Sr. Program Manager – Product Innovation

Sandisk•Milpitas, CA

17h•Onsite

About The Position

SanDisk’s Product Innovation Team operates at the front end of innovation—accelerating product concepts from early exploration through readiness for Product, Engineering, and Go-To-Market (GTM) incubation. As the Senior Program Manager – Product Innovation, you will lead the operational execution and program infrastructure that enables the innovation portfolio to move from insight to validated concept with speed and discipline. You will partner closely with the Director of Product Management – Product Innovation to translate innovation strategy into executable programs while ensuring discovery initiatives are managed through structured governance and evidence-based decision making. This role is responsible for building and running the program management operating model for the innovation organization, including portfolio planning, cross-functional execution, discovery gate governance, and Atlassian-based workflows. You will enable teams across Product, Engineering, Research, Industrial Design, Software, and Ecosystem Development to collaborate effectively while navigating the ambiguity inherent in early-stage innovation. The outcome of this role is a high-performing innovation operating system that enables SanDisk to rapidly explore, validate, and advance new product concepts.

Requirements

8+ years of experience in program management, PMO leadership, or technical program management within consumer electronics, hardware-software systems, or platform organizations.
Proven ability to manage multiple early-stage initiatives simultaneously in fast-moving environments.
Experience implementing and operating program management frameworks using Atlassian tools such as Jira and Confluence.
Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to drive execution without direct authority.
Experience coordinating teams across product, engineering, design, and partner organizations.
Strong communication and organizational skills with the ability to simplify complex programs for executive stakeholders.
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous innovation environments while maintaining program discipline.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting innovation labs, advanced development teams, or incubation programs.
Familiarity with consumer electronics platforms, storage technologies, Edge AI, embedded systems, or wireless platforms.
Experience using Jira Product Discovery for opportunity tracking and innovation workflows.
Background working with product management, industrial design, UX/UI teams, or ecosystem partners.
Experience implementing discovery-to-delivery frameworks or evidence-based governance models.

Responsibilities

Lead Innovation Program & Portfolio Management
Own end-to-end program management for the Product Innovation portfolio, supporting multiple concurrent concept initiatives across domains such as Edge AI, wireless technologies, wearables, and immersive computing.
Translate innovation priorities into clear program roadmaps, milestones, and execution plans.
Track concept progression across discovery stages (Gate 0–Gate 3), ensuring entry and exit criteria are met.
Identify risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs early, enabling proactive mitigation and timely decision-making.
Build and Operate the Innovation PMO
Establish and run the PMO operating model supporting the innovation portfolio.
Own Atlassian-based workflows and tooling, including:
Jira Product Discovery for opportunity intake, hypothesis tracking, and prioritization
Jira for sprint execution and cross-functional development workstreams
Confluence as the system of record for concept briefs, evidence logs, and incubation packages
Define standardized templates, dashboards, and reporting that improve transparency and execution speed.
Drive Cross-Functional Execution
Coordinate execution across Product Management, Engineering, Research, Industrial Design, Software (UX/UI), Ecosystem & Partner Development, and Technical Applications Engineering teams.
Lead the operating cadence including sprint reviews, concept reviews, portfolio syncs, and leadership updates.
Ensure alignment across teams on scope, timelines, ownership, and success criteria.
Enable Governance and Incubation Readiness
Partner with Product Innovation leadership to prepare incubation-ready concept packages, including value propositions, evidence summaries, and readiness assessments.
Maintain governance frameworks that ensure concepts progress based on clear evidence and decision criteria.
Ensure smooth transitions from Innovation into Product, Engineering, and GTM teams.
Support Executive Decision Making
Create clear, executive-ready views of portfolio health, progress, and decision points.
Prepare materials for leadership reviews and concept approval discussions.
Frame tradeoffs and options that enable informed strategic decisions.

Benefits

paid vacation time
paid sick leave
medical/dental/vision insurance
life, accident and disability insurance
tax-advantaged flexible spending and health savings accounts
employee assistance program
other voluntary benefit programs such as supplemental life and AD&D, legal plan, pet insurance, critical illness, accident and hospital indemnity
tuition reimbursement
transit
the Applause Program
employee stock purchase plan
the Sandisk's Savings 401(k) Plan