manager, program management - Testing Lab Environments

Now Brewing – Manager, Program Management - Testing Lab Environments! #tobeapartner

From the beginning, Starbucks set out to be a different kind of company. One that not only celebrated coffee and rich tradition, but that also brought a feeling of connection. We are known for developing extraordinary leaders who share this passion and are guided by their service to others.

As a Manager, Program Management - Testing Lab Environments, you will help shape how Starbucks brings innovation to life by leading the strategy, performance, and enablement of lab-based testing environments across SODO 8, Tryer, and future lab capabilities. This role ensures our environments operate with clear purpose, strong execution standards, and the right capacity, tools, routines, and partner experience to generate high-quality, decision-ready learning.

Working at the intersection of operations, innovation, strategy, and cross-functional partnership, you will define how each environment is used, align demand with capacity and business priorities, and continuously improve the systems that help Starbucks test, learn, de-risk, and scale ideas with greater confidence. This is a unique opportunity to build the lab ecosystem that enables better decisions, faster learning, and greater enterprise impact.

As a Manager, Program Management - Testing Lab Environments, you will…

• Lead the incubation and innovation environment strategy – Provide strategic leadership for SODO 8, Tryer, and future testing environments, partnering with cross-functional teams to bring innovation to life, accelerate learning, and shape future customer and partner experiences.
• Define the role and evolution of lab environments – Establish the purpose, capabilities, and operating model for each environment, ensuring they support the right testing methodologies, business priorities, and customer experiences rooted in Green Apron Service.
• Own lab ecosystem performance and enablement – Define and track performance, readiness, utilization, throughput, and effectiveness metrics to ensure environments operate as designed and deliver measurable business value and decision-ready learning.
• Align demand, capacity, and priorities – Partner with testing domain leaders and cross-functional teams to align business demand with environment capabilities, anticipate constraints, and optimize investment, capacity, and strategic value.
• Build scalable operating routines and standards – Establish operating principles, performance routines, playbooks, dashboards, tools, and standards that create consistency, transparency, and ease of engagement across the testing ecosystem.
• Enable exceptional partner and stakeholder experiences – Create clear pathways for teams engaging with testing environments, increasing accessibility, reducing friction, and fostering confidence, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Lead financial and planning discipline – Partner with Finance and business leaders to drive planning, forecasting, investment decisions, and sustainable scaling of lab capabilities as testing volume and complexity increase.
• Develop a high-performing leadership team – Lead and develop leaders responsible for lab operations, customer experience, capacity planning, and performance management while fostering operational excellence, curiosity, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Turn learning into business impact – Translate risks, opportunities, and environment learnings into recommendations that strengthen enterprise decision-making and accelerate innovation across Starbucks.

We'd love to hear from people with:

• 8–12+ years of experience in operations, innovation, program management, or related leadership roles.
• Strong operational leadership experience, including leading complex, multi-team or multi-environment operations.
• Deep understanding of customer and partner experiences, including operational practices rooted in Green Apron Service.
• Strong systems thinking and experience designing scalable operating models, processes, and capabilities.
• Experience building performance routines, KPIs, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms that drive accountability and decision-making.
• Proven capabilities in operational excellence, capacity planning, resource management, and continuous improvement.
• Financial acumen, including experience with planning, forecasting, budgeting, and investment decisions.
• Ability to translate business priorities into clear strategies, operating models, and execution plans.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence across functions and levels.
• Experience in QSR, retail, hospitality, food & beverage, testing environments, innovation, product development, or business operations preferred

Join us and be part of something bigger. Apply today!

As a Starbucks partner, you (and your family) will have access to medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, and other voluntary insurance benefits. Partners have access to short-term and long-term disability, paid parental leave, family expansion reimbursement, paid vacation from date of hire*, sick time (accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked), eight paid holidays, and two personal days per year. Starbucks also offers eligible partners participation in a 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, a discounted company stock program (S.I.P.), Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock), incentivized emergency savings, and financial well-being tools. Additionally, Starbucks offers 100% upfront tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program via the Starbucks College Achievement Plan, student loan management resources, and access to other educational opportunities. You will also have access to backup care and DACA reimbursement. Starbucks will comply with any applicable state and local laws regarding employee leave benefits, including, but not limited to providing time off pursuant to the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act, and in accordance with its plans and policies. This list is subject to change depending on collective bargaining in locations where partners have a certified bargaining representative. For additional information regarding partner perks and more detailed information about benefits, go to https://www.starbucksbenefits.comstarbucksbenefits.com.

*If you are working in CA, CO, IL, LA, ME, MA, NE, ND or RI, you will accrue vacation up to a maximum of 120 hours (190 in CA) for roles below director and 200 hours (316 in CA) for roles at director or above. For roles in other states, you will be granted vacation time starting at 120 hours annually for roles below director and 200 hours annually for roles director and above.

The actual base pay offered to the successful candidate will be based on multiple factors, including but not limited to job-related knowledge/skills, experience, geographical location, and internal equity. At Starbucks, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at the high end of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are dependent upon the facts and circumstances of each position and candidate.

We believe we do our best work when we're together, which is why we're onsite four days a week.

Starbucks Coffee Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with all federal, state and local ordinances.

Starbucks Coffee Company is committed to offering reasonable accommodations to job applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected] or 1(888) 611-2258.