Sr. Technical Program Manager, Data Platform

Applause is raising the bar for digital quality and employee experience. Recognized as a Top Workplace, Applause provides award-winning software testing and UX research solutions to top brands. Our fully managed services leverage a global team and the world's largest independent testing community. We improve digital experiences for global innovators like Google, Microsoft, PayPal, Starbucks, Vodafone, and BMW.

As a Sr Technical Program Manager, Data Platform, you will serve as a hands-on technical leader responsible for the evolution of our enterprise data ecosystem, governance, and agentic data initiatives. This long-term leadership role requires a builder who can architect data domains, manage program roadmaps, and lead technical delivery across global teams. We are looking for an energized leader ready to hit the ground running from day one to kickstart our data governance program and drive strategic growth.

Key Responsibilities: 

• Lead the data and analytics ecosystem, driving execution for ingestion, integration, cataloging, governance, and AI enablement.

• Own the technical roadmap and tooling, balancing new capabilities with stability and vendor management.

• Set standards for code reviews, semantic design, data quality, and release management.

• Architect end-to-end data flows and approve significant technical changes.

• Perform hands-on modeling, SQL, and pipeline work while debugging production issues and leading postmortems.

• Manage program timelines, milestones, and domain mapping workshops.

• Establish and run the data steward program and certification framework.

• Manage the access model, including role-based security and PII classification, in partnership with InfoSec and Legal.

• Ensure data catalog coverage, lineage, and quality SLAs.

• Prepare the ecosystem for AI grounding through high-quality curation and semantic models.

• Author governance policies and lead change management for organizational adoption.

• Translate business needs into clear plans and partner with stakeholders to align roadmaps.

• Facilitate working sessions and executive reviews while reporting on ecosystem SLAs.

• Manage budgets and mitigate risks to prevent blockers.

• Maintain comprehensive documentation for decisions, RACI, and operating rhythms.

Job Requirements and Preferred Skills:

• 8+ years in technical program management or data leadership.

• Expertise in Snowflake, Looker, Fivetran, and semantic layer technologies.

• Experience with warehouse security (RBAC, row-level, masking) and data governance programs.

• Proficient in git workflows for data and semantic models.

• Hands-on with data catalogs (Atlan, Collibra) and quality tools (Anomalo, Monte Carlo).

• Knowledge of PII, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliance.

• Proven multi-workstream program and technical team leadership.

• Successful track record of enterprise tooling adoption and executive communication.

• Skilled facilitator and analytical problem-solver across all levels.

• Global time zone flexibility and clear sense of urgency.

• Familiarity with AI/LLMs or agentic data frameworks is a plus.

Why Applause?

We’re proud to cultivate an inspiring, engaging employee culture that’s consistently reflected in high employee retention rates and satisfaction. Our talented team – known as Applause Nation – is set up for success with the latest collaboration and learning tools, opportunities for career advancement, and more.

• We have a flexible work environment with top talent from across the globe

• Collaborate with an international team of 450+ passionate, talented co-workers

• Expand your portfolio with exciting, hands-on projects providing exposure to well-known, global brands

• Learn and grow through structured onboarding, in-house knowledge sessions and access to thousands of virtual courses available on demand

• Incorporate AI and other exciting technologies into your work, to help you prioritize and boost productivity

• Experience a supportive culture that emphasizes teamwork, innovation and transparency

• Share your voice! Contribute and integrate creative and innovative ideas across roles and departments 

Applause Core Values: 

As a global employee community, we strive to uphold the following core values, which are critical to business success and how we measure individual and team performance. Do you share our core values? 

• Be Accountable: You love to take ownership, and hold yourself and others accountable to increase empowerment and success.

• Celebrate Authenticity: You love bringing your true self to work and creating genuine and trustful relationships within a diverse environment.

• In It Together: You have a team-first mindset and love collaborating with your peers.

• Create Value for Our Customers: You love delivering meaningful business impact and being a release partner for all aspects of digital quality.

• Crush Your Goals: You always strive for excellence and constantly seek ways to be better, more effective and more efficient.

Compensation: 

Beyond Applause’s award-winning culture, our employee-centric benefits and competitive compensation strategy are designed to support your physical and mental well-being, promote work-life balance, and fuel your professional growth. 

The salary range for this position is $120,000 - $150,000.

Accommodations: 

Applause is a place where everyone belongs and where we believe everyone deserves the exceptional. We continue to celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive, equitable environment for our employees. If you believe you require a reasonable accommodation und.er any of the legally protected characteristics, please click here to complete an accommodation request. Please note, Applause will only review requests for applications that have been submitted. We will review your qualifications and follow up with you regarding your request if your qualifications meet our current needs.

 

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