Sr. Technical Product Manager

Panera Bread · Saint Louis Support Center · $145,305 - $174,366 USD · Posted 2026-10-01

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

About Panera Bread

Panera Bread bake fresh bread and offers omni-channel access to mobile ordering and catering.

Sr. Technical Product Manager

About Panera Bread

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