Technical Program Manager, Release Management

Overview

Pay Pal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Pay Pal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy. We operate a global, two-sided network that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers to enable payments online or in person. We offer proprietary payment solutions and a range of funding sources, including bank accounts, Pay Pal/Venmo balances, Pay Pal and Venmo branded credit products, credit/debit cards, certain cryptocurrencies, and other stored value products such as gift cards.

Our products facilitate cross-border shopping and help merchants extend their global reach while reducing complexity and friction. Our beliefs are guided by Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness, with a global team centered on customers.

Job Description Summary: Pay Pal is launching a new structured Alpha / Co-Development program to transform how we build, validate, and launch merchant-integrated products. We are moving to quarterly Release Trains—coordinated cycles where strategic merchants test multiple upcoming products through a clear, repeatable, high-quality process. We are hiring our first release program manager on the Checkout team to build, operationalize, and run the early product release program.

This role is highly cross-functional, working with Product, Engineering, Solutions Engineering, Sales, Merchant Success, Legal, and external merchants. You will bring structure, rigor, and visibility to an initiative that materially changes how Pay Pal ships merchant-facing innovation. If you are excited by program design, operational excellence, and enabling teams to deliver better outcomes faster— with merchants deeply involved in the creation process—this is the role for you.

• Scope:
  The project & program responsibilities are focused on the delivery of a product or computer-based system from design to release for customers.
• Develop and manage program plans, including timelines, milestones, deliverables, and procurement activities.
• Coordinate activities across multiple projects to ensure alignment with program objectives.
• Monitor program performance and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Communicate program status to stakeholders and executive leadership.
• Manage program budgets and financials.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration and resolve conflicts.
• Ensure adherence to engineering standards and best practices.

• 5+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Proven track record of managing complex programs within an engineering environment.

• Program Design & Governance:
  Establish and maintain the operating model for quarterly Merchant Release Trains, including planning cadences, entry/exit criteria, and success metrics.
• Define the Co-Development Framework, standardizing integration specifications, solution designs, and merchant engagement workflows.
• Ensure all products entering the cycle possess clear requirements and cross-functional alignment.
• Execution & Coordination:
  Lead the end-to-end Release Train cycle, managing the journey from merchant recruitment through integration, validation, and retrospective.
• Synchronize efforts across 15–20 product and engineering teams to ensure readiness and proactive dependency management.
• Collaborate with Solutions Engineering to ensure integration specs are technically sound and formally approved by all stakeholders.
• Merchant Co-Development:
  Act as the primary operational point of contact for participating merchants, managing expectations regarding scope, timelines, and deliverables.
• Track merchant implementation milestones and facilitate feedback loops.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for readiness issues or program-level blockers.
• Measurement & Strategic Reporting:
  Define and monitor KPIs/OKRs (e.g., build quality, cycle time, merchant satisfaction) to evaluate program health.
• Provide executive-level visibility through consolidated dashboards and strategic reporting.
• Translate lessons learned…