Distinguished, Technical Program Manager

Reference: R-2488600Posted: 2026-06-09Location: SUNNYVALE, CA, United States; BELLEVUE, WASalary: $169000 - $338000/yearType: Full time / Regular/PermanentCompany: WalmartBusiness Segment: Home OfficeWe are seeking a visionary leader to drive our most complex, enterprise-scale technical initiatives. In this role, you will operate at the pinnacle of the TPM discipline, navigating extreme ambiguity to turn high-level strategic concepts into global-scale realities. You will partner directly with Executives, Senior Engineers, Senior Architects, Senior Business and Senior Product leaders to shape technical strategy, oversee delivery of critical outcomes, and establish operational excellence across our software and infrastructure organizations.What You'll Do:Enterprise-Scale Execution: Lead the strategy, planning, and end-to-end delivery of company-wide, multi-year technical initiatives with complex cross-functional dependencies, spanning dozens of organizations and hundreds of engineers.Strategic Technical Partnership: Partner with Senior Engineers and Senior Architects to shape technical strategy. Actively oversee system design discussions to ensure scalability, high availability, performance, and alignment with delivery timelines.Ambiguity Resolution & Plan Execution: Take ownership of highly ambiguous "0 to 1" initiatives where no precedent exists. Define the problem space, secure cross-functional alignment, manage critical dependencies, and build comprehensive roadmaps from scratch.Systemic Optimization & Workflows: Identify and dismantle organizational silos and systemic friction points. Architect and deploy scalable workflows, prioritization frameworks, operational excellence practices, and continuous improvement processes to increase velocity company-wide.Executive & Stakeholder Communication: Act as a trusted advisor to the executive team and board members. Deliver clear, data-driven updates, impact analyses, and candid assessments of program health, technical risks, and strategic trade-offs.Mentor & Elevate: Serve as the champion for the TPM discipline. Mentor Principal, Senior, and mid-level team members, foster high-performance environments, define hiring standards, and elevate the overall craft across the organization.What You'll Bring (Qualifications):Experience: 15+ years of experience driving complex strategic programs, managing cross-functional outcomes, and leading technical program management, software engineering, or systems architecture—including 2+ years operating at a Principal, or equivalent highly-senior Individual Contributor (IC) level.Technical Depth: Extensive expertise in system architecture, software development, and infrastructure design. Deep foundational knowledge of large-scale distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, AI/ML pipelines, or equivalent domains, with the ability to translate complex requirements into scalable solutions and challenge engineering assumptions.Analytical Problem Solving: Demonstrated skills in data-driven decision-making, rigorous impact analysis, and proactive risk mitigation to maintain program momentum.Proven Scale: A track record of successfully delivering massive-scale, mission-critical software or infrastructure programs from inception to global deployment.Influence & Alignment: Exceptional stakeholder management skills with a proven ability to lead without authority across multiple VP-level organizations, driving consensus among highly opinionated technical leaders.Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).Preferred Qualifications:Engineering Background: Previous experience as a Senior/Staff Software Engineer or Systems Architect before transitioning to program management.Crisis Management: Proven ability to step into failing, high-visibility projects, stabilize them, and drive them to successful completion under extreme pressure.Industry Eminence: A recognized presence in the broader tech community (e.g., conference speaking, published papers, or contributions to major open-source projects).At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage. Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance. Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable. For information about PTO, see . Live Better U is a Walmart-paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms. For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart. Sunnyvale, California US-11656: The annual salary range for this position is $169,000.00 - $338,000.00 Bellevue, Washington US-11663: The annual salary range for this position is $156,000.00 - $312,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include : - StockMinimum qualifications["• Option 1: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, engineering, or related area and 7 years’ experience in engineering, engineering program management, technical program management, product management, or related area. \n• Option 2: 9 years’ experience in engineering, engineering program management, technical program management, product management, or related area."]Preferred qualifications["Master’s degree in Business Administration, with specialization in strategy, supply chain, finance, information systems, or related area and 5 years’ experience in product design.", "Certification in Project Management.", "We value candidates with a background in creating inclusive digital experiences, demonstrating knowledge in implementing Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standards, assistive technologies, and integrating digital accessibility seamlessly. The ideal candidate would have knowledge of accessibility best practices and join us as we continue to create accessible products and services following Walmart’s accessibility standards and guidelines for supporting an inclusive culture."]