We are seeking a Manager, Technical Project Management (TPM) to lead execution across the highly cross-functional and technically complex Taco Bell Voice AI initiative. This role will be responsible for managing end-to-end delivery workflows, aligning workstreams across engineering, AI, QA, and product teams, and ensuring that milestones are met and delivered with excellence.
You will serve as the connective tissue between program stakeholders, scrum teams, voice infrastructure partners, and deployment stakeholders—all within the fast-paced environment of AI-driven restaurant technology.
Key Responsibilities:
Program & Sprint Management
- Define sprint goals, schedules, and milestones across engineering, ML, and QA teams
- Drive sprint planning, backlog grooming, and retrospective cycles in partnership with PMs and Tech Leads
- Maintain sprint velocity, JIRA health, and delivery accountability
Technical Coordination
- Track dependencies across AI, audio integrations (HME), menu/POS systems, and deployment systems
- Manage risk registers, engineering blockages, and schedule integrity
- Coordinate pre-launch activities including regression testing, QA signoff, and incident readiness
Stakeholder Communication
- Report program status, risks, and outcomes to leadership and partner teams
- Ensure clear documentation and visibility for all stakeholders
- Facilitate cross-functional meetings, product reviews, and go/no-go decisions
Required Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience in Technical Program or Project Management, preferably in AI/ML or voice-driven products
- Proven track record of managing complex, multi-vendor programs or system integrations
- Familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and modern SDLC practices
- Experience with collaboration and tracking tools such as JIRA, Confluence, Notion, etc.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Background in ML, NLP, or real-time system delivery
- Experience working with hardware-software integrations (e.g., HME, POS, IoT)
- Strong understanding of AI agent workflows and voice interfaces
Location & Travel:
- This role is based in Irvine, CA at the Taco Bell offices
- Hybrid work model: in-office 1–2 days per week required
- Occasional travel to deployment sites or test markets as needed
Salary Range: $134,500 to $158,300 annually + bonus eligibility. This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.
The Yum! Brands story is simple. We have the four distinctive, relevant and easy global brands – KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and The Habit Burger Grill -- born from the hopes and dreams, ambitions and grit of passionate entrepreneurs. And we want more of this to create our future!
As the world’s largest restaurant company we have a clear and compelling mission: to build the world’s most love, trusted and fastest-growing restaurant brands. The key and not-so-secret ingredient in our recipe for growth is our unrivaled talent and culture, which fuels our results.
We’re looking for talented, motivated, visionary and team-oriented leaders to join us as we elevate and personalize the customer experience across our 48,000 restaurants, operating in 145 countries and territories around the world!
We put pizza, chicken and tacos in the hands of customers through customized ordering, unique delivery approaches, app experiences, and click and collect services and consumer data analytics creating unique customer dining experiences – and we are only getting started.
Employees may work for a single brand and potentially grow to support all company-owned brands depending on their role. Regardless of where they work, as a company opening an average of 8 restaurants a day worldwide, the growth opportunities are endless. Taco Bell has been named of the 10 Most Innovative Companies in the World by Fast Company; Pizza Hut delivers more pizzas than any other pizza company in the world and KFC’s still use its 75-year-old finger lickin’ good recipe including secret herbs and spices to hand-bread its chicken every day.
Yum! and its brands have offices in Chicago, IL, Louisville KY, Irvine, CA, Plano, TX and other markets around the world. We don’t just say we are a great place to work – our commitments to the world and our employees show it. Yum! has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index and ranked among the top 100 Best Corporate Citizens by Corporate Responsibility Magazine in addition to being named to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. Our employees work in an environment where the value of “believe in all people” is lived every day, enjoying benefits including but not limited to: 4 weeks’ vacation PLUS holidays, sick leave and 2 paid days to volunteer at the cause of their choice and a dollar-for-dollar matching gift program; generous parental leave; competitive benefits including medical, dental, vision and life insurance as well as a 6% 401k match – all encompassed in Yum!’s world-famous recognition culture.
