Senior Technical Program Manager

Our mission is to make higher education accessible and affordable for everyone. We empower students with financial support and supercharge their ability to pay down their debt, so they can get on the right financial track, fast.

We build tools that help people feel in control of their financial future, including:

• Private student loans - low rates, people-first service, and flexible payments.
• Student loan refinancing - break free from high-interest rates or monthly payments.
• Scholarships - access to thousands of scholarships to help students pay less.

Earnies are committed to helping students live their best lives, free from the stress of student debt. If you’re as passionate as we are about our mission, read more below, and let’s build something great together! 

The Senior Technical Program Manager position will report to the Director of PMO. 

As the Senior Technical Program Manager, you will:

• You'll be an individual contributor who will create Program Plans that are aligned to company OKRs and based on data from product roadmaps, Jira, and any other sources that include dates/milestones.
• Track program status, resolve impediments, manage risks and issues, and assist with backlog creation.
• Collaborate with the Program Sponsor to ensure sound decision-making and goal-setting.
• Conduct post-program reviews to identify areas for improvement and facilitate productive meetings.
• Typically work on programs with team sizes of 10 to 30, multiple business stakeholders, and significant new technologies or delivery approaches.

Your Impact:

• Work closely with Earnest Leadership to build a comprehensive, top-down, high-level plan aligned with the lending pillar's goals and objectives.
• Partner with the Engineering Managers, Product Managers, and Design Leads to help drive Programs as well as to help resolve impediments, provide coaching where needed, and manage risks and issues. 
• Create a culture of “inspect and adapt” within the TPMO team by identifying areas of improvement.

About You: 

• 5+ years of professional experience and 5 years managing mid to large-size projects.
• Strong analytical and change management skills, as well as mastery of project management methodologies.
• Excellent communication, time management, and organization skills.
• Demonstrated ability to build constructive relationships with team members and stakeholders, negotiate and gain commitment, and practice empathy.

Even Better:

• Fintech industry experience

Where:

• This role will be based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• While you’ll enjoy the flexibility of remote work, we also love to see our Earnies face-to-face! We ask you to join us at our Oakland office for 3 consecutive days a month for team collaboration and some fun. It's a chance to connect, share ideas, and maybe even grab some coffee together!

#LI-GA1

A little about our pay philosophy: We take pride in compensating our employees fairly and equitably. We are showcasing a range of your potential base salary. The successful candidate’s starting pay will also be determined based on job-related qualifications, internal compensation, and budget. This range may be modified in the future.

Earnest believes in enabling our employees to live their best lives. We offer a variety of perks and competitive benefits, including: 

• Health, Dental, & Vision benefits plus savings plans
• Mac computers + work-from-home stipend to set up your home office
• Monthly internet and phone reimbursement
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs)
• 401(k) plan to help you save for retirement plus a company match
• Robust tuition reimbursement program
• $1,000 travel perk on each Earnie-versary to anywhere in the world 
• Competitive days of annual PTO
• Competitive parental leave

What makes an “Earnie” culture: 

• Drivers – Drivers are satisfied by making things happen, not coming along for the ride. They feel a strong sense of ownership for their projects and teams and demand high standards from themselves and others.
• Humility – Humble team players check their egos and consider the team’s needs above their own. They are self-aware of their strengths and opportunities for improvement.
• Growth Mindset – People with a growth mindset approach challenges and failures as learning opportunities. They seek feedback to improve, give feedback to others, and genuinely want to perform well. 

At Earnest, we are committed to building an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. Our belief is that a strong commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging enables us to move forward with our mission. We are dedicated to adding new perspectives to the team and encourage anyone to apply if your experience is close to what we are looking for.  

Earnest provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or genetics. Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for the position in a manner consistent with the Fair Chance Ordinance.