Senior 2 Technical Program Manager, AI Native Operating Model - HYBRID (Seattle, WA)

Job Description Nordstrom isn't just another job, it's a career. We are a leading fashion retailer that has offered the very best of what is on trend for men, women, and children since 1901. We believe in rewarding outstanding work, developing employees' careers, and building long-term relationships with our customers. Nordstrom Technology is moving to an AI Native operating model, and we're rebuilding the processes, tools, and standards our engineering teams use to build and ship software — without sacrificing quality or stability as speed increases. We need a Senior 2 Technical Program Manager to bring order and rigor to this transformation while it's still taking shape: someone who can turn a direction that's aligned but not yet fully defined into working processes, clear metrics, and day-to-day discipline that both leadership and engineering teams can rely on. This is a senior, individual-contributor role. You'll partner closely with engineering and business leaders as we evolve how engineering teams work — sequencing process changes, building the metrics and reporting that make progress visible, and helping teams adopt new ways of working while some specifics are still being resolved. It's a delivery-focused role: you're measured by what gets built, adopted, and running well. Once a phase is delivered and operating on its own, you'll move to the next priority that needs the same focus. You'll be part of the Technology Portfolio & Operations team, working closely with engineering leaders and cross-functional partners across the business. Success in this role looks less like any single deliverable and more like engineering teams operating with rigor and metrics that leadership can trust as new practices take hold. Who you are… A strategic thinker who understands how your work connects to the broader organization's goals and can spot trends and issues that will matter down the road A blend of portfolio thinker and hands-on operator, technically fluent enough to be credible with engineering platform teams (CI/CD pipelines, deployment gating, observability, vulnerability and patch management): you can build a rollout sequence and a capacity plan, and you can also sit with a team to work through a deployment gate failure or delivery blocker Comfortable operationalizing an aligned direction rather than just planning it: turning it into working processes, runbooks, and team habits A finisher who keeps a program focused on results: ships durable progress, helps others push through setbacks, and creates urgency without creating chaos, rather than staying attached to any one program indefinitely Comfortable managing complexity and owning work before every detail is settled; moving forward against an aligned direction while open items like thresholds and process ownership are still being resolved, testing new approaches without waiting for a perfect playbook, and adjusting course based on what the data shows Direct enough to raise hard issues, push back when necessary, and make an unpopular call when it's the right one A trust-builder who puts the organization's needs first and is consistent in following through on commitments A data-driven decision-maker who acts under uncertainty, knows when to escalate, and can build and defend a measurement approach (for example, end-to-end delivery speed and production stability) that multiple teams are held accountable to A communicator and influencer without formal authority who tailors style and content to different audiences — moving comfortably between a steering committee update and a technical working session — builds consensus across engineering, security, and architecture teams, and navigates the sensitivities that come with significant change A team-builder and developer of people who brings together different perspectives and styles, makes sure everyone understands their role in delivering results, and coaches others through candid feedback and stretch opportunities A day in the life… Own the day-to-day sequencing of how we roll out new processes and practices under the modern engineering operating model, translating a direction that's aligned in principle but not yet fully specified into concrete plans and checkpoints Make sound judgment calls on open items, such as thresholds and process ownership, as they get resolved, rather than waiting for total clarity before making progress Adjust plans as the model itself evolves, and communicate those changes clearly so teams aren't caught off guard Pilot new processes with a small set of teams first, gather feedback, and refine before rolling out more broadly Drive change management for the operating model itself, communications, training, and adoption tracking, as its own deliverable Partner with leadership to define and stand-up key metrics and reporting structure that provide leadership visibility into how the transformation is progressing Translate qualitative goals, such as moving faster or reducing risk, into concrete, trackable measures that teams can be held to Build the operational cadence, reviews, checkpoints, escalation paths, and reporting rhythms, that make the new way of working durable rather than a one-time push Track engineering delivery metrics, such as deployment frequency, lead time for change, change failure rate, and mean time to restore, alongside AI-adoption and process-health indicators Partner with engineering and business leaders to align on priorities and sequence trade-offs, building consensus without formal authority Be a clear, credible voice with senior leadership on status, risk, and decisions, and with individual teams on what's happening in practice Communicate clearly about why our processes are evolving, and help teams adopt new practices with confidence Anticipate risks and bottlenecks early, and coordinate across teams to manage dependencies that cross organizational boundaries Track and escalate systemic issues before they become