Principal Program Manager

Job description

About the Role ProRata.ai http://ProRata.ai is redefining digital advertising for the AI era through patent-pending AI agent technology. Our ProRata Ads platform enables real-time, contextual, prompt-driven advertising that intelligently matches brand objectives with content semantics across Gist.ai http://Gist.ai and premium publisher environments. We are seeking a Principal Program Manager to drive the successful planning, coordination, and delivery of our core AdTech product initiatives. You will serve as the connective tissue across Engineering, Product, Frontend, Business Development, and external partners — ensuring our ad serving infrastructure, agentic workflows, reporting systems, and fraud detection capabilities launch on time, with high quality, and aligned to business impact. This is a high-visibility strategic role ideal for someone who excels at orchestrating complex, technical programs in a fast-moving startup. You will help translate ambitious product visions into executable plans while managing dependencies, risks, and cross-team collaboration in our AI-native advertising platform. Key Responsibilities - Lead end-to-end program planning and execution for major AdTech initiatives, including the ad serving system, agentic backend workflows, campaign/creative management tools, scalable reporting, and fraud detection systems. - Partner closely with the Principal Software Engineering Manager (Tech Lead) and engineering teams to define technical roadmaps, break down epics into actionable milestones, and drive on-time delivery. - Collaborate with the frontend team, Product, and Business Development to align on requirements for campaign management, creative optimization, and advertiser/publisher-facing features. - Manage cross-functional dependencies, risks, and blockers — proactively surfacing issues and coordinating resolutions across Engineering, Product, Design, and external partners (publishers, SSPs, DSPs). - Establish and maintain clear program artifacts: roadmaps, timelines, status reporting, RACI matrices, and success metrics to ensure transparency for leadership and stakeholders. - Drive launch readiness and post-launch activities, including go-to-market coordination, partner integration support, performance monitoring, and iterative improvements. - Facilitate effective working sessions, prioritization decisions, and trade-off discussions between technical constraints and business needs. - Continuously improve program management processes, tools, and best practices as the AdTech platform scales from pilots to production traffic. Qualifications - 8+ years of experience in Program Management, Technical Program Management, or related roles, with a proven track record delivering complex software products at scale. - Experience working in advertising technology (ad serving, programmatic, real-time bidding, or AI-driven ad platforms) is strongly preferred. - Demonstrated ability to manage large-scale technical programs involving distributed systems, low-latency infrastructure, and emerging AI/ML components. - Strong technical fluency — able to understand system architecture, APIs, scalability challenges, and AI concepts (LLMs, agentic workflows, inference) without writing production code. - Excellent project and program management skills, including roadmap planning, risk management, dependency tracking, and stakeholder communication. - Exceptional communication and influence skills — able to align diverse teams (engineering, product, business) and present clearly to executives. - Comfort operating in a startup environment with evolving requirements, high ambiguity, and rapid iteration. - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field (or equivalent experience). Preferred Qualifications - Prior experience with GenAI/LLM-powered products, prompt engineering, or agentic systems. - Background in adtech ecosystems (OpenRTB, header bidding, SSP/DSP integrations, ad quality, fraud detection). - Hands-on experience with agile methodologies, Jira/Asana/Linear, and program management tools. - Startup experience — thriving in resource-constrained, high-ownership environments. - Familiarity with cloud-native architectures and AI inference challenges. Compensation The compensation for this position is competitive and commensurate with experience including : - Base salary range: $220,000 - $260,000 - Equity participation What We Offer - Opportunity to work at the forefront of AI technology - Collaborative and innovative work environment - Competitive salary and benefits package - Professional development and growth opportunities - Chance to make a significant impact on the company's success Equal Employment Opportunity - ProRata is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All employment decisions are made based on qualifications, merit, and business needs. California Specific Notices - At-Will Employment: Employment at ProrataAI is at-will. This means that either the employee or the employer may terminate employment at any time, with or without cause or prior notice. - Salary Disclosure: In compliance with California law, salary information is provided to ensure transparency and fairness. - California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA): ProrataAI complies with the CCPA. Personal information collected during the recruitment process will be used for employment purposes only. *This open position is not eligible for Company sponsorship of a visa that would require a new H-1B visa petition that is subject to the $100,000 payment requirement announced in the Presidential Proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” dated September 19, 2025 (or any extensions or modifications of the Proclamation).