The Role
Leads Samba’s technical program management function, including managing and developing TPMs, establishing operating models and governance, overseeing complex cross-functional initiatives, and scaling program infrastructure. The role partners with engineering, product, data science, legal, and operations leaders while driving Agile and SAFe practices, regulatory compliance, risk management, and execution across adtech data and platform programs.
Summary Generated by Built In
Samba connects the advertising industry. Today, a trillion dollars of media flows through platforms that don’t talk to each other, and each one measures its own results. We built the independent alternative: consented first-party data and AI that give the world’s biggest advertisers, publishers, and platforms one clear view across all of it.
The next era of advertising will run on AI agents, and those agents will need data they can trust. We’re building that foundation, and the agents that act on it. Join us and help build what the industry runs on.
You lead and grow Samba's technical program management function at a critical inflection point in the company's expansion. This is a strategic leadership role, not pure execution: you are a peer to VPs and Senior Directors across Engineering, Product, and Data Science, owning how Samba plans, executes, and governs complex programs across the full adtech stack.
- Lead the Team: Lead, mentor, and grow a team of 2 to 4 technical program managers (TPMs), driving hiring decisions, performance development, and career growth.
- Set the Operating Model: Define the TPM operating model, including staffing, governance, and escalation, and act as the senior-most TPM voice in leadership forums with engineering executives.
- Own Program Execution: Own end-to-end execution strategy for the organization's most complex initiatives, personally leading the highest-stakes programs when risk demands senior ownership.
- Govern the Programs: Define and enforce governance frameworks covering scope, milestones, and risk registers, partnering with Engineering, Product, and Data Science on roadmap alignment.
- Scale the Infrastructure: Drive the shift from bespoke, one-off execution to scalable, repeatable program infrastructure built for hundreds of integrations at once.
- Drive Cross-Functional Alignment: Operate as a strategic peer to VPs and Senior Directors, build alignment across Engineering, Product, Legal, Data, and Operations, and surface blockers with a recommended resolution.
- Build the TPM Practice: Establish the standard TPM toolkit, champion Agile and scaled Agile (SAFe) practices, and use AI tools such as Claude to accelerate program artifacts.
What You Bring
- 10+ years in technical program management, including 5+ years senior or lead, with experience hiring, coaching, and developing a team of TPMs.
- Deep domain expertise in adtech, including programmatic advertising, audience data platforms, measurement and attribution, identity, or data product delivery. This is a hard requirement; candidates without adtech context will not be considered.
- A proven track record operating as a peer to VPs and Senior Directors, with exceptional written and verbal communication that adapts from engineering deep-dives to executive briefings.
- Expertise in Agile, Scrum, and SAFe methodologies, with a strong command of program governance: earned value metrics, dependency management, and structured escalation frameworks.
- Experience managing programs under regulatory constraints such as GDPR or CCPA, with a background in software engineering, computer science, or a related field.
- Experience with cloud-based data platforms or real-time pipeline infrastructure, plus familiarity with ACR (Automatic Content Recognition), connected TV data, or OEM data collection.
- Experience managing TPM functions through rapid growth, M&A integration, or geographic expansion; an MBA or advanced technical degree is valued but not required.
Compensation
$215,000 - $270,000 a year
Samba expects to offer a On-Target Earnings (OTE) of $215,000 - $270,000 per year for roles to be performed in Texas or California; actual base salary offered will depend on various factors, including but not limited to, location, experience, and performance. Base salary is just one component of Samba's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include bonuses, short-term incentives, and long-term incentives. In addition, Samba provides health insurance, wellness offerings, life and disability insurance, a retirement savings plan, paid holidays and paid time off (PTO), and other employee benefits.
Samba is an equal opportunity employer.
Your personal information
We collect personal information directly from you when you apply. Where the law permits, we may also receive it from third parties, such as through background, employment, or reference checks. For details, see Samba’s Applicant Privacy Policy. For EU residents, Samba Inc. is the data controller.
Use of AI in hiring
We may use AI tools to help review applications, analyze resumes, or assess responses. These tools support our recruiting team. People make every hiring decision. To learn more about how we process your data, please reach out.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of experience in technical program management
- 5+ years in a senior or lead technical program management role
- Experience hiring, coaching, and developing a team of technical program managers
- Deep adtech domain expertise, including programmatic advertising, audience data platforms, measurement and attribution, identity, or data product delivery
- Experience operating as a peer to VPs and Senior Directors
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills across engineering and executive audiences
- Expertise in Agile, Scrum, and SAFe methodologies
- Experience with program governance, earned value metrics, dependency management, and structured escalation frameworks
- Experience managing programs under GDPR, CCPA, or similar regulatory constraints
- Background in software engineering, computer science, or a related field
- Experience with cloud-based data platforms or real-time pipeline infrastructure
- Familiarity with ACR, connected TV data, or OEM data collection
- Experience managing TPM functions through rapid growth, M&A integration, or geographic expansion
- MBA or advanced technical degree
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The Company
What We Do
Samba is a media-intelligence company that combines consented first-party viewership data from streaming, linear TV, the web, and video games with AI to map content, audiences, and outcomes. Its platform gives advertisers, publishers, and media platforms insight into audience behavior and supports campaign planning, targeting, measurement, and optimization across channels. Samba’s data and analytics help clients understand audiences and make marketing decisions.
