Contract Program Manager – Product & GTM Launch (AI / SaaS)
San Jose, California, United States of America
Full Time
1 week ago
Key skills
AIArtificial IntelligenceLLMAgenticBISaaSSalesforceJiraLeadershipChange ManagementCustomer SuccessSales
About this role
AppZen is the leader in autonomous spend-to-pay software. Its patented artificial intelligence accurately and efficiently processes information from thousands of data sources so that organizations can better understand enterprise spend at scale to make smarter business decisions. It seamlessly integrates with existing accounts payable, expense, and card workflows to read, understand, and make real-time decisions based on your unique spend profile, leading to faster processing times and fewer instances of fraud or wasteful spend. Global enterprises, including one-third of the Fortune 500, use AppZen’s invoice, expense, and card transaction solutions to replace manual finance processes and accelerate the speed and agility of their businesses. To learn more, visit us at www.appzen.com.
We are launching new products and AI-driven capabilities and need a high-ownership Program Manager to drive execution across Product, Engineering, Support, Customer Success, Marketing, and Sales.
This is not a status-tracking role. You will own the end-to-end orchestration of new product and feature introductions — from roadmap alignment to launch readiness to post-launch metrics. You will ensure teams are aligned, risks are surfaced early, timelines are realistic, and launches drive measurable business outcomes.
This role reports to Head of Product / Head of Operations.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.
For California applicants, you can find our Privacy Notice linked on the bottom of our appzen.com website.
We are launching new products and AI-driven capabilities and need a high-ownership Program Manager to drive execution across Product, Engineering, Support, Customer Success, Marketing, and Sales.
This is not a status-tracking role. You will own the end-to-end orchestration of new product and feature introductions — from roadmap alignment to launch readiness to post-launch metrics. You will ensure teams are aligned, risks are surfaced early, timelines are realistic, and launches drive measurable business outcomes.
This role reports to Head of Product / Head of Operations.
End-to-End Product & Feature Launch Management:
- Build and maintain launch plans for new products and major features
- Define milestones across engineering, QA, documentation, enablement, marketing, and sales
- Identify dependencies, bottlenecks, and risks early
- Drive weekly cross-functional execution cadences
- Ensure launch readiness across all customer-facing functions
Cross-Functional Alignment
- Coordinate execution across Product, Engineering, Customer Success, Support, Marketing, and Sales
- Ensure all stakeholders know what is launching, when, and what success looks like
Metrics & Executive Reporting
- Define launch success KPIs (adoption, usage, pipeline impact, revenue influence, customer satisfaction)
- Track launch progress and readiness metrics
- Build concise executive dashboards and provide written updates to leadership
- Conduct post-launch reviews and improvement loops
Operational Discipline
- Create standardized launch frameworks and checklists
- Improve cross-functional processes to increase predictability
- Drive accountability without creating bureaucracy
Who This Role Is For
- You are extremely organized and structured, comfortable pushing senior leaders when needed, detail-oriented but able to zoom out strategically, a strong written communicator, calm under ambiguity, and fast-moving and action-oriented
Ideal Background
- 5–10+ years in Program Management, Technical Program Management, Product Operations, or Chief of Staff–style roles
- Experience launching B2B SaaS products (AI experience strongly preferred)
- Experience coordinating both technical and GTM stakeholders
- Strong understanding of software development lifecycle
- Comfortable working with engineers and reading technical documents
- Experience reporting directly to executives
- Experience in high-growth startup environments
Bonus (Nice-to-have)
- Experience with AI/LLM or agentic systems launches
- Experience implementing launch frameworks (e.g., stage-gate, structured release readiness)
- Familiarity with tools like Jira, Asana, Linear, Notion, Salesforce, HubSpot, BI dashboards
Contract Structure
- Initial 3–6 month contract
- 20–40 hours/week depending on scope
- Clear success milestones defined upfront
- Opportunity to extend or convert based on performance and company needs
What Success Looks Like in 90 Days
- Launch plan framework established and adopted
- At least one major launch executed with cross-functional alignment
- Executive dashboard operational
- Clear, measurable launch KPIs defined
- Fewer last-minute surprises
- Strong trust established with leadership and stakeholders
Executive Leadership Fit Criteria (Important)
- Think in first principles
- Prepare before meetings
- Communicate concisely
- Anticipate risks early
- Push back respectfully with data
- Bring solutions, not just problems
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit and business need.
For California applicants, you can find our Privacy Notice linked on the bottom of our appzen.com website.