Strategic Program Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

What you get to do in this role:

ServiceNow’s APEX (AI, Product, Engineering, and Experience) org is the largest organization in the company, comprised of all Products and Platform teams, along with our world-class Design teams. We are leveraging the unlimited potential of our platform across every industry, geography, solutions, and personas to consistently deliver product and platform experiences our customers love. APEX is where ServiceNow's most critical innovations are conceived, built, and scaled — and where the programs you lead directly shape the trajectory of the company.

We are seeking a Director, Technical Program Management to join our APEX Strategic Programs organization. In this role, you will drive ServiceNow's most critical cross-functional priorities and strategic initiatives — operating at the intersection of strategy and execution and setting the standard for how high-impact programs are designed, governed, and run at scale.

This person will operate as an AI-native leader, using AI tools to accelerate program delivery, synthesize intelligence across workstreams, and model the ways of working we expect to scale across APEX. In addition, the candidate is a result-oriented self-starter with extensive competence and experience in the Technical Program Management space. This candidate thinks strategically but loves getting into the details and possesses a strong ability to conceptualize, develop, drive, coordinate, and manage large, complex, cross-functional new product development programs. This person  is effective at building relationships, collaborating, and influencing others; she must also be highly experienced working with senior executives across various geographies and functions.

Strategic Program Management Responsibilities:

• Drives large-scale, high-visibility cross-functional new product development programs for the APEX Strategic Initiative function: Identify, prioritize, and accelerate programs of the highest complexity with quantifiable impact on revenue, market position, and competitive advantage.

• Translate business objectives into execution strategy, both tactical and strategic, and take full ownership of technical project planning and delivery for cross-organizational programs from initial conception through transition to operations.

• Organize complex, ambiguous problems into prioritized milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and success criteria — designing programs to deliver specific strategic outcomes and drive relentless accountability against them.

• Develop trusted relationships with key stakeholders, technology, and functional leaders to drive focus on the strategic program objectives and optimize program delivery. This includes establishing regular cadences and holding resources accountable for their responsibilities within the program.

• Develop and implement scalable processes, templates, and training to ensure program delivery and process adoption; oversee change management efforts, guiding teams through organizational transitions and improvements.

• Operate as an AI-native program manager — using AI to synthesize intelligence across workstreams, surface risk signals, ensure data informs decision-making, draft and tailor communications at speed, direct AI agents, and provide leadership with actionable, forward-looking intelligence.

• Drive a continuous focus on developing software-based or AI-driven solutions to replace repeatable operational tasks and foster an environment of autonomy, transparency, mastery, innovation, and continuous improvement.

• Establish governance frameworks and lead executive-level meetings and cross-functional events; serve as the go-to source of leadership, transparency, and visibility — clearly communicating objectives, status, risks, and results while ensuring surgical execution and handoffs across workstreams.

To be successful in this role you have:

• 12+ years of work experience, preferably in Technical Program Management, Product Management, Management Consulting, or Strategy roles.

  • High energy, disciplined execution skills; willingness to do whatever it takes to deliver results.

  • Work independently and be highly productive with minimal oversight.

  • Ability to see the big picture while being execution-oriented to improve operational excellence.

  • Effective communicator — written and verbal — who uses AI tools to draft, refine, and tailor communications; able to convey complex ideas clearly across executive and working-level audiences at speed, and comfortable directing AI agents and iterating on outputs in ambiguous, high-stakes environments.

  • Strong collaboration, relationship-building, and influence skills — masterful at bringing people together across functions, levels, and geographies without direct authority.

  • Champion AI-native ways of working across the APEX Strategic Programs team — evaluating, adopting, and scaling AI tools that increase team throughput, reduce coordination overhead, and surface insights faster across complex program portfolios.

  • Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving — including AI-powered tools, workflow automation, AI-driven insights, or exploring AI’s potential impact on program management and the industry.

  • Team player and self-starter who uses AI to stay ahead of complexity — comfortable directing AI agents, iterating on outputs, and operating with speed in ambiguous, high-stakes environments.

  • Expertise in the enterprise software/SaaS industry.

JV20

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $199,100 - $348,400, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity,  veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.  

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact globaltalentss@servicenow.com for assistance. 

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities. 

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