Director, Technical Program Management
We're transforming the grocery industry
At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.
Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.
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As the future of work evolves, so do we. We have a hybrid model where our roles are open to in-office, flex, or remote work. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.
OVERVIEW
ABOUT THE ROLE
We are looking for a Director of Technical Program Management who will be responsible for development and execution on our most critical products at Instacart. In this role, you will work closely with the VPs of Product and Engineering to define and implement product strategy, and grow a team of Technical Program Managers and Managers focused on delivering impactful, highly cross-functional initiatives. This posting covers different leadership roles across the Technical Program Management organization.
As a business-oriented leader with a strong technical and program management track record, you are able to drive roadmaps and high-level strategy, but are also comfortable in an entrepreneurial setting. You are influential, intellectually curious and an effective communicator, skilled at managing ambiguity and leading teams through complex initiatives. In this position, you will support and recruit talented TPMs at all levels, drive accountability & progress across the cross-functional team, and use a strong understanding of the technical domain, product focus, organizational structure, and team culture to drive to excellence in delivery. This is a terrific opportunity for an individual who is passionate about people, Program Management and Engineering, and who understands that our success hinges on our ability to deliver impact as a team!
ABOUT THE TEAM
The Technical Program Management team leads Instacart’s most impactful cross-functional efforts that push our products, application, and platform forward. Our function brings technical expertise, product, and business acumen to successfully deliver highly complex initiatives. We manage critical programs and execute at scale - driving strategy, unraveling dependencies, and promoting strong collaboration and communication across the entire engineering org and company.
ABOUT THE JOB
- Lead from the front. Responsible for building a vision for, and scaling, a high performance TPM organization. Actively mentor and develop individuals to succeed.
- Oversee all aspects of planning and execution of technical programs for product and platform areas. Run well-defined programs by serving as the crucial interface between business, engineering, product, data science, and design.
- Own cross-functional management by building strong relationships with partners, enabling effective strategic planning and timely execution. Succinctly articulate goals, plans, and escalations to stakeholders.
- Define the product execution strategy. Provide clear specifications, measurable success criteria, and scope of intended software product development. Lead by example by taking a hands-on approach to program management throughout the full software development lifecycle.
- Use your technical knowledge and product sense to drive well-formed, data-driven decisions, negotiate prioritization and weigh long and short term investments. Actively seek to drive down ambiguity, simplify complexity, and address risks.
- You will develop a team culture of curiosity, impact, and ownership that reinforces the core values of Instacart!
ABOUT YOU
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- B.S. degree in Computer Science / Engineering or relevant industry experience.
- 10+ years of experience with technical program management as a TPM, engineering leader, product manager (technical domain) or related discipline.
- 5+ years of people management experience, having led teams executing on technical and product programs from ideation to development and through GTM/launch.
- A track record of finding and attracting world-class senior talent, and creating high-performing teams.
- Demonstrated delivery of company-wide technical efforts and executive stakeholder management as a leader and as an individual contributor. Significant experience in creating functional specs, release plans and roadmaps.
- Ability to balance business needs, a sense of urgency, and shipping high quality and pragmatic solutions. Clear sense of ownership and self-motivation.
- Excellent relationship-building skills: proven ability to influence leaders, resolve conflict and build consensus while dealing with ambiguity. Extensive experience with cross functional teams and managing relationships with business and technical stakeholders.
- Willing and able to travel internationally based on job requirements.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
- 12+ years of experience with technical program management as a TPM, engineering leader, product manager (technical domain) or related discipline.
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Accommodations & Accessibility
At Instacart, we strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you need assistance submitting an application through our career site due to a disability, please submit an Accommodations Request Form and someone from our team will reach out soon to see how we may be able to assist.
