Technical Product Manager (Technical Roadmap)

Samba TV tracks streaming and broadcast video across the world with our proprietary data and technology. We are on a mission to fundamentally transform the viewing experience for everyone. Our data enables media companies to connect with audiences for new shows and movies, and enables advertisers to engage viewers and measure reach across all their devices. We have an amazing story with a unique perspective on culture formed by a global footprint of data and AI-driven insights.

Samba TV is looking for a Technical Product Manager to own our technical roadmap process — the system by which engineering teams across the organization propose, prioritize, and deliver platform and infrastructure initiatives. This is a high-impact, cross-functional role at the center of how Samba TV’s engineering organization plans and executes.

You’ll partner with engineering teams, the Program Management Office (PMO), and senior engineering leadership to ensure the right technical investments get prioritized, requirements are clearly defined, and execution stays on track. You’ll be a tireless advocate for platform health, technical risk reduction, and the enablement work that keeps our teams moving fast — and you’ll build the processes and structures that make that advocacy scalable.

This is not a feature PM role. You’ll be working deep in the stack, on the initiatives that make other initiatives possible.

Why This Role

You’ll have significant ownership and visibility at a company where the quality of our data platform directly determines our ability to deliver for customers. Engineering leadership is invested in this function, and you’ll have a real seat at the table in how we plan and prioritize technical work across the org.

What You’ll Do:
• Own the end-to-end technical roadmap process, from intake and triage through commitment, execution, and launch.
• Propose as well as review and evaluate incoming technical initiative proposals from engineering teams, validating problem statements, assessing cross-team impact, and negotiating priority.
• Maintain and communicate a prioritized backlog of technical initiatives.
• Define and document requirements for cross-team and org-level initiatives, working with platform teams and impacted engineering teams to gather and validate inputs.
• Partner with the PMO to translate the prioritized roadmap into quarterly team commitments, resolving conflicts and ensuring alignment across teams.
• Advocate for enablement and technical risk reduction initiatives in prioritization discussions alongside Product leadership.
• Coordinate across engineering teams during execution of cross-team initiatives, confirming that solutions meet requirements and that all affected teams have delivered before initiatives are closed.
• Continuously improve the processes, tooling (Jira), and documentation that support the technical roadmap function.

What We’re Looking For:
• 5+ years of experience in technical product management or a similar position, with a track record of owning complex, cross-functional initiatives.
• Strong technical fluency — you can engage credibly with engineers on architecture, infrastructure, APIs, and data systems, and you know enough to ask the right questions even when you don’t have all the answers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; you can distill complex technical considerations into clear, concise documentation for varied audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to drive prioritization and clarity in ambiguous environments with competing stakeholder interests.
• Experience in data platforms, infrastructure, or platform engineering environments strongly preferred.
• Experience writing or managing requirements documentation for technically complex initiatives.
• Familiarity with Agile/scrum practices and project tracking tools (Jira experience a plus).
• A track record of building trust with engineering teams — you understand their constraints, respect their autonomy, and know how to influence without authority.

Samba TV is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We strive to empower connection with one another, reflect the communities we serve, and tackle meaningful projects that make a real impact.

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