Job description

Sr. Technical Product Manager Job Purpose As a Senior Technical Product Manager at Panera, you are responsible for owning the strategy, roadmap, and delivery of critical digital platforms across the eCommerce and in-café ecosystem. This role operates with broad scope and high autonomy, leading complex, cross-functional initiatives that span multiple teams, systems, and vendor partnerships. You serve as a bridge between product strategy and technical execution, translating business and customer needs into scalable, high-performing platform capabilities. In addition to driving delivery, you are accountable for product outcomes, platform reliability, and long-term technical evolution. The Sr. TPdM also acts as a senior leader and mentor, elevating product management practices, influencing cross-functional decisions, and serving as a trusted advisor to Product, Engineering, and executive stakeholders. Location: St. Louis, MO (hybrid) Duties & Responsibilities The primary responsibilities of this job include, but are not limited to: Product Strategy & Roadmap Ownership Own and define the technical product strategy and roadmap for one or more critical domains (Web, Mobile, Kiosk, Shared Services) Partner with Digital Product Managers to translate customer needs and business goals into scalable technical solutions Drive product discovery, solution design, and prioritization decisions Balance trade-offs across customer value, performance, scalability, technical debt, and speed to market Identify opportunities to evolve platform capabilities and support long-term growth and extensibility End-to-End Product Ownership & Execution Leadership Own the end-to-end lifecycle from ideation through delivery and post-launch optimization Translate roadmap initiatives into execution plans, backlog structure, and measurable outcomes Proactively identify cross-team dependencies, risks, and architectural constraints and drive resolution Ensure high-quality, predictable delivery across multiple teams and workstreams Act as a senior advisor on feasibility, sequencing, and solution trade-of Outcome Ownership & Product Performance Own and drive measurable product and platform outcomes , including: Conversion and digital revenue impact System performance and latency Reliability and stability (99.99% uptime target) Customer and operational experience metrics Use data and insights to inform prioritization and continuously optimize product performance Monitor platform health and proactively identify areas for improvement and innovation Engineering & Architecture Partnership Partner with Engineering and Architecture to define system design and technical direction Influence platform architecture decisions to support scalability, resilience, and maintainability Participate in and challenge technical design reviews Ensure solutions align with enterprise architecture, security, and performance standards Advocate for investments in technical health, modernization, and platform sustainability Advanced Prioritization & Backlog Leadership Own a multi-team, outcome-driven backlog aligned to strategic roadmap objectives Drive prioritization decisions balancing: Feature delivery Production stability Technical debt reduction Long-term platform evolution Ensure consistent quality of user stories, acceptance criteria, and readiness standards Mentor Product Managers/Owners on backlog strategy and prioritization best practices Release Ownership & Production Accountability Own execution of complex, high-impact releases across multiple teams and systems Ensure releases meet readiness standards including: Documentation and traceability Testing and certification Risk and dependency alignment Lead go/no-go decisions , release coordination, and issue resolution Serve as the primary escalation point for production issues Drive continuous improvement in release quality, predictability, and operational readiness Own, document, and execute release management process and calls, ensuring the product is deployed successfully and making precise business and technical judgment calls for issues found before or during the call Product Health, Stability & Technical Debt Strategy Own visibility and improvement of platform health metrics : Stability and crash trends Order and transaction performance Customer and operational feedback Lead strategic planning and execution of technical debt and platform modernization initiatives Ensure technical investments are proactively planned and aligned to roadmap priorities Partner with Engineering to maintain a healthy balance of feature delivery and platform sustainability Cross-Functional Leadership & Executive Communication Act as a thought partner and decision-maker across Product, Engineering, and business teams Influence roadmap trade-offs and investment decisions Provide clear, concise communication on: Roadmap progress Delivery status and forecasts Risks, blockers, and mitigation plans Product and platform performance Translate complex technical concepts into business-relevant insights for leadership Vendor & Partner Leadership Own delivery outcomes and performance for external vendor partners Lead vendor governance, execution reviews, and continuous improvement efforts Ensure alignment between vendors and internal teams on standards, timelines, and quality expectations Escalate and resolve vendor-related risks impacting delivery or platform health Mentorship & Team Leadership Serve as a mentor and coach to Technical Product Managers, Product Owners, and cross-functional peers Elevate standards across backlog management, delivery execution, and product thinking Drive consistency and maturity in product management practices across the organization Qualifications (Education & Experience) Required Experience 8–10 years of experience in Technical Product Management, Product Management, or related roles Proven experience owning product strategy, roadmaps, and delivery for complex digital platforms Strong background in software development lifecycle, system architecture, and scalable systems Experience leading large-scale, cross-team initiatives and high-visibility product launches Demonstrated ability to influence technical and business decisions at a senior level Experience working in Agile / SAFe environments at scale Technical & Product Skills Strong ability to translate business needs into technical solutions and architectural considerations Deep understanding of APIs, microservices, and distributed systems Experience with performance optimization, scalability, and reliability engineering principles Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making skills Leadership & Communication Executive-level communication and stakeholder management skills Ability to operate as both a strategic leader and hands-on executor Strong cross-functional leadership and influence without direct authority Proven ability to drive alignment in complex, fast-paced environments Preferred Qualifications Experience in eCommerce, mobile apps, kiosks, or omni-channel platforms Experience with enterprise-scale, high-availability systems Background in platform or backend product management Experience managing third-party integrations and vendor ecosystems Success Profile (What Great Looks Like) Owns both product strategy and execution across complex domains Drives measurable business, customer, and platform outcomes Partners deeply with Engineering to shape architecture and long-term technical direction Balances speed of delivery with platform scalability and health Acts as a trusted advisor to leadership and mentor to the broader team Elevates product management discipline and execution standards across the organization Working Conditions Required travel – 0%–10% Physical Requirements While performing this job, the incumbent is regularly required to stand, sit, talk hear & use hands and fingers to operate keyboards Direct Reports None Equal Opportunity Employer: Disabled/Veterans Competitive Pay $145,305 - $174,366 annually The actual pay offered will be determined by multiple factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant experience, job-related knowledge, skills, and geographical location. Individual compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate. Saint Louis Support Center

