Starbucks: Cross-Channel Program Leadership

Senior Program Manager – Brand Marketing

The FY25 Fall seasonal launch was a high-visibility, fast-moving initiative, featuring the flagship Pumpkin launch alongside mid-promo launches of Protein, a new product, and returning fan favorite Apple Crisp. In my role supporting the Brand PMO, I enabled cross-functional alignment and launch readiness, ensuring teams had the clarity and structure needed to execute seamlessly and on schedule.

Made with Real Pumpkin

The Pumpkin launch delivered a signature seasonal experience to customers while mid-promo launches ran concurrently. By fostering structured collaboration and surfacing challenges early, teams launched high-quality, on-time campaigns that were fully aligned across channels and workstreams.

Scope & Complexity

  • Supported 15+ cross-functional teams across Product, R&D, Go-To-Market, Marketing, Digital, In-Store, Retail, and Partner/Store Enablement

  • Enabled campaigns across in-store, digital ordering platforms, paid/owned/earned media, and partner/store readiness

  • Managed flagship seasonal and overlapping mid-promo launches under fixed timelines and compressed schedules

PMO Enablement & Impact

  • Maintained a centralized, integrated view of timelines, milestones, and dependencies

  • Facilitated cross-functional alignment and structured operating cadence

  • Tracked risks, issues, and tradeoffs, surfacing insights for leadership decisions

  • Supported launch readiness and go/no-go processes, helping deliver seamless campaigns

  • Developed playbooks and workflows to standardize seasonal execution and reduce operational friction

Outcome: Teams delivered complex, multi-channel campaigns on time and with consistent quality, demonstrating the effectiveness of structured PMO governance and cross-functional coordination.

Program Management Approach

Planning & Alignment

  • Supported definition of launch milestones, sequencing, and critical paths

  • Clarified ownership, approvals, and escalation paths across teams

  • Aligned stakeholders on scope, timelines, and execution expectations

Risk, Issue & Tradeoff Management

  • Proactively tracked risks related to approvals, asset readiness, and timing

  • Surfaced issues early with clear context and potential paths forward

  • Supported leadership reviews by synthesizing impacts and dependencies

Execution & Coordination

  • Facilitated recurring cross-functional status reviews to track progress

  • Maintained integrated timelines across creative, media, retail, and digital workflows

  • Helped teams navigate competing priorities while protecting launch dates

Launch Readiness Support

  • Coordinated launch readiness check-ins across channels

  • Tracked approvals, asset delivery, and key dependencies

  • Supported final readiness validation and day-of execution reporting

Program Governance & Operational Excellence

  • Supported development of SOPs, workflows, and playbooks to standardize seasonal execution and reduce operational friction

  • Maintained program health through integrated timelines, dependency mapping, and centralized risk / issue logs

  • Leveraged Microsoft Copilot to capture meeting notes, track action items, and streamline cross-team updates

  • Produced executive-ready status updates, program health views, launch readiness checklists, and day-of reporting

Integrated Marketing & IAT Enablement

As part of the Brand PMO, I supported Integrated Agency Team (IAT) operations to enable cross-functional alignment and launch readiness across internal teams and external agencies. My focus was on facilitating collaboration, clarifying handoffs, and supporting smooth execution of integrated marketing initiatives.

  • Maintained a shared, integrated view of timelines, milestones, and critical dependencies

  • Supported approvals, sequencing, and handoffs across internal teams and agency partners

  • Facilitated cross-channel alignment to ensure integrated marketing initiatives launched smoothly

  • Prepared leadership updates and team check-ins to support transparency and timely decision-making

  • Helped surface and resolve cross-functional risks or potential blockers early

Impact: Enabled complex marketing campaigns to execute at scale by acting as the connective tissue between teams—smoothing handoffs, reducing misalignment, and helping ensure campaigns launched on time and with consistency.

FY26 Summer Launch Planning

Following Fall execution, I supported early planning efforts for FY26 Summer to ensure continuity and operational readiness:

  • Mapped product readiness scenarios to inform GTM and Integrated Communications Briefs

  • Built a high-level Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) outlining milestones and ownership

  • Created a team directory to clarify points of contact and streamline communication

  • Supported early alignment, risk identification, and progress tracking

Key Contributions & Deliverables

  • Maintained a centralized view of timelines, milestones, and cross-team dependencies for flagship and mid-promo launches, improving visibility, reducing misalignment, and supporting on-time delivery through integrated launch timelines, dependency maps, and milestone tracking.

  • Enabled cross-functional alignment through structured cadence, recurring status reviews, and leadership check-ins—helping teams manage tradeoffs and make timely decisions, with clear status readouts and PMO frameworks to guide execution.

  • Tracked risks, issues, and sequencing constraints, surfacing potential impacts early to protect launch timing and quality, using risk logs, impact summaries, and escalation support to enable informed leadership decisions.

  • Supported internal teams and agency coordination across approvals, handoffs, and multi-channel execution, acting as the connective tissue to keep integrated marketing initiatives on track, with integrated timelines and approval tracking.

  • Ensured channel readiness and day-of execution by tracking approvals, asset delivery, and readiness checkpoints, helping teams deliver seamless launches with go/no-go validation and launch checklists.

Tools & Platforms: Smartsheet, Workfront, Miro, Microsoft Teams & OneNote, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), Microsoft Copilot

Core Skills: Brand PMO Program Management • Integrated Marketing Operations • Cross-Functional Enablement • Launch Readiness • Risk & Dependency Tracking • Governance & SOPs • Executive Communications • AI-Enabled Program Operations