Senior Principal Program Manager, Business Operations, BizOps

About the teamCustomer Fulfillment Engineering (CFE) builds the platforms and experiences that power Zillow’s end-to-end transaction ecosystem across our Buying, Agent, Mortgage, and broader Real Estate business units. We partner closely with Product, Marketing, Finance, Design, and Shared Services to deliver reliable, scalable, and elegant customer solutions.
We are a technology-driven organization committed to operational excellence, continuous improvement, and a customer-first mindset. Our work spans systems, services, and strategic transformation initiatives across Zillow Group.

About the role

We are hiring a Senior Principal Program Manager, Business Operations (BizOps) to serve as a strategic leader supporting the SVP of Customer Fulfillment Engineering. This role is a critical force multiplier, accountable for driving operational rigor, budget management, enabling cross-functional alignment, and leading strategic programs across engineering and the broader Zillow ecosystem.
 

You’ll orchestrate the business rhythms of the organization—financial planning, headcount management, operational reviews, and strategic initiative tracking—while acting as the connective tissue across Engineering, Finance, Product, and other partner teams.
 

This is a high-impact individual contributor role that requires strategic thinking, operational excellence, strong cross-functional influence, and a relentless bias for execution. You will shape and scale how our engineering organization plans, executes, and grows.
 

What You'll Do

• Act as a trusted partner to the SVP of Engineering, driving prioritization, clarity, and accountability across the leadership team.

• Design and run engineering and operational rhythms: planning, strategic reviews, portfolio health assessments, OKR alignment, and budget/headcount planning.

• Own program design and execution for top-priority engineering and cross-functional initiatives (e.g., SDLC optimization, platform investments, org-wide tooling adoption).

• Drive cross-team integration and visibility across large engineering organizations and stakeholder groups, ensuring smooth adoption of shared frameworks and standards.

• Manage the operating and capital expenditure (OpEx/CapEx) budget in partnership with Finance (FP&A) and Procurement, including vendor/cloud infrastructure tracking.

• Identify and remove organizational friction points, streamlining reporting, metrics, decision-making processes, and communications across the team.

• Provide executive-ready insights, dashboards, and program updates that drive data-informed decisions and alignment across senior leadership.

• Facilitate change management for high-impact engineering initiatives, from strategy definition to implementation and scaling.

• Foster a high-trust, collaborative culture by connecting dots across teams and surfacing challenges/opportunities before they escalate.

This role has been categorized as a Remote position. “Remote” employees do not have a permanent corporate office workplace and, instead, work from a physical location of their choice, which must be identified to the Company. U.S. employees may live in any of the 50 United States, with limited exceptions.

In California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Washington state, and Washington DC the standard base pay range for this role is $214,100.00 - $341,900.00 annually. This base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations. In Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Vermont the standard base pay range for this role is $203,400.00 - $324,800.00 annually. The base pay range is specific to these locations and may not be applicable to other locations.

In addition to a competitive base salary this position is also eligible for equity awards based on factors such as experience, performance and location. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. Employees in this role will not be paid below the salary threshold for exempt employees in the state where they reside.

Who you are

You are a strategic operator, servant leader, and systems thinker. You know how to connect vision to execution, and you take pride in being the person leadership counts on to turn big, complex ideas into scalable action.
 

Must-Have Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in technical program management, engineering operations, strategic business operations, or chief-of-staff-type roles in high-growth tech environments.

• Strong background in working with engineering leadership and understanding the software development lifecycle (SDLC), technical architecture, and product delivery.

• Demonstrated success leading and scaling business operations or program portfolios in a fast-paced, cross-functional organization.

• Experience managing organizational budgets, vendor spend, and headcount planning in partnership with Finance and Procurement.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to distill complexity and influence across executive and peer stakeholders.

• Comfortable with ambiguity, highly self-motivated, and energized by solving complex organizational challenges.

• Deep experience with portfolio management tools, OKRs, reporting systems, and cross-organizational communication frameworks.

• Strong analytical and data-driven mindset—able to develop and present metrics that guide decision-making and accountability.

• Known for bringing energy, clarity, and structure to teams, you are trusted to represent senior leaders with integrity and insight.
   

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field. An MBA or a technical graduate degree is a plus.

• Prior experience supporting engineering leaders in a chief-of-staff or strategic BizOps capacity.

• Familiarity with large-scale software infrastructure, platform services, or enterprise systems is a strong advantage.

Get to know us

At Zillow, we’re reimagining how people move—through the real estate market and through their careers. As the most-visited real estate platform in the U.S., we help customers navigate buying, selling, financing and renting with greater ease and confidence. Whether you're working in tech, sales, operations, or design, you’ll be part of a company that's reshaping an industry and helping more people make home a reality.

Zillow is honored to be recognized among the best workplaces in the country. Zillow was named one of FORTUNE 100 Best Companies to Work For® in 2025, and included on the PEOPLE Companies That Care® 2025 list, reflecting our commitment to creating an innovative, inclusive, and engaging culture where employees are empowered to grow.

No matter where you sit in the organization, your work will help drive innovation, support our customers, and move the industry—and your career—forward, together.

Zillow Group is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment with the best employees. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact your recruiter directly.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable state and local law.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.