Director, Engineering Program Management

We are hiring a Director of Program Management and Operations to lead the execution of Search, Discovery, and Content AI's (SDC) most important initiatives and to own the operating foundation of the business. You will manage a team, partner closely with Product and Engineering leadership, and help ensure the organization is focused on the right priorities. This role has real ownership and impact, shaping not just what gets delivered, but how the organization operates and scales over time.

What you'll do

Lead and scale technical program management

You will own execution across SDC's highest priority, cross-functional initiatives, including complex technical programs that span the broader organization across multiple geographies. You will work with leaders to translate strategy into clear plans, align teams around outcomes, surface risks early, and drive decisions when tradeoffs are required. Your role is to bring clarity and momentum to work that would otherwise be slowed by ambiguity, competing priorities, or organizational complexity.

Build and lead a high-performing team

You will manage and develop a team of senior and principal technical program managers. This includes setting expectations for impact and ownership, coaching individuals through complex challenges, and creating clear growth paths for people at different stages of their careers. You will play a key role in hiring and onboarding new talent, with an emphasis on developing internal candidates and building a strong leadership bench. Creating a culture of accountability, trust, and continuous improvement is central to this role.

Own the operating rhythm

You will own the operating rhythm of the SDC business: planning and tracking work across quarters, partnering with Finance on headcount and investment decisions, managing headcount allocation, spot bonuses, and annual performance calibration, and ensuring leadership has clear insight into progress, risks, and dependencies. You will design and maintain operating mechanisms, including planning cycles, reviews, and execution tracking, that are effective without being heavy.

Be a trusted partner to leadership

You will act as a trusted partner to Product, Engineering, and business leaders. This means helping leaders see around corners, connecting dots across teams, and raising issues early when alignment or execution is at risk. You will design and facilitate leadership meetings, cross-functional workshops, and team sessions that move work forward, clarifying goals, guiding dialogue, and ensuring clear outcomes and follow-through. You will prepare concise materials for leadership forums and decision reviews, and ensure decisions are translated into action across a widely dispersed group. When a new challenge surfaces, you take it. You do not wait to be told how.

What we're looking for

A strong operator and people leader who brings judgment, empathy, a bias for action, and demonstrated ownership of outcomes.

• 10+ years of experience leading technical programs, business operations, or both within a product organization
• A Bachelor's degree or relevant experience equivalent to a degree is required
• Proven people management experience, ideally leading senior program managers or cross-functional teams
• Comfort working closely with engineering teams on complex systems and platforms
• Experience operating in a matrixed environment with multiple senior partners and stakeholders
• A track record of delivering meaningful outcomes through influence and collaboration

You bring clarity to ambiguous situations, communicate directly and thoughtfully, and help teams focus on what matters most. You care about building strong teams and creating an environment where people can do their best work.

About Adobe

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity.

Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.

Let’s Adobe together

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more.

Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email [email protected] or call +1 408-536-3015.

AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:

Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.

At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI - and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

Expected Pay Range:

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

California:

Fair Chance Ordinances

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado:

Application Window Notice

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Legal Notice

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.