Program Manager, Studio Technology Portfolio Operations with Top Mass Media & Entertainment Company
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
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