Senior Director, Technical Program Management

Zebra Technologies Corporation•Holtsville, NY

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Connected Frontline Senior Director of Technical Program Management is responsible for portfolio execution and PMO leadership across Zebra’s Connected Frontline portfolio, including Mobile Computing, Software Solutions, and the Chief Technology Office (CTO). This role partners with leaders across Product Management, Engineering, Sales, Customer Success, IT and Operations to align strategy with execution and drive delivery of hardware, software, and cloud offerings from concept through release. This leader develops talent, builds organizational capability, and drives operational excellence to accelerate delivery, improve customer outcomes, and support business growth.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a highly quantitative related field.
20+ years of experience in product development, including New Product Introduction (NPI), external Go-to-Market (GTM) launches, and lifecycle management.
Demonstrated experience leading R&D program execution or PMO delivery across a mixed portfolio of hardware and software.
7+ years people management experience, including leading global PMO organizations consisting of multiple management layers.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (Advanced Engineering or MBA)
Experience managing complex portfolios containing hardware, software, cloud services, and solution offerings.
Experience delivering and launching cloud-based SaaS products and software monetization strategies for consumption-based products.
Experience managing strategic external development partners, Joint Design Manufacturers (JDMs), or contract manufacturers.
Proven track record of leading organizational transformation, operating model changes, and cross functional business initiatives.
Experience leveraging AI, automation, data analytics, and enterprise portfolio visualization tools to improve PMO maturity and operational efficiency.
Strong business intuition, including portfolio prioritization, investment analysis, and assessing customer value, and driving commercial readiness and GTM velocity.
Expert knowledge of advanced program management approaches (Agile, SAFe, CI/CD, etc.) with PMP and/or Agile certifications strongly preferred.
Advanced communication and presentation skills, with ability to influence C-level executives, resolve complex organizational challenges, and synthesize complex data into clear, actionable executive narratives.
Advanced management skills including setting strategic direction, driving accountability, conflict management, selecting and developing top-tier talent, and coaching and mentoring PMO leaders.

Responsibilities

Establishes the strategic direction of the Connected Frontline Program Management organization in alignment with company objectives.
Defines execution standards, operating mechanisms, governance models, metrics, and portfolio management practices that improve visibility, consistency, and predictability across PMO teams.
Partners with Product, Solutions, Engineering, Finance, and Business Unit leadership to translate portfolio strategy into executable roadmaps and integrated delivery plans.
Enables prioritization and investment decisions through data-driven insights, portfolio analysis, resource planning, and execution risk assessments.
Drives cross-functional alignment and operational readiness for complex programs and initiatives.
Drives execution of integrated solutions spanning software, cloud services, AI capabilities, mobile devices, and customer-facing solution offerings.
Ensures alignment across Product Management, Engineering, Sales, Customer Success, Marketing, Services, Finance, and Operations to successfully deliver and launch solutions.
Leads governance for solution lifecycle management and release readiness while ensuring initiatives deliver measurable value through improved speed to market, quality, operational efficiency, risk reduction, and customer outcomes.
Leads adoption of AI-enabled delivery practices, automation frameworks, and data-driven execution capabilities across the PMO organization.
Establishes standards for leveraging AI to improve planning, estimation, reporting, risk management, knowledge sharing, and operational efficiency.
Drives measurable improvements in productivity, predictability, and quality.
Acts as an enterprise change leader, driving alignment, accountability, and adoption of new tools, processes, and ways of working.
Sponsors and leads strategic cross-functional transformation initiatives that improve how Zebra develops, licenses, deploys, supports, and scales software and solution offerings.
Influences medium- and long-term strategy across the Connected Frontline portfolio and serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership.
Drives executive alignment across business units and functions, resolves complex organizational challenges, removes barriers to execution, and advances strategic priorities.
Establishes and evolves PMO standards focused on portfolio management, Agile execution, solution delivery, AI-enabled operations, metrics and analytics, and continuous improvement.
Defines and scales best practices across businesses and geographies.
Provides leadership and oversight for PMO leaders and program managers across the portfolio.
Ensures successful execution through effective planning, staffing, budgeting, resource allocation, prioritization, dependency management, risk management, and decision-making.
Serves as the escalation point for complex program and portfolio challenges.
Develops and communicates portfolio insights, performance metrics, risks, and recommendations to support executive decision-making.
Leads a global organization of Directors, Senior Managers, Program Managers, and support personnel.
Builds, develops, and retains high-performing leadership teams while ensuring strong succession plans, organizational capability, and leadership depth.
Creates development opportunities that strengthen strategic thinking, business acumen, technical expertise, AI fluency, program management discipline, and transformational leadership capabilities.
Provides executive oversight for strategic external development partners, including JDMs, contract manufacturers, and technology providers.
Ensures alignment on execution, cost, quality, schedule, and delivery commitments while maintaining senior-level partner relationships.