ZAK Oberbillig

//Director

Technical Program Management

With over 15 years of experience in technical program and product management, I have a proven track record of leading organizational change and boosting efficiency across international teams.

I am a firm believer in collaborative and empowering leadership, and I pride myself on building teams that are dedicated to operational excellence, innovation, and growth.

My direct involvement in identifying and rectifying inefficiencies has significantly enhanced productivity and brought greater transparency to business processes.

I have successfully blended technology, talent, and processes to achieve superior business outcomes, demonstrating my ability to lead teams towards achieving their full potential.

Amazon Interactive Video Services (IVS) / Twitch.tv

Director of Technical Program Management
(2022-Present)

  • Established and directed the strategic vision for the IVS organization's PMO, resulting in enhanced project portfolio management and successful execution of high-impact initiatives, driving a 70% increase in on-time project delivery.

  • Run company-wide planning activities across 50 teams and 100+ active projects, employing an agile approach using a central source of truth (JIRA)  for quarterly planning efforts, creating a cohesive and transparent vision, enhancing organizational alignment and efficiency.

  • Led organizational goal for Availability, guiding cross-functional virtual teams and technical program managers with a situational leadership approach. This strategy resulted in successful personal execution of 15 large-scale projects in 2023, unlocking understanding of live site availability and reducing regional outage durations.

  • Mentor and coach team members, including engineering managers and technical program managers, through personalized development plans. This hands-on approach not only enhanced individual skills but also significantly bolstered overall operational efficiency.

Disney Streaming
(Disney+, Hulu, Star+, ESPN+)

Director of Technical Program Management
(2021-2022)

  • Orchestrated a complete overhaul of the Agile and Organizational framework for Disney Streaming, optimizing processes across multiple organizations and globally distributed teams, enhancing operational agility and team efficiency.

  • Managed a team of 3 managers and 12 individual contributors, led goal-setting and task delegation to cultivate a results-oriented culture in line with organizational goals

  • Ensured continuous alignment of program scope with strategic business objectives, driving program management team growth and supporting large-scale product delivery and cross-functional orchestration.

  • Spearheaded the integration of Hulu and Disney streaming organizations, developing unified planning processes adopted by 80+ teams across 8 business areas, streamlining operations and enhancing cross-organizational synergy.

  • Played a pivotal role in strategizing the unification of technology stacks between the two companies (Disney+ & Hulu), laying out a comprehensive plan for seamless tech integration.

  • Collaborated with Business Development, Marketing, Customer Support, Legal, Product, and other internal teams to develop strategic roadmaps, connecting OKRs to executional goals and ensuring cohesive progress across departments.

HULU

Senior Manager, Technical Program Management
(2020-2021)

Manager, Technical Program Management
(2019-2020)

Senior Technical Program Manager
(2016-2019)

  • Initiated and coordinated the consolidation of Disney streaming and Hulu's service stacks across all departments, streamlining operations and improving efficiency.

  • Executed and facilitated engineering team sessions and trust-building activities, fostering collaboration and identifying unsolved problems and mutually advantageous opportunities.

  • Steered employee performance by establishing precise objectives, distributing leadership duties, and motivating the team to achieve and surpass set targets.

  • Assumed responsibility for supporting the Experience Delivery Platform group, expanding my team to 11 Technical Program Managers (TPMs) supporting over 100+ developers across 13 teams.

  • Developed and presented dashboards and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to drive accountability, monitor and stabilize program performance, and maintain high levels of confidence in delivery throughput.

RATIO.

Senior Technical Program Manager.
(2015-2016)

Technical Program Manager.
(2014-2015)

  • Managed accounts with budgets exceeding $10MM,  delivering projects on time and within budget.

  • Achieved a perfect Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 10, reflecting exceptional customer satisfaction and loyalty.

  • Played a key role in implementing operational practices that improved efficiency and increased delivery output.

  • Drove the launch of multiple titles across various marketplaces, including Roku, Apple iTunes, Xbox 360/One, Windows Store, Smart TV, and various CMS and web instances.

  • Maintained clear and effective communication with stakeholders, ensuring alignment and understanding of project goals and objectives.

iStream Planet

Technical Program Manager

(2011-2014)

  • Led the successful development and go-to-market strategy of iStreamPlanet's flagship product, Aventus, which powered major events such as the Sochi Olympics and Monday Night Football.

  • Managed global teams and facilitated the transition to Agile/Scrum methodology, resulting in targeted and on-budget project delivery.

  • Acted as the primary external interface for partner organizations, communicating with stakeholders at all levels, from CTOs to engineering leads.

  • led the development and release of platform applications for various partners, including Verizon FioS and Redbox Instant.

  • Elevated iStreamPlanet to the Premier Plus Tier of the Xbox Developer Partner Program, positioning the company alongside well-established agencies.

  • Managed and optimized different types of media players, including Adaptive HLS, Smooth Streaming, and MP4 progressive players, utilizing various Microsoft technologies for both live and on-demand video.

  • Implemented AES-128 encryption for secure transmission of video content and integrated Microsoft PlayReady for content protection.

  • Ensured consistent and error-free documentation, maintaining clear and concise records of project progress and deliverables.