Program Manager, Studio Technology Portfolio Operations

Location: Burbank, CA (Hybrid, 4 days per week on-site, Mon – Thu, Fri WFH)

Duration: 18 Months +

Pay Rate: $82.75/HR W2

Overview

The client is a global leader in the entertainment industry, producing iconic movies, shows, and characters. Within Studio Technology, the Studio Technology Operations & Insights (STOI) team drives scalable, secure, and innovative solutions that power production, data, and enterprise technology ecosystems — from production technology and data systems that enable financial operations to stakeholder applications that propel its legacy forward. We are seeking a Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional programs (which include products, services, and support) that integrate technology delivery, AI-enabled workflows, and financial value realization. This role elevates traditional project management into a strategic program leadership function focused on outcomes, operational intelligence, and business impact — combining program leadership, technical fluency, financial acumen, and AI literacy to shape the future of its iconic cinematic legacy.

Role Summary

The Program Manager will oversee a portfolio of initiatives across production support and software development teams, ensuring alignment to strategic priorities, financial outcomes, and AI-enabled operating models. Acting as a connector across engineering, product, finance, and business/production stakeholders, this role translates strategy into execution while continuously optimizing for efficiency, ROI, and scalability.

Core Responsibilities

Execution & Delivery

·  Lead complex, cross-functional programs across the full lifecycle — intake, requirements and scope definition, planning, resource capacity allocation, execution, and post-mortem/value realization.

·  Manage tasks and resources through waterfall, scrum, kanban, or hybrid methodologies; lead sprint ceremonies including planning, daily standups, reviews, and retrospectives.

·  Prioritize and escalate critical operational tasks, and revise project work plans as business needs and priorities evolve.

·  Work with managers to assign day-to-day activities, remove blockers, and maximize team throughput and resource utilization.

Metrics & Insight

·  Define and track program-level success metrics tied to business outcomes, financial performance, and adoption — not just delivery milestones.

·  Determine and track the portfolio of products and services that align to the offerings of Studio Technology to its end stakeholders (i.e., productions, Corporate, or other groups).

·  Design and maintain real-time program and KPI dashboards (e.g., Power BI) using modern analytics and AI-assisted tools to provide operational intelligence to leadership.

·  Conduct portfolio reviews that give executive leadership visibility into progress, risk, portfolio/project health, and resource utilization.

·  Create workflow diagrams and process maps to identify inefficiencies and streamline operations.

Stakeholder & Change Management

·  Partner with product, engineering, finance, and business leaders to translate strategic objectives into scalable program roadmaps and prioritized initiatives.

·  Facilitate key program ceremonies and leadership reviews, ensuring clarity, accountability, and alignment across teams.

·  Develop executive-level communications — presentations, business cases, and technology roadmaps — to support decision-making.

·  Mentor and guide project managers and team members, elevating program management maturity and best practices across the organization.

Governance & Quality

·  Manage interdependencies and complex risk scenarios across teams and initiatives; develop contingency plans and strategic risk assessments.

·  Organize and maintain project documentation, governance artifacts, and reporting standards in a clear, accessible manner.

·  Support quarterly planning, OKRs, and portfolio prioritization, ensuring alignment with business goals, technology strategy, and resource capacity.

·  Follow the portfolio governance process of “greenlighting” products/projects/services and support the business teams as they go through evaluation of whether to move forward with proposed work.

Financial Acumen

·  Drive financial planning and governance across programs, including budget management, forecasting, cost optimization, and ROI tracking.

·  Connect program investments to measurable value, enabling data-driven decision-making and transparency for leadership.

AI Workflow Management

·  Establish and evolve AI-enabled workflows, including integration of LLM-powered tools, automation agents, and intelligent dashboards.

·  Design prompt frameworks and oversee AI governance practices — output validation, bias mitigation, and continuous improvement of AI systems.

·  Partner with technology teams on AI integrations and manage adoption/rollout of new AI-enabled process agents.

Core Competencies

·  Delivery Discipline: Proven ability to drive end-to-end execution and adapt plans to changing business needs.

·  Data Literacy & Insight: Strong capability interpreting analytics and AI-generated insights and translating them into actionable strategy.

·  AI Fluency: Ability to leverage AI tools (LLMs, automation agents) to enhance delivery, reporting, and decision-making.

·  Financial Acumen: Experience managing budgets, forecasting, and connecting program spend to business value and ROI.

·  High EQ & Stakeholder Management: Builds cross-team trust, communicates clearly, and drives change adoption.

·  Risk Judgment & Governance: Establishes scalable governance models that balance speed, quality, and compliance.

Basic Qualifications

·  7+ years of experience in program/project management, technical project management, or product operations, utilizing waterfall and agile methodologies.

·  5+ years managing a diverse portfolio of complex, cross-functional programs and products across multiple teams and technologies, including data-focused and production-oriented initiatives.

·  Demonstrated leadership managing cross-functional technical teams (e.g., architects, infrastructure/data engineers, software developers, site reliability engineers, storage engineers, audio/visual or post-production engineers).

·  Demonstrated ability to manage financial aspects of programs, including budgeting, forecasting, and ROI analysis.

·  Experience leveraging data, analytics, and/or AI tools to improve operational efficiency and decision-making.

·  Expert in project management and ticketing tools (e.g., Jira, Jira Service Manager, Smartsheet) and process mapping tools (e.g., Lucidchart).

·  Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and meeting facilitation skills; ability to work under pressure while managing multiple priorities in a fast-changing environment.

·  Exceptional written, oral, and visual communication skills, with demonstrated ability to present programs and business cases to executives.

Preferred Qualifications

·  Experience as a Scrum Master or Product Manager/Owner that manages the product roadmap and development of product functionality.

·  Experience in media, entertainment, or production environments.

·  Experience working with AI products, data platforms, or advanced analytics initiatives.

·  Certifications such as PMP, Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or SAFe.

·  Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related technical discipline.

·  Consulting experience.

Tools & Technologies

·  Program & Agile: Jira, Jira Service Manager, Smartsheet, Airtable

·  Collaboration & Visualization: Microsoft Teams, Miro, Lucidchart

·  Analytics & AI: Power BI, Cursor, Claude or similar AI-assisted platforms, dashboarding tools

·  Productivity: Microsoft Office Suite, Atlassian Suite