Alexandria Sauls

Tell me about yourself and your journey into big tech.

I broke into big tech through Amazon Operations - not in a nice office, but in one of their fulfillment centers. They were recruiting on my college campus, and they pitched it as, If you like problem-solving, stakeholder management, and working with different teams, this could be a great fit. I thought, I love all those things! But here’s the caveat - my background was in public relations. I didn’t have any operations experience. I minored in supply chain, but my resume wouldn’t have reflected that at all. My experience was literally writing PR docs, handling media placements, and social media.

At the time, my main goal was to live in D.C. and I was determined to find a job that would get me there. Amazon had a location in Baltimore, which was only 45 minutes away, and they offered to help me relocate, so I went for it.

That role was intense. It was a four-day-on, three-day-off schedule, and I had a team of about 40 direct reports. I had never managed people before, and my job was to figure out their daily blockers - whether it was an extra process step, a poor handover from the previous shift, or something else - and remove those obstacles. I’ll be the first to admit, going from not managing anyone to managing 40 people was a huge adjustment, but I learned a lot about myself.

I stayed in that role for about a year and a half before trying to make the pivot into a corporate role. Moving from operations - especially within Amazon fulfillment - to corporate was extremely difficult. I started applying to everything: brand management, supply chain, data roles - anything that could help me make the leap. There was a stigma that once you were in ops, it was hard to transition into corporate roles. And in my interviews, I realized that hiring managers couldn’t always connect the dots between my warehouse experience and the roles I was applying for.

That’s when I learned the power of transferable skills. I had to get better at articulating how my stakeholder management skills could translate to different roles. Eventually, I landed an account manager position. I told myself, Okay, I’m in. I’ll figure out what I really want to do from here.

In that role, I was responsible for onboarding new customers to the Amazon Gift Card team. I quickly discovered inefficiencies in onboarding, contracting, and support, so I started working on process improvements. Then, a program manager role opened up, and that’s how I broke into program management.

One tip I always share is that a lot of people are already doing program management in their current roles - they just don’t realize it. Anyone can solve a problem. No one is going to stop you from identifying an issue, organizing a plan, and communicating it. That’s essentially what I did, and that’s how I transitioned into program management.

I spent about four and a half years at Amazon before moving to Uber, where I worked on customer experience for Uber Eats. This was right at the start of the pandemic, so the environment was very scrappy. One thing I quickly learned at Uber was that they didn’t have time for perfection - it was all about moving fast. Their mindset was, fail fast, but launch fast. Coming from Amazon’s structured environment, it was a big adjustment.

This is back when the market was different, so I decided to take an opportunity at PayPal as a Scrum Master. I wasn’t Agile-certified at the time, but they trained me on the job. I worked on backlog refinement, sprint planning, and meetings with marketers.

I stayed there for about a year and then applied for a role at Google that I saw on LinkedIn. I scrubbed my LinkedIn profile to align with the role, reworked my resume, and reached out to people at Google for insights on what they looked for. One consistent theme in big tech hiring is the emphasis on data. So I made sure my experience told a clear story of impact and results.

Now, I’m coming up on three years at Google this month. It’s been a whirlwind! I love the program management space. When I first started, my role was more project-based but those experiences helped me understand how a program operates, how to tell a story with metrics, and how to ensure the right people are involved. Each role I’ve had taught me something valuable and was necessary for getting me to where I am today.

You mentioned that you proactively reached out to folks at Google. How did you find them and what did that process look like?

I took a two or three-pronged approach.

First, I worked closely with my recruiter to try to get the name of the team I was applying for. That helped me narrow down my outreach because, as you know, these companies are massive. You could be in the same company but have no idea what’s happening on the team next door.

Second, I looked for program managers with a similar level of experience - people who had been at Google for around two years or less. I intentionally didn’t reach out to directors or VPs because I figured they might not respond, and they likely wouldn’t have gone through the interview process recently enough to give relevant insights. Instead, I focused on people who had recently navigated the hiring process themselves.

Third, when I reached out, I made sure to include three specific questions in my message. I didn’t just say, Hey, would love to have a chat! Instead, I said something like:

"Hey, I’m currently interviewing for this specific role [insert job link] and would love to get your insights. Specifically, I’d love to hear:

1. What was your interview process like?

2. What does your day-to-day look like as a program manager?

3. What are some of the biggest challenges in your role?

This approach made it easy for people to respond. Some offered to jump on a 20-minute call, while others just replied directly on LinkedIn with their answers - which I appreciated just as much because I was really just looking for insights.

I always tell people that when you’re reaching out, it helps to provide some background and clear questions. That way, even if the person doesn’t have time for a call, they can still offer valuable information.

In your current role, what does a typical day look like and what are your main job responsibilities?

I’m a program manager for Ads Policy Implementation.

Basically, Google has policies that dictate what can and can’t be advertised on our platform. My job is to make sure that when new policies roll out, they’re implemented effectively across the advertiser experience. That includes assessing UI changes for advertisers and ensuring that our internal support teams are prepared.

A big part of my role is reviewing business requirement documents and identifying areas where policies might not be clear. If something isn’t user-friendly or could cause confusion for advertisers, I flag it early on. I’ve been working in ads policy for about two years now.

If I’m working on a new project, my focus is more on foundational research: What problem are we solving? Why is this important? How is this being done today?

For projects that are already in motion, my role is about keeping everything on track: Are we following the project plan? What’s the status? How can I help remove blockers?

As a program manager, one of my biggest responsibilities is communication. Different teams often operate in silos, and I’m the one with the full purview. So a big part of my job is making sure key stakeholders - whether senior leadership or working groups - are aligned and informed.

And honestly, my background in public relations has helped me a lot. So much of this role is about effective communication - whether it’s over video, in emails, in reports, or even in chat messages. Knowing how to tailor your tone and message for different audiences is crucial.

What advice do you have for others who want to break into big tech or do what you do?

First, it all starts with your resume content. I didn’t know I wanted to be a program manager - I just knew I liked working with people, problem-solving, and organization. So my advice is:

1. Figure out what you enjoy doing. What tasks energize you?

2. Research different roles that align with those interests.

3. Look at job descriptions to identify key responsibilities and skills.

When reviewing job descriptions, don’t just skim - analyze them. Ask yourself, What kind of candidate are they looking for? Then, start mapping out projects you’ve worked on that align with those responsibilities.

And data is critical. If something can’t be measured, I’d suggest reworking it. In big tech - especially in program management - companies care about numbers. Your resume should clearly show impact:

• How many people did you work with?

• Did your work save time or money?

• Did it drive revenue?

A great rule of thumb is to think of your resume bullet points like the A and R in the STAR method:

• Action: What did you do?

• Result: What impact did it have?

For example: Built a project plan that resulted in 90% on-time delivery. That’s clear, direct, and quantifiable.

When I review resumes, I often see great experience, but it’s not clear whether the results were meaningful. That’s why numbers matter.

You can connect with Alexandria on LinkedIn ☺️

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