- Company Name
- Udemy
- Job Title
- Senior Technical Program Manager, R&D Operations
- Job Description
-
**Job Title:** Senior Technical Program Manager, R&D Operations
**Role Summary:**
Lead operational excellence for the R&D organization by managing budgets, driving cost‑saving initiatives, and implementing scalable, data‑driven processes. Partner with engineering, product, design, finance, and operations leaders to ensure financial rigor, optimize cloud tool spend, and enhance cross‑functional delivery.
**Expectations:**
- 6+ years of program/operations management experience in a software development environment.
- Proven ability to manage complex financial and operational processes at scale.
- Strong stakeholder influence across senior leadership, including C‑suite.
- Data‑driven decision making with advanced spreadsheet modeling and dashboarding.
- Self‑starter with continuous‑improvement mindset and ability to thrive in ambiguous, fast‑paced settings.
**Key Responsibilities:**
1. Co‑manage department‑wide R&D budget and tool operations with Head of R&D Ops and FP&A.
2. Lead cost‑reduction programs, conduct monthly Engineering Operations reviews, and identify savings in cloud services (AWS, Databricks, Datadog, etc.).
3. Optimize spend on cloud tools; partner with engineering teams to improve utilization and reduce costs.
4. Design and refine budgeting, reporting, and exception‑management processes.
5. Automate reporting, build metrics‑driven dashboards, and champion operational excellence.
6. Own end‑to‑end cross‑functional programs: define scope, schedule, risks, and stakeholder alignment; manage inter‑dependencies and remove blockers.
7. Communicate clearly to technical and non‑technical audiences; adapt style as needed.
8. Collaborate with other TPMs to standardize practices and scale processes across R&D.
**Required Skills:**
- Program/operations management in product‑engineering contexts.
- Advanced Google Sheets/Excel (modeling, automation, dashboards).
- Cloud cost management (AWS, Datadog, Databricks) at enterprise scale.
- Strong analytical, risk‑management, and data‑driven problem‑solving abilities.
- Excellent communication, influencing, and relationship‑building skills.
- Ability to balance structure with agility; comfortable wearing multiple hats.
**Required Education & Certifications:**
- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Computer Science, Finance, or related field (or equivalent professional experience).
- No specific certifications required; relevant PMP, PMI‑ACP, or similar program‑management credentials are a plus.