Lead Technical Program Manager - Remote, US

Earnest’s mission is to make higher education accessible and affordable for everyone. We empower past, present, and soon-to-be students to maximize their financial futures through thoughtful guidance and impactful products.

We build tools that help people feel in control of their financial future, including:

• Private student loans - low rates, people-first service, and flexible payments.
• Student loan refinancing - break free from high-interest rates or monthly payments.
• Scholarships - access to thousands of scholarships to help students pay less. 

The Lead Technical Program Manager position will report to the Director of TPM Organization. 

As the Lead Technical Program Manager, you will:

• Drive programs and initiatives over the finish line by influencing the behavior and attitudes of others while employing the right set of tools to run each program. 
• Create Program Plans that are aligned to company strategic OKRs while providing visibility into progress (what’s done, what’s left). 
• Take the lead on cross-functional communications by calling out risks, dependencies, changes and impact of any recent releases. 
• Establish strong relationships built on trust with Engineering Leads, Product Leads and stakeholders. 
• Influence the investment in optimizing Jira while proactively making it as useful as possible given the state it’s in right now. 
• Collaborate with Program Sponsor to ensure sound decision making and goal setting.
• Lead the rollout and change management of new processes identified during retrospective and other inspect and adapt events. 
• Drive accountability by ensuring each team knows what is expected of them and by when. 
• Foster collaboration across teams by resolving conflict, encouraging teamwork and knowledge sharing while creating a culture of mutual support. 
• Typically work on programs with team sizes of 10 to 30, multiple business stakeholders, and significant new technologies or delivery approaches.

Your Impact:

• Work closely with Product, Design and Engineering Leadership to build a comprehensive, high-level plan aligned to the goals and objectives of the Lending Pillar.
• Build a guiding coalition with Engineering Managers, Product Managers, and Design Leads to drive Programs and influence outcomes.  
• Create a culture where change is welcome, teams feel supported, leads feel informed and there is a strong desire to do better each time using lessons learned.

About You: 

• 5+ years of professional experience and 3 years managing mid to large-size projects.
• Strong analytical and change management skills, as well as mastery of project management methodologies.
• Excellent communication, time management, and organization skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build constructive relationships with team members and stakeholders, negotiate and gain commitment, and practice empathy.

Even Better:

• Fintech industry experience.
• PMP, CSM, CSPO or other Agile Certification.

About Us:

What makes an “Earnie” culture: 

• Drivers – Drivers are satisfied by making things happen, not coming along for the ride. They feel a strong sense of ownership for their projects and teams and demand high standards from themselves and others.
• Humility – Humble team players check their egos and consider the team’s needs above their own. They are self-aware of their strengths and opportunities for improvement.
• Growth Mindset – People with a growth mindset approach challenges and failures as learning opportunities. They seek feedback to improve, give feedback to others, and genuinely want to perform well. 

Earnies are committed to helping students live their best lives, free from the stress of student debt. If you’re as passionate as we are about our mission, read more below, and let’s build something great together! 

Earnest believes in enabling our employees to live their best lives. We offer a variety of perks and competitive benefits, including: 

• Health, Dental, & Vision benefits plus savings plans
• Work anywhere in the U.S. 
• Mac computers + work from home stipend to set up your home office
• Monthly internet and phone reimbursement
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• RSUs
• 401(k) plan to help you save for retirement plus a company match
• Robust tuition reimbursement program
• $1,000 travel perk on each Earnie-versary to anywhere in the world 
• Competitive days of annual PTO
• Annual “my day” 
• Pet insurance!
• Competitive parental leave
• Plenty of Earnest swag, optional in person team gatherings, picnics, celebrations, and plenty of fun virtual events 

At Earnest, we are committed to building an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging enables us to move forward with our mission. We are dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team and encourage anyone to apply if your experience is close to what we are looking for.  

Earnest provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status disability or genetics. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for the position in a manner consistent with the Fair Chance Ordinance.

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