Role Summary

We’re looking for a Senior Program Manager – Innovation & Incubation to lead Gen’s most strategic and high‑ambiguity programs across cyber safety (Norton, Avast, and new offerings).

You will own a small portfolio of 0→1 and 1→N programs that cut across products, platforms, and functions—new business models, AI‑powered experiences, cross‑brand journeys, and select inorganic bets. This is a senior individual‑contributor role: you will personally drive programs from idea and incubation through launch and scale, working closely with Product, Engineering, Data/ML, Security, UX/Research, Competitive Intelligence, Corporate Development, Brand, and GTM.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead innovation & incubation programs end‑to‑end

• Own high‑impact, high‑ambiguity programs (e.g., new products/features, AI/ML initiatives, cross‑brand experiences, new monetization models).
  
• Partner with Product, Strategy, Research, and Competitive Intelligence to frame opportunities: target segments, customer problems, market/competitor signals, scope, success metrics, and major risks.
  
• Design and run incubation phases (discovery, experiments, pilots, alpha/beta) to validate direction before full investment.

2. Turn strategy and insight into an executable plan

• Translate strategy, user research, and market/competitor insight into integrated program plans spanning discovery, build, launch, and scale.
  
• Define milestones, decision gates, and exit criteria for each phase, including when to pivot, pause, or stop.
  
• Continuously adapt plans based on new data, technical constraints, and evolving threat/market dynamics.

3. Drive cross‑functional execution

• Coordinate work across Product, Engineering, Data/ML, Security, Privacy/Legal, UX/Research, Brand/Marketing, GTM, and Support.
  
• Run efficient cadences (working sessions, stand‑ups, steering reviews) that focus on decisions and unblockers, not just status.
  
• Proactively manage risks, dependencies, and trade‑offs, escalating with clear options and recommendations.

4. Launch, measure, and scale

• Orchestrate launch readiness:
  • Internal enablement (Support, Sales, CS, Marketing),
    
  • Customer messaging and positioning (with Brand/GTM),
    
  • Safety, privacy, and incident plans (with Security/Privacy).
    
• Define and track success metrics and leading indicators (e.g., protection impact, engagement, trust, adoption, revenue).
  
• Lead post‑launch reviews; drive follow‑on iterations, hardening, or scale‑up plans based on results and customer feedback.

5. Insights, competitor analysis & M&A support

• Work with user/UX research, customer insights, and competitive intelligence to:
  • Identify unmet needs, emerging threats, and whitespace for innovation.
    
  • Ground program decisions in evidence from users and markets, not just internal ideas.
    
  • Provide competitor analysis (product capabilities, roadmaps, GTM, pricing, partnerships) to shape strategy and differentiation.
    
• Partner with Strategy and Corporate Development on M&A‑related work when relevant to big bets:
  • Inform target identification based on product gaps, technology, and market positioning.
    
  • Support product/technology due diligence and early integration planning.
    
  • Help design and, where appropriate, run integration programs to realize the intended strategic value.

6. Champion innovation practices

• Help evolve Gen’s innovation & incubation playbook: how we source, assess, and run 0→1 programs (build, partner, buy).
  
• Share patterns and learnings across PSE and Product on what works, what doesn’t, and where to invest next.

Qualifications

Required

• 8+ years in Program Management / Technical Program Management / Product Delivery, with a strong track record leading complex, cross‑functional initiatives in software/SaaS.
  
• Demonstrated experience owning 0→1 or highly innovative programs (e.g., new products/features, AI/ML initiatives, new business models).
  
• Experience collaborating closely with user/market research and competitive intelligence and using insight to steer program scope and positioning.
  
• Exposure to M&A work (e.g., supporting Corp Dev or Strategy on product/tech due diligence, integration planning, or post‑close execution).
  
• Strong strategic thinking: connects customer and market insight, competitor moves, technical possibilities, and business outcomes.
  
• Proven ability to operate in high ambiguity—framing problems, creating structure, and driving progress with incomplete information.
  
• Excellent communication and influence skills, including with senior executives across Product, Engineering, Security, Research, Corp Dev, and GTM.
  
• Comfortable with data and experimentation: defining hypotheses, success metrics, and interpreting experiment/pilot results.
  
• Strong execution and ownership mindset: can drive programs independently while keeping stakeholders aligned.

Preferred

• Experience in cybersecurity, privacy, identity, fraud, or other safety‑critical domains.
  
• Experience with AI/ML‑powered products, including safety, risk, and trust implications.
  
• Background working in global, matrixed organizations and across multiple brands or product lines.

Why This Role Matters

• You will lead the innovation and incubation programs that shape the future of Gen’s cyber safety portfolio—from breakthrough AI capabilities to new business models, partnerships, and acquisitions.
  
• Your work will turn bold ideas, insight, and strategic opportunities into real, shipped solutions that protect and empower millions of customers.
  
• You’ll help define how Gen does innovation at scale, combining disciplined program management with fast learning and smart risk‑taking.

Gen is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusivity. We base employment decisions on merit, experience, and business needs, without considering race, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military or veteran status, or other unlawful factors. Gen prohibits discrimination based on these protected characteristics and recruits talented candidates from diverse backgrounds.

We consider individuals with arrest and conviction records and do not discriminate against employees for discussing their own pay or that of other employees or applicants. Learn more about pay transparency.

To conform to U.S. export control regulations, applicant should be eligible for any required authorizations from the U.S. Government.