Senior Staff Technical Program Manager, Santa Clara

Company Description

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

Job Description

About APEX

ServiceNow's APEX (AI, Product, Engineering, and Experience) organization is the largest in the company, comprising all Product and Platform teams alongside our world-class Design teams. We are leveraging the unlimited potential of our platform across every industry, geography, solution, and persona to consistently deliver the product and platform experiences our customers love. APEX is where ServiceNow's most critical innovations are conceived, built, and scaled — and where the programs you own directly shape the trajectory of the company.

What you get to do in this role:

We are seeking a Senior Staff Technical Program Manager to join the APEX Strategic Program Management Organization. In this role, you will drive ServiceNow's most critical cross-functional priorities — operating at the intersection of strategy and execution and setting the standard for how high-impact programs are run at scale.

The successful candidate is a result-oriented self-starter with a proven ability to conceptualize, develop, drive, coordinate, and manage large, complex, cross-functional programs from inception through delivery. This person is an AI-native operator — not merely adopting AI tools but modeling the ways of working we expect to scale across APEX. They think strategically, execute with precision, build trusted relationships at every level, and thrive in fast-moving, high-stakes environments where clarity is created, not inherited.

Strategic Program Management Responsibilities:

Drive large-scale, high-visibility cross-functional programs that deliver measurable outcomes for the APEX portfolio — collaborating with Product, Engineering, Experience, Sales, Finance, Marketing, and Customer Success to identify opportunities, unlock productivity, and accelerate execution.
Identify, prioritize, and accelerate programs of the highest complexity and organizational scope — with quantifiable impact on revenue, market position, and measurable advantage.
Translate business goals into execution strategy, both tactical and strategic, and take full ownership of technical project planning and delivery for cross-organizational programs from initial conception through transition to operations.
Organize complex, ambiguous problems into prioritized milestones, deliverables, dependencies, and success criteria — designing programs to deliver specific strategic outcomes and drive relentless accountability against them.
Develop trusted relationships with key customers, technology Principals, and functional stakeholders; establish regular cadences, hold resources accountable, and build consensus across opposing priorities.
Establish governance frameworks and conduct executive-level meetings and cross-functional events; serve as the go-to source of guidance, transparency, and visibility — clearly communicating goals, status, risks, and results while ensuring surgical execution and handoffs across workstreams.
Identify, assess, prioritize, and mitigate risks; anticipate and remove obstacles that slow delivery and drive for clarity to keep teams moving forward.
Develop and implement scalable processes, templates, and training to ensure program delivery and process adoption; oversee change management efforts, guiding teams through organizational transitions and improvements.
Drive a continuous focus on developing software-based or AI-enabled solutions to replace repeatable operational tasks and foster an environment of self reliance, transparency, mastery, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Operate as an AI-native program manager — using AI to synthesize intelligence across workstreams, surface risk signals, ensure data informs outcomes, draft and tailor communications at speed, direct AI agents, and provide guidance with actionable, forward-looking intelligence.
Seek to continuously grow by proactively embracing constructive feedback and contribute to an open, collaborative culture by providing meaningful feedback to colleagues.

Qualifications

Required skills:

10+ years of hands-on program management experience in large, complex enterprise environments.
Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, insights, or problem-solving — including AI-powered tools, workflow automation, AI-enabled insights, or exploring AI’s potential impact on program management and the industry.
Demonstrated ability to guide high-visibility, cross-functional initiatives with clear ownership of outcomes, not just activities.
High energy, disciplined execution skills, and unconditional bias for action; works singly and remains highly productive with minimal oversight.
Ability to see the big picture while remaining execution-oriented — holding strategic frame and operational detail simultaneously and moving fluidly between them.
Effective communicator — written and verbal — who uses AI tools to draft, refine, and tailor communications; able to convey complex ideas clearly across executive and working-level audiences at speed, and comfortable directing AI agents and iterating on outputs in ambiguous, high-stakes environments.
Promote AI-native ways of working across the APEX Strategic Programs team — evaluating, adopting, and scaling AI tools that increase team throughput, reduce coordination overhead, and surface insights faster across complex program portfolios.
Solid organizational skills with an uncompromising regard for quality; proven track record creating repeatable, scalable processes that drive efficiency and consistent delivery.
Strong collaboration, relationship-building, and influence skills — masterful at bringing people together across functions, levels, and geographies without direct authority; a true servant executive
Experienced and assured creating executive-facing materials and presenting to senior Principals; effective listening, powerful questioning, strong facilitation, and excellent negotiation and conflict management skills.
Passion for working with people in technical environments.
Background in enterprise software or SaaS highly desirable; experience in customer-facing, management consulting, or corporate strategy roles is a plus.
Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent preferred.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $190,900 - $334,100, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or nationality, ancestry, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.