Sr. Technical Program Manager - Avalara

As a Sr. Technical Program Manager for Information Technology at Avalara, you will be responsible for driving the success of the Information Technology Portfolio of projects and programs. You will be responsible for overseeing and optimizing the entire IT portfolio, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, and facilitating communication and collaboration among various teams. This role requires a deep understanding of SAFe principles, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to navigate complex organizational structures. Avalara is currently underway in a digital transformation throughout the full Customer Lifecycle, including the Lead to Sale, Quote to Cash, and Customer Support business processes. You will play an instrumental role in implementing the future of Avalara's Business Technology ecosystem, with a primary focus on Salesforce.

Avalara is looking for a strong Program Manager to partner with Sales, Marketing, Information Technology, Go To Market, Customer Compliance, and Revenue Operations functions with key relationships across Finance, Product and Engineering to drive program delivery, execution, and process improvement for our full IT portfolio. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, scrum team TPMs, partners, and stakeholders to ensure program objectives are met within scope and timeline. This role is an excellent opportunity for an experienced individual looking to take their career to the next level in a fast-paced and dynamic environment. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Communication: Act as a bridge between technical teams, management, and other stakeholders. Provide regular program updates to senior managers and address their concerns. Manage and resolve risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Portfolio Planning and Strategy: Work with senior program managers to create program plans and strategies. Lead the development and execution of the portfolio strategy in alignment with organizational goals. Collaborate with key stakeholders to define and prioritize portfolio objectives, initiatives, and investments, including maintaining a multi-quarter portfolio roadmap.
• Portfolio Execution: Coordinate portfolio activities, tasks, and resources, and remove obstacles. Monitor portfolio progress and take corrective actions as needed.  Ensure adherence to program timelines and processes.
• Portfolio Prioritization and Optimization: Work closely with business leaders to prioritize and optimize the portfolio based on value, strategic alignment, and resource constraints. Implement mechanisms for regular portfolio reviews and adjustments.
• Stakeholder Management: Keep key stakeholders informed about portfolio progress. Build relationships with program and cross-functional teams to drive program goals. Work with stakeholders to ensure customer needs are met and facilitate communication.
• Risk and Issue Management: Assess portfolio execution and escalate risks in a timely manner. Track risks to closure to minimize their impact. Identify potential changes to initial assumptions and take proactive steps to mitigate risks.
• Process Improvement: Identify and implement process improvements across project teams.  Participate in quality improvement initiatives.  Contribute to improving processes within the organisation.
• Team Leadership: Lead and motivate cross-functional program teams.  Cultivate a collaborative and innovative program culture.  Mentor and guide team members when needed.
• Methodology: Apply the organisation's Software Development Life Cycle framework to the program. Maintain standard program documents, such as status updates, program charter, roadmaps, and checklists.

You must be driving distance to our Durham, NC office. A hybrid work schedule is required (likely 1-2 days in the office, or as needed). Relocation assistance is available. C2C is NOT available for this role.

Key Responsibilities:

• Communication: Act as a bridge between technical teams, management, and other stakeholders. Provide regular program updates to senior managers and address their concerns. Manage and resolve risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Portfolio Planning and Strategy: Work with senior program managers to create program plans and strategies. Lead the development and execution of the portfolio strategy in alignment with organizational goals. Collaborate with key stakeholders to define and prioritize portfolio objectives, initiatives, and investments, including maintaining a multi-quarter portfolio roadmap.
• Portfolio Execution: Coordinate portfolio activities, tasks, and resources, and remove obstacles. Monitor portfolio progress and take corrective actions as needed.  Ensure adherence to program timelines and processes.
• Portfolio Prioritization and Optimization: Work closely with business leaders to prioritize and optimize the portfolio based on value, strategic alignment, and resource constraints. Implement mechanisms for regular portfolio reviews and adjustments.
• Stakeholder Management: Keep key stakeholders informed about portfolio progress. Build relationships with program and cross-functional teams to drive program goals. Work with stakeholders to ensure customer needs are met and facilitate communication.
• Risk and Issue Management: Assess portfolio execution and escalate risks in a timely manner. Track risks to closure to minimize their impact. Identify potential changes to initial assumptions and take proactive steps to mitigate risks.
• Process Improvement: Identify and implement process improvements across project teams.  Participate in quality improvement initiatives.  Contribute to improving processes within the organisation.
• Team Leadership: Lead and motivate cross-functional program teams.  Cultivate a collaborative and innovative program culture.  Mentor and guide team members when needed.
• Methodology: Apply the organisation's Software Development Life Cycle framework to the program. Maintain standard program documents, such as status updates, program charter, roadmaps, and checklists.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g. Computer Science, Engineering).
• Minimum 8 or more years of technical project / program management experience in a software, SaaS or systems development environment - including internal process development and change management
• Strong knowledge of Program and Project management methodologies, tools, and best practices.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and leadership influencing skills.
• Expert level knowledge in consolidation of all strategic initiatives with a consistent prioritization review
• Proficiency in Program/Project management software (e.g. Jira, Confluence, Power BI)
• Knowledge and understanding of the Lead to Sale, Prospect, Onboarding, Support, Renewal, and/or Quote to Cash Customer Lifecycles.
• Salesforce Experience Required

Preferred

• SAFe Agilist, PMP, CSM or similar Project management certification
• ITIL Foundation Certification

Benefits

Avalara's benefits for eligible employees includes company benefits such as medical, dental, and vision coverage, life, AD&D, and disability insurance, a 401(k) retirement plan, 17 days of paid time off annually, 12 paid holidays, paid parental leave, an employee assistance program, and subsidized transportation options for commuters.

All benefits are subject to eligibility requirements and Avalara reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice, unless otherwise required by law.

We’re Avalara. We’re defining the relationship between tax and tech. 

We’ve already built an industry-leading cloud compliance platform, processing nearly 40 billion customer API calls and over 5 million tax returns a year. 

Last year, we became a billion-dollar business, and our tribe expanded by a cool thousand people - there’s nearly 5,000 of us now.  Our growth is real, and we’re not slowing down - not until we’ve achieved our mission - to be part of every transaction in the world.

We’re bright, innovative and disruptive, like the orange we love to wear.  It captures our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset. It shows off the culture we’ve designed, that empowers our people to win. Ownership and achievement go hand in hand here. We instill passion in our people through the trust we place in them.

We’ve been different from day one. Join us, and your career will be too.

EEO Statement

We’re an Equal Opportunity Employer. Supporting diversity and inclusion is a cornerstone of our company — we don’t want people to fit into our culture, but to enrich it. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, age, gender, national orientation, disability, sexual orientation, US Veteran status, or any other factor protected by law. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know.