Requirements

Must-haves

Sr. Technical Product Manager
The Sr. TPdM also acts as a senior leader and mentor, elevating product management practices, influencing cross-functional decisions, and serving as a trusted advisor to Product, Engineering, and executive stakeholders.
Location: St. Louis, MO (hybrid)
Duties & Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of this job include, but are not limited to:
Product Strategy & Roadmap Ownership Own and define the technical product strategy and roadmap for one or more critical domains (Web, Mobile, Kiosk, Shared Services)
Partner with Digital Product Managers to translate customer needs and business goals into scalable technical solutions
Drive product discovery, solution design, and prioritization decisions
Balance trade-offs across customer value, performance, scalability, technical debt, and speed to market
Identify opportunities to evolve platform capabilities and support long-term growth and extensibility
End-to-End Product Ownership & Execution Leadership Own the end-to-end lifecycle from ideation through delivery and post-launch optimization
Translate roadmap initiatives into execution plans, backlog structure, and measurable outcomes
Proactively identify cross-team dependencies, risks, and architectural constraints and drive resolution
Ensure high-quality, predictable delivery across multiple teams and workstreams
Act as a senior advisor on feasibility, sequencing, and solution trade-of
Outcome Ownership & Product Performance Own and drive measurable product and platform outcomes , including: Conversion and digital revenue impact
System performance and latency
Reliability and stability (99.99% uptime target)
Customer and operational experience metrics
Use data and insights to inform prioritization and continuously optimize product performance
Monitor platform health and proactively identify areas for improvement and innovation
Engineering & Architecture Partnership Partner with Engineering and Architecture to define system design and technical direction
Influence platform architecture decisions to support scalability, resilience, and maintainability

Nice-to-haves

Preferred Qualifications Experience in eCommerce, mobile apps, kiosks, or omni-channel platforms

Application prep

Use the role’s language and application details while tailoring your materials.

Keywords to mirror

goagile

Platform: workday
Effort: long