runbooks, and handoffs for live agentic solutions
Partner with Finance, Billing, and RevOps to establish scalable models for pricing, invoicing, tracking revenue, and managing incentives for agentic offerings
Designing Futureproof BAU Processes
Ensure documentation, training, and knowledge management are in place so that new teams and regions can adopt agentic commerce offerings without bespoke guidance every time
Establish a joint governance rhythm with Commercial Operations, Product Ops, and other enabling functions to review BAU metrics, pain points, and improvement opportunities
Ensure feedback from BAU teams (sales, support, implementation, operations) is systematically fed back into the agentic roadmap and program design.