Senior Principal Technical Program Manager

About the Role 

We are seeking a Senior Principal Technical Program Manager to lead one of Vertex's most strategic transformation programs: the Connected Tax Platform Experience (CTPE). 

This is not a traditional delivery coordination role. CTPE connects AI-driven tax workflows, shared platform capabilities, governance and trust controls, customer-facing experiences, and measurable business outcomes into a unified platform experience. 

As a Senior Principal TPM, you will serve as a system-level execution leader responsible for translating strategy into scalable execution across Product, Engineering, Architecture, Platform, UX, Data, Governance, and Operations. You will create clarity in ambiguous environments, align stakeholders around shared outcomes, surface risks before they become blockers, and provide leadership with trusted visibility into program health, readiness, and delivery confidence. 

Success in this role requires strong technical fluency, systems thinking, executive communication skills, and the ability to drive alignment across multiple organizations with competing priorities. You will help connect product intent to engineering execution, execution to release readiness, and release readiness to customer and business outcomes. 

Why This Role Matters 

This role offers the opportunity to influence one of Vertex's highest-priority strategic initiatives and help shape the future of Technical Program Management through AI-augmented workflows, signal-driven execution, modern governance practices, and outcome-focused delivery. 

Key Responsibilities 

• Lead large-scale, cross-functional technical programs that span Product, Engineering, Platform, Architecture, UX, Data, Governance, and Operations. 

• Translate business strategy and product vision into structured execution plans, milestones, dependencies, risks, decision frameworks, and measurable outcomes. 

• Establish and maintain program operating mechanisms including roadmap management, dependency tracking, risk management, executive reporting, and release planning. 

• Create clarity in ambiguous and rapidly evolving environments by identifying tradeoffs, structuring work, defining priorities, and enabling informed decisions. 

• Drive alignment across multiple products, platforms, and workflow domains to achieve shared business and customer objectives. 

• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Architecture leaders to connect roadmap priorities, technical dependencies, release readiness, and customer value realization. 

• Establish governance practices using metrics, telemetry, readiness indicators, risk thresholds, and outcome-based measurements. 

• Proactively identify execution risks, dependency gaps, governance concerns, and delivery bottlenecks while driving mitigation and escalation when necessary. 

• Lead executive-level communications that provide clear visibility into progress, risks, confidence levels, tradeoffs, and business impact. 

• Leverage AI-assisted workflows, automation, and scalable operating mechanisms to improve execution velocity, transparency, and delivery quality. 

• Ensure customer-facing platform capabilities are delivered with appropriate technical, operational, and organizational readiness. 

• Help evolve TPM practices that improve execution quality, visibility, and decision-making across complex enterprise programs. 

Required Qualifications 

• 10+ years of experience leading large-scale technical programs within SaaS, cloud, platform, or enterprise software organizations. 

• Proven success leading complex cross-functional initiatives involving multiple products, engineering organizations, platform teams, and executive stakeholders. 

• Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into scalable execution through governance, planning, dependency management, risk mitigation, and measurable outcomes. 

• Strong systems-thinking skills with the ability to connect strategy, technical execution, architecture, customer experience, and business impact. 

• Experience partnering with Engineering and Architecture leaders to evaluate technical tradeoffs, platform dependencies, scalability considerations, and delivery sequencing. 

• Strong technical acumen across cloud platforms, enterprise software, data platforms, distributed systems, workflow platforms, or AI-enabled products. 

• Experience managing complex dependencies, risks, governance requirements, and executive decision points. 

• Executive-level communication skills with the ability to create trusted narratives, decision frameworks, risk assessments, and outcome-based reporting. 

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment without relying solely on formal authority. 

• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity, create clarity without complete requirements, and drive progress across competing priorities. 

• Experience delivering customer-facing product or platform capabilities through release, adoption, and operational readiness. 

• Bachelor's degree in a technical, business, or related field, or equivalent practical experience. 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Experience leading AI-first, automation, workflow transformation, data platform, or platform modernization initiatives. 

• Experience within tax, compliance, fintech, ERP, e-invoicing, audit, or other regulated software environments. 

• Experience delivering customer-facing platform experiences that span multiple products and shared technical foundations. 

• Experience defining program metrics, release confidence frameworks, readiness models, governance mechanisms, or signal-driven operating structures. 

• Experience using AI tools, automation, knowledge management, or workflow orchestration technologies to enhance execution effectiveness. 

• Experience partnering with executive leadership on enterprise transformation programs or portfolio-scale initiatives. 

• Experience coaching TPMs or developing scalable TPM operating models. 

• Familiarity with Agile, Lean, SAFe, or similar delivery methodologies and the ability to apply them pragmatically. 

• PMP, PgMP, cloud, AI, data, or related technical certifications are a plus.