Principal Engineering Program Manager

Adobe is seeking a Principal Engineering Program Manager to lead and scale Experience Engineering initiatives. This role involves driving and orchestrating complex, multi-organization programs that integrate creative and experience products. The manager will act as a strategic bridge between platform, engineering, product, design, and marketing teams, owning process, planning, resource allocation, and risk management. Key responsibilities include delivering large-scale growth engineering projects, developing comprehensive project plans, collaborating with cross-functional teams, preparing status reports, and defining/improving program management processes to ensure flawless execution and high-quality outcomes.

Must Have

• Lead and scale Experience Engineering initiatives.
• Drive and orchestrate complex, multi-organization programs.
• Act as a strategic bridge between platform, engineering, product, design, and marketing teams.
• Own process, planning, resource allocation, risk management, and partner coordination.
• Ensure flawless execution of projects, meet critical deadlines, and deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Deliver multiple large-scale growth engineering projects.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans.
• Monitor progress, mitigate risks, and proactively resolve issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define goals, scope, and deliverables.
• Prepare and present status reports, dashboards, and executive summaries.
• Maintain comprehensive documentation and communicate updates.
• Define and iteratively improve program management processes, tools, and methodologies.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related technical field, or comparable practical experience.
• 10+ years of program management experience in engineering and technical environments.
• At least 3 years in senior or principal leadership roles.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams in matrixed organizations.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex engineering programs end-to-end.
• Thrive in fast-paced environments and navigate ambiguity effectively.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Strong understanding of the software development lifecycle and engineering workflows.
• Creative and systematic approach to problem-solving, prioritization, and evaluating alternative solutions.
• Expertise in Agile project management methodologies (Scrum, Kanban).
• Expertise in tools such as Jira and Confluence.
• Experience in implementing Adobe Experience Cloud solutions, managing digital marketing campaigns, creative production workflows, or large-scale consumer product launches.

Our Company

Changing the world through digital experiences is what Adobe’s all about. We give everyone—from emerging artists to global brands—everything they need to design and deliver exceptional digital experiences! We’re passionate about empowering people to create beautiful and powerful images, videos, and apps, and transform how companies interact with customers across every screen.

We’re on a mission to hire the very best and are committed to creating exceptional employee experiences where everyone is respected and has access to equal opportunity. We realize that new ideas can come from everywhere in the organization, and we know the next big idea could be yours!

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Principal Engineering Program Manager to lead and scale our Experience Engineering initiatives. In this role, you will drive and orchestrate complex, multi-organization programs that bring together our best in class creative & experience products. Acting as a strategic bridge between platform, engineering, product, design and marketing teams, you will own the process, planning, resource allocation, risk management, and partner coordination. With a deep understanding of software development processes and a keen eye for detail, you will ensure flawless execution of projects, meet critical deadlines, and deliver high-quality outcomes.

What you'll Do

• Deliver multiple large-scale growth engineering projects.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, defining goals, timelines, checkpoints, and resource allocation; monitor progress, mitigate risks, and proactively resolve issues to ensure successful execution.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including engineering, product management, and marketing to define goals, scope, and deliverables, foster alignment and transparency through effective communication and coordination.
• Prepare and present status reports, dashboards, and executive summaries to partners while maintaining comprehensive documentation and communicating updates and lessons learned to support future initiatives.
• Define and iteratively improve program management processes, tools, and methodologies; implement guidelines to optimize efficiency and effectiveness.

What you need to succeed

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, or comparable practical experience.
• 10+ years of program management experience in engineering and technical environments, including at least 3 years in senior or principal leadership roles.
• Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams in matrixed organizations, driving and coordinating complex programs.
• Demonstrated success in managing complex engineering programs end-to-end, thriving in fast-paced environments and navigating ambiguity effectively.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly convey complex technical concepts to executive and non-technical partners.
• Strong understanding of the software development lifecycle and engineering workflows, combined with a creative and systematic approach to problem-solving, prioritization, and evaluating alternative solutions.
• Expertise in Agile project management methodologies (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) and tools such as Jira and Confluence.
• Experience in implementing Adobe Experience Cloud solutions, managing digital marketing campaigns, creative production workflows, or large-scale consumer product launches.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $146,300 -- $277,400 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

In California, the pay range for this position is $191,600 - $277,400 In Washington, the pay range for this position is $177,100 - $256,450

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State-Specific Notices:

California:

Fair Chance Ordinances

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado:

Application Window Notice

Jan 02 2026 12:00 AM

If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts:

Massachusetts Legal Notice

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law. Learn more.

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