Manager, Program Management | Irvine, CA or Austin, TX

Activision Blizzard•Austin, TX

About The Position

At Blizzard Entertainment, we pour our hearts and souls into everything we create. Best known for iconic video game universes, including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, we’ve been creating genre-defining games for millions of players around the world for more than 30 years. We’re on a quest: bring our dreams to life and craft the most epic entertainment experiences…ever. Hard work, iteration, and polish go into the Blizzard “secret recipe,” but the most important ingredients come from talented people who share our vision. The concept of “Blizzard polish,” that is, the infinite care and loving detail put into every aspect of our games, is something we take seriously and pride ourselves on delivering to our players. It’s a responsibility shared across the company – and its undisputed heart and soul is Blizzard QA. Blizzard QA is a close-knit team; we care about iteration, problem-solving, and succeeding as a group. We genuinely love what we do for a living and expect the same from everyone who joins us! The Manager, Program Management oversees the delivery of QA programs and initiatives across multiple products and platforms. This role ensures consistent execution of program standards, reporting, and deliverables while driving alignment with broader organizational goals. The manager partners closely with QA and development leaders to prioritize initiatives, manage risk, and monitor performance metrics. They provide direction, ensure quality and consistency across program outputs, and advocate for team needs. In addition to overseeing execution, this role fosters collaboration, develops team capabilities, and promotes a culture of learning, operational excellence, and continuous improvement in program management practices.

Requirements

Minimum 8 years of experience in Quality Assurance, product or program management or a similar role required.
Minimum of 3 years directing the work of individual contributors and multiple levels of leadership and teams.
Experience performing as a scrum master, product owner, or program manager.
Experience in coaching scrum teams and stakeholders on new ways of working, including known methodologies and new trends in software development and project management.
High School diploma or equivalent required.
Bachelor’s Degree in a related field preferred.
Knowledge of Confluence, JIRA and other required skills (e.g., Tableau, Microsoft Office apps (including Project and Visio).
Advanced knowledge of various approaches for resolving complex and unexpected issues, prioritizing competing demands across crossfunctional teams, mitigating risks, and maintaining project momentum in a fast-paced, high-impact environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication, planning, organization, and time management skills.
Ability to tailor presented information for the appropriate audience.

Nice To Haves

Thorough understanding of Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), specifically QA processes in agile and waterfall development environments.
Experience with software development and testing methodologies and tools.
IT or software testing certifications.
Coding knowledge: XML/HTML, JavaScript, Python, Java, C/C++/C#, SQL
Certifications: PMP, Scrum Master and/or Product Owner, ISTQB.
High level of gaming knowledge and/or skill.
Passion for Blizzard’s line of products and services.

Responsibilities

Manage a team of program managers supporting QA initiatives across multiple products and platforms, contributing to long-term QA vision, goals, and strategies.
Oversee program delivery standards, schedules, and reporting to ensure consistent execution and alignment across programs.
Partner with senior QA and development leaders to align initiatives with broader organizational objectives.
Ensure the quality, clarity, and consistency of team deliverables, including risk assessments, KPIs, and stakeholder communications.
Advocate for team needs while fostering cross-functional collaboration and operational effectiveness.
Lead learning sessions and development opportunities to elevate program management capabilities across the organization.
Provide leadership, support and guidance to the assigned team, ensuring their performance is managed effectively and fostering a productive, positive, collaborative work culture.
Champion efforts that build synergy, trust, collaboration, and inclusivity within the organization.
Own and manage relationships with key partners, resources, colleagues, and leaders ensuring transparency around critical decisions and trade-offs.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Benefits

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!
Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including: Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance; 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching; Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave; Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others; If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.
You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

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