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Principal Technical Program Manager, GES NA Ops Engineering

Amazon.com Inc

  • Arlington, VA
  • 8 days ago

    Highlights

    The role requires a leader who can operate at both the strategic level - shaping annual operating plans, prioritization frameworks, and resource models - and the tactical level - removing blockers, mitigating risks, and maintaining stakeholder transparency throughout the project lifecycle. Own and drive the OP1/OP2 intake and prioritization process, collaborating with customers (ACES, Ops) and partner teams (MSP, FTR) to translate 3-year business plans into actionable project portfolios using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework.

    Numbers & Facts

    LocationArlington, VA
    IndustryRetail
    Company Size10,000 employees or more
    Year Founded1994
    Websitehttp://Amazon.com/militaryroles

    Description

    The Feasibility team, within Planning and Design, NA Operations Engineering, GES, is looking for an experienced Principal Technical Program Manager to lead its portfolio management function.

    The Feasibility team owns two critical mandates: (1) strategic planning for all of NA Operations Engineering - including OP intake, headcount planning, and financial tracking; and (2) end-to-end technical program management of First Mile retrofit, expansion, and initiative (REI) projects.

    This role will be responsible for delivering a $500M+ annual CapEx portfolio spanning 290+ projects across the North America fulfillment network. The Principal Technical Program Manager will drive cross-functional alignment across engineering, operations, finance, procurement, construction, and vendor partners to ensure on-time, on-budget, and on-quality project delivery. The role requires a leader who can operate at both the strategic level - shaping annual operating plans, prioritization frameworks, and resource models - and the tactical level - removing blockers, mitigating risks, and maintaining stakeholder transparency throughout the project lifecycle.

    Key job responsibilities

    • Lead end-to-end technical program management of the First Mile non-POR REI portfolio, including business requirements, technical design reviews, approvals, CARs, and stakeholder communication through BRs and flashes.
    • Own and drive the OP1/OP2 intake and prioritization process, collaborating with customers (ACES, Ops) and partner teams (MSP, FTR) to translate 3-year business plans into actionable project portfolios using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) framework.
    • Manage ad hoc and intra-year project intake, assessing impact on the existing portfolio and providing go/no-go recommendations for current-year delivery.
    • Develop and maintain the annual CapEx budget ($500M+), manage program-level financials, and communicate quarterly guidance to Finance stakeholders.
    • Own the NA OE headcount planning model, providing granular (weekly) resource allocation, demand vs. supply gap analysis, and utilization-based schedule adjustments across all NA OE pillars.
    • Lead vendor management activities, engaging key vendors (Dematic, VI, etc.) on project updates and pipeline forecasting to enable better vendor performance and capacity planning.
    • Serve as the strategic planner for NA Operations Engineering, driving alignment across concept design, firm engineering, OE execution, construction, and launch teams throughout the Retrofit Project Development Process (RPDP).
    • Provide full transparency and proactive risk management to all stakeholders, escalating blockers and driving recovery plans when projects face delays or cost overruns.
    • Lead, coach, and develop a team of TPMs, creating customized growth plans and stretch opportunities while fostering a high-performing, collaborative team culture.
    • Drive continuous improvement of team mechanisms and tools (Smartsheets, Source, headcount model, AHP), adapting to evolving GES systems and business needs.

    A day in the life

    Global Engineering Services (GES) Norther America (NA) Strategic Planning & Feasibility operates at the critical intersection of network planning and engineering execution. A day in the life may involve reviewing a site feasibility assessment before lease commitment, building a financial model to validate Payback/NPV for a new program, leading a cross-functional alignment session with Capacity Planning and Finance, or presenting go/no-go recommendations to GES leadership. You will engage with stakeholders across the project lifecycle-from pre-conception through funding-ensuring that execution teams inherit projects with validated baselines, not planning gaps. SP&F is collaborative by design, operating as a stakeholder at the table (not an authority over it), working daily to ensure upstream rigor eliminates downstream disruption.

    About the team

    The Strategic Planning & Feasibility (SP&F) team is a dedicated function within NA GES that owns upstream project feasibility assessment from pre-conception through initial funding. SP&F exists to ensure that every project entering the execution pipeline has been vetted for financial viability, timeline achievability, scope alignment, capacity justification, and cross-functional readiness before commitments are locked. The team operates as a force multiplier, embedding early in the project lifecycle to align stakeholders, validate assumptions, and reduce downstream churn. SP&F is not an execution team-it sets the foundation so that execution teams inherit vetted initiatives, reducing rework and disruption across the NA fulfillment network.

    This role requires up to 25% regional travel on a yearly basis. When not traveling, you must have availability to work from a corporate office. Candidates should either live near or be willing to relocate within a reasonable commuting distance of one of the corporate office locations listed. Relocation assistance may be provided.

    About Company

    At Amazon, we don’t wait for the next big idea to present itself. We envision the shape of impossible things and then we boldly make them reality. So far, this mindset has helped us achieve some incredible things. Let’s build new systems, challenge the status quo, and design the world we want to live in. We believe the work you do here will be the best work of your life.

    Wherever you are in your career exploration, Amazon likely has an opportunity for you. Our research scientists and engineers shape the future of natural language understanding with Alexa. Fulfillment center associates around the globe send customer orders from our warehouses to doorsteps. Product managers set feature requirements, strategy, and marketing messages for brand new customer experiences. And as we grow, we’ll add jobs that haven’t been invented yet.

    It’s Always Day 1
    At Amazon, it’s always “Day 1.” Now, what does this mean and why does it matter? It means that our approach remains the same as it was on Amazon’s very first day – to make smart, fast decisions, stay nimble, invent, and stay focused on delighting our customers. In our 2016 shareholder letter, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shared his thoughts on how to keep up a Day 1 company mindset. “Staying in Day 1 requires you to experiment patiently, accept failures, plant seeds, protect saplings, and double down when you see customer delight,” he wrote. “A customer-obsessed culture best creates the conditions where all of that can happen.” You can read the full letter here

    Our Leadership Principles
    Our Leadership Principles help us keep a Day 1 mentality. They aren’t just a pretty inspirational wall hanging. Amazonians use them, every day, whether they’re discussing ideas for new projects, deciding on the best solution for a customer’s problem, or interviewing candidates. To read through our Leadership Principles from Customer Obsession to Bias for Action, visit https://www.amazon.jobs/principles

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