Dylan Etzel

About Dylan Etzel

Senior Program Manager with 8 years of experience developing operations and compliance programs for products, trust and safety, and regulatory compliance at high-growth technology companies. What I Do: I build internal tools and systems that enable operational excellence at scale - translating complex regulatory requirements into actionable product, risk, and compliance guidance.Technical Approach: I create products for internal users - from AI-powered compliance tools used by 35+ employees to workflow automation systems that reduce manual work by 40%. My approach combines deep technical execution (I write code in JavaScript and SQL) with product thinking: understanding user pain points, defining requirements, building solutions, and measuring impact.Core Expertise- Technical program management- Workflow automation and tool development (JavaScript, SQL, APIs)- System integration and technical implementation- Cross-functional stakeholder managementTechnical roadmap development and sprint planning- Data architecture and pipeline optimization (BigQuery, SQL)- Process improvement and operational scalingDomain Knowledge: Deep experience in compliance, security, and risk management technology—translating complex regulatory requirements into technical specifications and scalable systems. I\'ve worked with U.S. government agencies, law enforcement, and Fortune 100 companies on technology policy and platform security.Recent Projects- Managed development of AI-powered screening tool (LLM integration, JavaScript automation)- Implemented enterprise compliance platform with engineer team (6 vendor POCs,$60K budget)- Built automated workflows reducing manual hours by 40%(JavaScript, SQL, API integrations)- Scaled compliance operations 3x with flat team size through technical optimizationCurrently at Cloudflare. Johns Hopkins University (M.A. International Studies, B.A. Economics, B.A. International Studies).

Experience

1. Senior Program Manager

   Cloudflare

   Apr 2023 — Present · Washington, DC, US

   Leading technical programs for compliance and security systems, building automation tools, and managing cross-functional engineering projects.AI-Powered Screening ToolCurrently leading technical development of an AI-powered tool that will serve 35+ internal and customer users. Collaborating daily with systems engineers to architect a solution combining LLM technology with sanctions and threat intelligence data. Secured executive buy-in by proving concept over 4 months, now in active development toward launch.Daily Threat InvestigationsConduct daily abuse investigations and threat pattern analysis involving platform misuse and strategic threats. Apply analytical frameworks to assess threat severity and coordinate rapid response with Trust & Safety and Security teams. Enterprise Platform ImplementationLed end-to-end technical implementation of enterprise compliance software, evaluating 6 vendor POCs and coordinating integration with IT engineering team. Defined technical specifications and success metrics for the platform. The new system enabled case reassignment workflows and sales team collaboration features that the legacy system lacked, while scaling capacity 3x more cost-effectively. Maintained operational efficiency with a flat team size despite rapid customer growth.Technical Roadmap & Engineering OperationsDeveloped the first technical roadmap and backlog for legal compliance systems, establishing sprint planning frameworks and technical specifications for development teams. Improved data pipeline architecture and audit using SQL and Google BigQuery for KPI collection, false positive reduction, and automated reporting. Collaborated with product and engineering teams on program design and technical delivery.Cross-Functional LeadershipInterviewed 200+ prospective candidates including software engineers, systems engineers, technical program managers, sales executives, and marketing professionals.

Education

• Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

  Master of Arts - MA, International Studies

  2016 — 2018

• The Johns Hopkins University

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Economics / International Studies

  2013 — 2017

Skills

• Microsoft Office
• Argumentation
• English
• Microsoft Word
• News Writing
• Copy Editing
• Photoshop
• Strategic Planning
• Public Speaking
• Microsoft Excel
• Powerpoint
• Outlook
• Creative Writing
• Public Relations