Senior Technical Program Manager

Job Description

This role is based in PayPay India and focuses on technical program management across PayPay's product and platform portfolio. You will drive programs spanning payment processing, regulatory compliance, and platform integrations. The role requires close collaboration with India-based engineering teams and stakeholders across PayPay's headquarters in Japan.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES :

Program Execution & Delivery

• Independently drive technical programs of varying complexity, from well-defined projects to programs with multiple dependencies and cross-functional impact.
• Establish and maintain program governance: risk registers, dependency maps, milestone tracking, and status reporting aligned to PayPay KPI framework (Predictability, Governance, Technical Health, Architecture).
• Monitor program health across progress, risks, blockers, and timelines. Communicate transparently with stakeholders and escalate proactively.
• Make program-level decisions on scope, schedule, and trade-offs with increasing autonomy.

Technical & Product Engagement

• Contribute to and influence technical design discussions, architecture reviews, and TDD (Technical Design Document) reviews with focus on security, compliance, and payment integrity.
• Engage with AI/ML applications in FinTech (fraud detection, risk scoring, recommendation engines) as they relate to program scope.
• Ensure completion of non-functional requirements (Security, Performance, Compliance, Regulatory Requirements) prior to release milestones.
• Partner with Engineering Managers and Product Managers to translate business goals into actionable execution plans aligned with financial services standards.

Agile & Process Leadership

• Champion Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban) within assigned teams, fostering transparency, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Tailor PayPay SDLC practices to team context while maintaining alignment with organizational standards.
• Facilitate planning, retrospectives, and cross-team coordination meetings as needed.
• Leverage generative AI tools appropriately to enhance productivity in documentation, analysis, and communication task.
• Identify and drive process improvements that benefit program delivery and team effectiveness.

Stakeholder Management & Communication

• Manage stakeholder alignment across Engineering, Product, Design, QA, and business partners.
• Build strong working relationships across teams and geographies (India, Japan headquarters.
• Represent programs in leadership forums and cross-functional planning sessions.

Mentorship & Collaboration

• Mentor junior TPMs and new team members on program management fundamentals, PayPay processes, and best practices.
• Contribute to the TPM community knowledge base and process documentation.
• Foster an inclusive, collaborative environment within programs and teams.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field.
• 10+ years professional experience, including 5–7 years in technical program management.
• Experience in FinTech, payments, banking, or financial services with exposure to payment processing or regulated product development.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, payment systems, and SDLC.
• Proven experience managing complex technical programs with multiple dependencies and cross-functional teams.
• Understanding of security and compliance requirements in financial services.
• Practical use of generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) for program management productivity.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
• Experience with Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban).

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS :

• Deep knowledge of security and compliance frameworks in financial services (e.g., data protection, transaction security, regulatory standards.
• Experience managing third-party integrations (payment gateways, banking systems, settlement platforms.
• Experience managing AI/ML-driven programs in FinTech (fraud detection, risk models, transaction monitoring) with ability to identify AI-specific risks (data quality, model drift, bias, explainability.
• Technical depth: working knowledge of programming languages, cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines.
• Business-level English fluency for global collaboration.
• Experience mentoring TPMs or leading process improvement initiatives.
• Leverage AI/LLM-based tools in daily workflows (e.g., code development, reviews, testing, debugging, documentation), while ensuring human oversight, judgment, and accountability drive the final product.