Principal Engineering Planning and Execution Manager

JOB OVERVIEW

The Principal, Pay Engineering Planning and Execution is a strategic individual contributor role responsible for driving execution clarity, engineering planning rigor, and continuous improvement across the Payments Engineering organization. This role partners closely with Engineering, Product Management, Program Management, and Centers of Excellence (COEs) to ensure predictable delivery, consistent planning rhythms, and meaningful engineering metrics—with strong collaboration with product ownership, program delivery, and/or COE best practices. The ideal candidate brings strong execution discipline, systems thinking, and the ability to connect plans to measurable outcomes while supporting strategic initiatives and delivery excellence.

What You'll Do:

• Drive quarterly PI Planning preparation, facilitation, and follow-through, ensuring backlog readiness, clear objectives, and cross-team alignment.

• Establish and lead a bi-weekly and monthly execution cadence to monitor progress against PI commitments, surface risks early, and maintain delivery momentum.

• Prepare and facilitate monthly delivery reviews and engineering retrospectives, translating insights into actionable improvements.

• Collaborate with Product Management on aligning PI commitments to roadmap goals, while respecting product ownership boundaries.

• Standardize engineering delivery methodologies, including backlog refinement practices, estimation approaches, and consistent planning rhythms across teams

• Coordinate with Program Management to ensure milestone visibility and risk tracking without assuming cross-functional delivery responsibilities.

• Support strategic initiatives led by Engineering leadership, including platform modernization, quality improvement, and simplification efforts.

• Create and maintain execution artifacts (dashboards, trackers, scorecards) that provide visibility into team health and delivery progress.

• Partner with the Engineering Enablement COE and Product Operations to standardize metrics practices, improve tooling, and support quality and delivery improvement efforts.

• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement in engineering planning and delivery processes

What We're Looking For:

Required:

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, technical delivery, or engineering program roles with increasing scope and complexity.

• Strong understanding of Agile/Scrum/SAFe methodologies and how to apply them to large-scale engineering planning and execution.

• Demonstrated experience in driving quarterly planning processes (PI Planning or similar) and managing planning inputs, execution tracking, and post-event follow-through.

• Experience tracking and analyzing engineering metrics such as cycle time, velocity, and quality indicators; ability to connect metrics to team performance and improvement initiatives.

• Exceptional communication and facilitation skills; able to work across Engineering, Product, Program, and COE teams without role confusion.

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable managing multiple streams of work and stakeholders.

• Proven ability to influence without authority and operate independently with high ownership and trust.

• Experience working in or alongside a Center of Excellence or Engineering Enablement function (Bonus)

• Background in software engineering or systems thinking; able to understand the nuances of product/tech delivery at scale (Bonus)

• Familiarity with tools such as Azure DevOps, Jira, Aha!, Confluence, Power BI, or similar planning/analytics platforms 

About AvidXchange

AvidXchange is a leading provider of accounts payable (“AP”) automation software and payment solutions for middle-market businesses and their suppliers. By trade, we are a technology company, but if you ask anyone who works here, they’ll tell you our people are at the core of who we are. We focus on creating a culture of Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, and are proud to be a safe place where teammates can bring their whole selves to work. At AvidXchange, mindset is everything. We are Connected as People, Growth Minded, and Customer Obsessed. These three mindsets represent our culture – who we are, who we’ve always been, and they guide us to improve every day. Since our founding in 2000 in Charlotte, NC, we’ve created a company of over 1,600 teammates working across the U.S., or remotely. AvidXchange is proud to be Certified™ as a Great Place to Work®. The prestigious recognition is based on anonymous data from our teammates and makes official what our teammates have known for years – that AvidXchange is a Great Place to Work®. 

Who you are: 

• A go-getter with an entrepreneurial mindset – that means you are not afraid of taking risks, winning big or facing the unknown. 
• Someone who understands that business is people centric. Connecting with others as humans first allows you to develop mutually beneficial working relationships. 
• Focused on making a difference for our customers. AvidXchange exists to help solve complex problems for our customers so we can all realize our potential. 

What you’ll get:  

AvidXchange teammates (we call them AvidXers) get the perks and prestige of a publicly traded tech company paired with the flexibility of a founder-led startup. We help our AvidXers develop as professionals and as human beings, providing work/life balance, development programs, competitive benefits and equity options. At AvidXchange, we are building more than a tech company – we are building an experience. We remain committed to a culture where you can fully be 'you’ – connected with others, chasing big goals, and making a meaningful impact. If you want to help us grow while realizing your potential and creating stories you’ll tell for years, you’ve come to the right place.

AvidXers enjoy:  

• 18 days PTO* 
• 11 Holidays (8 company recognized & 3 floating holidays) 
• 16 hours per year of paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) 
• Competitive Healthcare 
• High Deductible Heath Plan Option that has $0 monthly premium for teammate-only coverage 
• 100% AvidXchange paid Dental Base Plan Coverage
• 100% AvidXchange paid Life Insurance 
• 100% AvidXchange paid Long-Term Disability 
• 100% AvidXchange paid Short-Term Disability  
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - Provides counseling services, legal and financial consultations and health advocacy for Teammates and their eligible dependents
• Onsite Health Clinic with Atrium Health - available to Teammates and their eligible dependents
• 401(k) Match: 100% match on the first 3% of your salary, plus 50% match on the next 2%
• Parental Leave: 8 weeks 100% paid by AvidXchange** 
• Discounts on Pet, Home, and Auto insurance 
• BrightDime Financial Wellness Tool, offered free to teammates 
• WeeCare Childcare Service: helps teammates find affordable daycare, childcare, and tutors 40% less expensive than traditional daycare centers 
• Perks at Work: free discount program that provides teammates the opportunity to save on items from electronics, movie tickets, car buying, vacations, and more 
• Onsite gym fitness center, yoga studio, and basketball court
• Tuition Reimbursement up to the federal maximum of $5,250***
• Hybrid Workplace Flexibility
• Free parking

*Fully granted from beginning of year, pro-rated if hired mid-year 

**Must be full-time for at least 3 months

***Must be full-time for at least one year 

Equal Employment Opportunity

AvidXchange is an equal opportunity employer. AvidXchange is committed to equal employment opportunity in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. AvidXchange will not discriminate against applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis. This includes, but is not limited to veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age and physical or mental disability.