Technical Program Manager, Escalation Specialist

Mission

Our mission as program managers is to own the execution of cross-functional initiatives that are critical to the business. We lead programs from start to finish to help GitLab meet our organizational goals. Program managers develop strategies, evaluate the performance of projects, keep teams organized, and allocate budgets and resources across projects. Program managers may oversee several different teams, all working toward different goals and separate work schedules. We take the lead on tracking project progress, aligning team members, and strategizing program outcomes.

Core Competencies

Technical Program Managers drive complex and cross-functional technical initiatives by leveraging domain expertise, building a holistic execution strategy and harnessing human leadership qualities to deliver strategic business outcomes that have wide-reaching impact. The role of TPM can mean different things at different organizations. At GitLab, TPMs should be proficient in 5 core competencies: Communication, Critical Thinking, Organization & Execution, Relationship-Building, and Technical Knowledge & Application. (More info in our handbook)

In this role you will be primarily focused on issue management, both in defining a process for long-term success and leading our teams through coordination and resolution of large scale customer issues or escalations, when needed. The broad scope of our product, both in feature set and delivery mechanisms, adds to the complexity in managing customer-impacting changes to our product. You will drive the development of this cross-department process while also acting as the long-term owner for the process.

While collaborating on processes will be a major area of focus for this role, we don’t expect that to take up 100% of your time. Your remaining time will be spent on supporting cross-functional projects that span the Product, Engineering, Support, and Customer Success teams. We see opportunities to improve our collaboration and efficiency on these complex cross-department efforts and having a TPM act as facilitator and guide would be beneficial. 

What You’ll Do  

• Manage and collaborate on key initiatives with stakeholders and leadership on projects that reach across Product, Engineering, and Customer Success. Drive accountability ensuring all program objectives are met.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders and internal customers to determine improvements to the existing escalation process. Continue to iterate as our product space broadens and complexity increases. 
• Guide teams through escalation processes as needed. Act as the calm center of focus for the team; help teams through challenging moments while ensuring that we are reaching the right outcomes for our customers. 
• Refine and optimize division processes improving overall efficiency and execution of the division.
• Gather inputs and feedback and suggest improvements to our Product Process, and operational model within the Product division.
• Identify and coordinate the interdependencies among programs, products and other critical initiatives.
• Provide insight and suggestions to improving product process and operations, in collaboration with cross functional stakeholders.
• Research and recommend solutions to Product division concerns and blockers.
• Build trust with direct stakeholders.
• Examine risks associated with programs/processes and prioritize risks accordingly.
• Collaborate on operational strategy and direction with organizational stakeholders; Oversee project planning and management.
• Communicate successfully within the project team and at multiple levels of management, building trust across the organization.
• Develop and guide deployment plans and communication with partners.

What You’ll Bring 

• Experience crafting and executing on cross functional process improvements, including capturing and redefining requirements into impactful work items.
• Experience working across Product, Engineering, and Customer Success functions.
• Experience driving initiatives according to plan and timelines.
• Prioritize effectively and multitask efficiently.
• Proven track record of successful collaboration with internal and external partners.
• Experience influencing others without having direct management authority and motivating them to successfully complete tasks within required timelines.
• Risk analysis and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, building relationships with partners.

About the team

The Technical Program Management function is fairly new to GitLab; over the last year we’ve built out the team, developed relationships with stakeholders across the organization, and implemented new systems and processes to improve efficiency. We are excited to expand the team and bring new ideas about Technical Program Management to GitLab!

How GitLab will support you

• Benefits to support your health, finances, and well-being
• All remote, asynchronous work environment
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Team Member Resource Groups
• Equity Compensation & Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Growth and development budget 
• Parental leave 
• Home office support

Please note that we welcome interest from candidates with varying levels of experience; many successful candidates do not meet every single requirement. Additionally, studies have shown that people from underrepresented groups are less likely to apply to a job unless they meet every single qualification. If you're excited about this role, please apply and allow our recruiters to assess your application.