Staff Technical Program Mgr

Job Summary

Expert Release Manager (Technical Program Manager 5) to own complex medium-size or large software releases from development through production and beyond, partnering with Product Management, Engineering (Dev, Test, DevOps) and other stakeholders. Makes day-to-day release decisions independently, influences leaders up to VP level and mentors other Release Managers; decisions have a noticeable operational and financial impact.

Planning & ownership: Drive releases on time and with quality; manage risk, cross-team dependencies and schedule changes with documented mitigation; run milestone tracking, launch planning and metrics dashboards.

Governance & readiness: Define milestone entry/exit criteria, defect/test metrics and the codeline branching model (with Engineering/DevOps); run Release Readiness, Milestone and Go/No-Go reviews with a recommendation; drive compliance with NetApp release/phase-review processes and IP protection (Legal/Privacy by design, patent mining, GTC, third-party code, SDL, ISO 9001).

Process, tooling & automation: Develop and improve release processes and metrics; drive tooling improvements (JIRA, Jenkins, qTest, PowerBI); support Dev teams' adoption of automation pipelines; experiment with AI-driven automation alongside tools teams.

Communication & influence: Report status, risks and mitigations to Product, Dev/Quality, DevOps and senior leadership, tailored to the audience; negotiate goals, schedules and resources; hold teams accountable to agreed processes.

Mentorship & leadership: Mentor Release Managers as release management SME; advise on cost, schedule, technical and quality objectives; motivate teams; operate where no precedent exists.

Job Requirements

12+ years of experience driving complex software or hardware releases and project management from kick-off through Go Live, with thorough knowledge of release phases, dev/test cycles, milestone management and quality metrics.

Hands-on release management expertise across multiple development methodologies and teams; strong knowledge of software/hardware development life cycles, testing methodologies, and automated configuration and code management systems.

Able to spot release risk, identify mitigations and trigger contingency plans; comfortable running fast cycles while requirements and plans are still changing.

Strong data analytics, presentation and communication skills; strong soft skills: negotiation, conflict resolution, facilitating decisions in complex situations, problem solving and relationship building.

Hands-on use of AI-based program management tooling (automated status, pattern/signal inference to manage risk).

Recognized subject matter expert; works independently with minimal supervision and leads cross-functionally.

Nice to have: JIRA, qTest, PowerBI and Jenkins; owning compliance programs (SDL, third-party code, ISO 9001); using AI tools for productivity and analysis.

Education

Bachelor's degree in an Engineering discipline or business, plus 12+ years of experience; an MS or MBA is desirable.

At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Employer

NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.

Why You'll Thrive at NetApp

At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.

NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.

Our culture

We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.

If you're ready to innovate, rise to the challenge, and own every moment - make your next move your best one. Apply now.

Submitting an Application

To ensure a streamlined and fair hiring process for all candidates, our team only reviews applications submitted through our company website. This practice allows us to track, assess, and respond to applicants efficiently. Emailing our employees, recruiters, or Human Resources personnel directly will not influence your application.

AI Disclosure

For select roles, some stages of our hiring process may use artificial intelligence tools to help evaluate applications and candidate selection. These tools support—rather than replace—human decision-making.