Principal Program Manager, Business Operations

About the teamThe Zillow Preferred team is at the heart of Zillow’s partner-led growth, designing how high-performing real estate teams deliver more connected experiences for our shared customers. Business Operations plays a pivotal role in advancing Zillow’s mission to build the future of integrated transactions by developing scalable programs, tools, and operational strategies that empower teams to operate efficiently and effectively. Our focus is on driving partner success, optimizing return on investment, and ensuring program policies and compliance scale with the business, while fostering cross-functional relationships to solve complex challenges and deliver high-impact solutions.

About the role

As Principal Program Manager, you will lead high-impact, cross-functional initiatives that protect revenue, ensure compliance, and enable the Preferred program to scale sustainably from strategy through execution. You will operate at the intersection of Product, Business Operations, Legal, Finance, and GTM teams, managing initiatives where execution quality directly impacts revenue integrity, regulatory posture, and long-term program scalability. This role requires a hypothesis-driven approach to problem solving, the ability to connect diverse inputs to identify opportunities, and clear communication of tradeoffs at the leadership level. Success is achieved through collaborative influence, strong partnerships, analytical rigor, and translating strategy into operational reality.

You Will Get To

• Identify, validate, and implement strategic solutions for new concepts, programs, and policies to optimize business performance, using analysis, research, pilots, and proof-of-concept testing.

• Lead large-scale, cross-functional initiatives from concept through execution by defining scope, developing project plans, managing workstreams, conducting impact analyses, and driving alignment through clear communications and leadership-level readouts.

• Drive data-informed decision-making by leading analyses of complex business and operational challenges, designing and implementing operational reporting and analytical proofs of concept.

• Develop and operationalize policy frameworks and assessment protocols for payment and compliance, partnering with legal, industry, and cross-functional teams to align business strategy, regulatory obligations, and program contract language.

• Proactively identify, evaluate, and mitigate revenue and programmatic risks.

• Create and implement policies to address outstanding payments, minimize contra revenue, and mitigate bad debt.

• Partner with Product and cross-functional teams to implement payment-related features and process improvements, supporting go-to-market and adoption strategies.

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 $153,600.00 - $245,400.00 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 $145,900.00 - $233,100.00 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

• 10+ years of experience in strategy, business operations, analytics, or program management, with a track record of driving measurable business impact.

• Experience designing and refining program workflows and tooling, leveraging AI and automation to improve speed, quality, and visibility across cross-functional teams.

• Proven ability to break down complex, ambiguous problems, identify root causes, and deliver data-informed insights and innovative solutions.

• Experience leading business integration across Product, Legal, Finance, GTM, and Operations, aligning strategies, policies, processes, and systems for enterprise-scale execution and risk management.

• Skilled in cross-functional leadership, influencing without authority, navigating complex decision-making, and managing senior stakeholder relationships.

• Demonstrated success leading large, sophisticated cross-functional initiatives while balancing competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate trade-offs, recommendations, and outcomes to diverse audiences.

• Highly proficient in modern project management, analytics, and reporting tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Jira, Excel, Salesforce, Tableau); SQL experience is a plus.

• Here at Zillow, we value the experience and perspective of candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. We encourage you to apply if you have transferable skills or related experiences.

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.