Senior Staff Technical Program Manager - Ads

About Shopify

Shopify empowers entrepreneurs worldwide, facilitating access to independence for anyone with aspirations to launch a business. Since 2006, the company has expanded to over 10,000 employees, driving over $500 billion in sales globally across 175 countries. This role contributes to impactful work that shapes both individual lives and the broader commerce landscape, fostering a future with more voices and choices.

About the Role

The Senior Staff Technical Program Manager (TPM) for Ads at Shopify will lead major technical initiatives related to advertising technology that connects merchants, advertisers, and audiences. This position requires partnering closely with Engineering, Product, Data Science, and business units to build scalable advertising platforms that enhance campaign performance, ensure relevant advertising experiences, and support sustainable growth while safeguarding customer experience.

TPMs at Shopify manage complex, cross-team programs by incorporating technical judgment into problem-solving, aligning platform architecture with business goals, facilitating informed decision-making, and translating complex technical projects into actionable plans. The role spans the full advertising lifecycle, including ad delivery, targeting, campaign management, measurement, experimentation, ML infrastructure, monetization, and platform reliability.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end execution of complex, cross-functional technical programs from definition through launch and ongoing optimization, establishing clear objectives, milestones, dependencies, and success metrics.
• Align technical delivery with business goals by collaborating with stakeholders to convert strategic priorities into executable roadmaps balancing merchant value, revenue potential, customer experience, and engineering resources.
• Understand complex system architectures—including APIs, data flows, and distributed services—to help teams evaluate solutions, resolve dependencies, and make informed technical decisions without undermining ownership.
• Lead development of scalable advertising platform components across areas such as ad serving, targeting, campaign management, auctions, measurement, experimentation, and data infrastructure.
• Leverage data by working with Data Science and Analytics teams to define metrics, set up instrumentation, assess experiments, diagnose performance issues, and convert insights into actionable plans related to revenue, adoption, reliability, and user experience.
• Navigate organizational complexity by aligning diverse teams, managing competing priorities, driving clear decisions, removing impediments, and ensuring accountability across interdependent streams.
• Enhance operational excellence by establishing efficient program mechanisms that improve visibility, risk management, launch readiness, and reduce repetitive work through automation and streamlined practices.
• Integrate AI-native workflows by utilizing AI tools and coding assistants to accelerate discovery, analyze data, prototype, automate tasks, gather program insights, and foresee risks while ensuring privacy, security, and ethical AI compliance.
• Communicate clearly with varying audiences, providing transparent updates on program status, technical risks, and business impacts tailored for engineers, cross-functional partners, and leadership.

Required Qualifications

• Extensive experience in technical program management, software engineering, or related roles with demonstrated success delivering complex multi-team programs.
• Proven ability to lead large-scale initiatives from strategy and technical execution through launch with measurable results.
• Strong technical acumen and active engagement in architecture and design discussions involving distributed systems, APIs, and data platforms.
• Skill in translating business goals into clear technical roadmaps with measurable success criteria and prioritization across teams.
• Ability to analyze data and apply analytical reasoning for trade-offs, risk assessment, and program evaluation.
• Capability to build alignment among stakeholders, manage conflicting priorities, and make decisions in ambiguous environments without formal authority.
• Excellent written and verbal communication to explain complex technical concepts and effectively report program status and risks.
• Experience building robust program management processes including dependency tracking, risk management, milestone oversight, and continuous improvement.
• Proactive problem-solving mindset with focus on measurable outcomes rather than procedural formalities.
• Familiarity with AI-powered tools and coding assistants (e.g., Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT) applied thoughtfully to enhance technical problem-solving and program delivery.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in digital advertising, ad technology platforms, commerce media, or performance marketing.
• Knowledge of advertising lifecycle elements such as targeting, bidding systems, campaign management, measurement, attribution, and experimentation.
• Experience collaborating with Data Science, Machine Learning, or Analytics on data-driven product development and optimization platforms.
• Track record managing revenue-critical, large-scale platforms emphasizing reliability, scalability, latency, data integrity, and customer satisfaction.
• Expertise defining and monitoring business and technical performance metrics including revenue growth, adoption, and operational efficiency.
• Experience steering platform migrations, modernization efforts, complex partner integrations, and multi-team technical programs.
• Application of AI-assisted development, automation, or rapid prototyping to accelerate execution and improve decision-making.

About You

• Passionate about enhancing commerce for all stakeholders.
• Committed to continuous personal and professional development at a rapid pace.
• Adaptable and resilient in ambiguous, fast-moving, and complex environments.
• Comfortable contributing diverse viewpoints and critical thinking to push work forward.
• Proficient in utilizing AI tools and focusing efforts on uniquely human tasks.
• Collaborative, embracing differing opinions to achieve shared goals.
• Experienced in digital-first workflows.