Principal Technical Program Manager

Role Overview

Principal Technical Program Manager (TPM), DESA at Zillow is a senior, single-threaded owner for the company’s most complex, cross-organizational data and AI programs. The role blends strategic partnership, strong communication, and deep technical program leadership to turn strategy into measurable outcomes at scale.

Responsibilities

• Partner with DESA leadership to translate strategy into clear programs, operating mechanisms, and measurable results.
• Own complex cross-org programs spanning:
  • Analytics
  • Data engineering
  • Data platforms
  • Experimentation
  • AI enablement
• Build and continuously improve lightweight, scalable operating mechanisms that keep teams aligned and delivering against outcomes.
• Act as a liaison between DESA and partner organizations (e.g., Data Platform, Product Engineering, Tech Enablement, and central platform teams) to ensure aligned priorities and on-time delivery.
• Dive into technical details as needed to clarify scope, identify risks and dependencies, and support high-quality, timely decisions.
• Define clear milestones, owners, and success metrics for ambiguous cross-functional initiatives and drive accountability across teams.
• Communicate program goals, status, and tradeoffs to both senior executives and technical audiences via clear written and verbal updates.
• Build long-term relationships across engineering, product, analytics, and platform teams to remove blockers and move work forward.

Requirements

• Senior-level technical program leadership (hands-on, “dive-into-details when needed”).
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross-organizational programs with accountability and measurable outcomes.
• Strong ability to design operating mechanisms and maintain alignment across technical teams.
• Excellent stakeholder communication across both executive and technical audiences.

Nice to Haves

• Deep familiarity with data platform/engineering, experimentation, and AI enablement programs across multiple teams.