Technical Program Manager

About the role

In this position, you will play a role in the establishment of a Technical Program Management function aimed at ensuring the timely delivery of our most important cross-departmental projects. As the second Technical Program Manager (TPM) in the organization, your responsibilities will include overseeing the execution of key company initiatives while working closely with teams in Engineering, Product, and Design. Your focus will be on identifying project dependencies, aligning timelines, managing potential risks, and clarifying the collaborative efforts across various teams.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead the successful execution of essential multi-team projects, ensuring they align with the overall company goals and product vision.
• Manage dependencies between teams and sequence projects effectively to avoid unforeseen delays.
• Facilitate ongoing discussions regarding project scope between Engineering and Product teams, proactively addressing any potential changes to prevent impacts on the timeline.
• Identify risks early in the project lifecycle and monitor the progress of critical programs, intervening before issues arise that could affect delivery schedules.
• Enhance the reliability of commitments made to customers by improving predictability in project delivery.
• Clearly communicate the status of programs, including trade-offs and decisions, to all relevant stakeholders and leadership.
• Highlight potential trade-offs early in the process to enable informed prioritization of tasks.
• Provide data-driven insights to enhance visibility into the progress of product development.
• Work closely with Product and Engineering leaders to share context and facilitate effective decision-making.
• Foster trusting relationships with engineers to understand their challenges and help eliminate obstacles.
• Reduce the burden on Engineering and Product leaders by minimizing the need for ad-hoc coordination and progress tracking.
• Support the implementation of change management processes within the Product and Engineering teams.
• Help minimize rework caused by unclear responsibilities or misaligned project sequencing.
• Assist the organization in scaling its teams and initiatives while effectively managing the complexities that arise.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in managing complex technical or cross-functional programs.
• Proven experience in fast-paced startups or rapidly evolving organizational environments.
• Extensive experience collaborating directly with Engineering teams to ensure successful project delivery.
• A track record of launching large-scale initiatives that involve multiple teams.
• Comfort in engaging in technical discussions, understanding dependencies, and navigating trade-offs effectively.
• Ability to identify risks early and provide constructive feedback when necessary.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through influence and build relationships rather than relying solely on formal authority.
• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to adapt in a dynamic work environment.

Nice to have

• Experience in establishing or expanding a TPM function from the ground up.
• Familiarity with AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Claude, and their use in enhancing coordination and execution.
• Background in B2B SaaS or platform companies.
• Experience in defining delivery metrics, reporting schedules, or program health dashboards.
• Prior experience collaborating with Customer Success or Go-to-Market teams on launch coordination.

Skills & tools

• Proficient in program management methodologies
• Expertise in risk management
• Skilled in dependency mapping
• Competent in scope management
• Strong stakeholder communication abilities
• Experienced in cross-functional collaboration

Practical notes

NetBox Labs serves as the commercial steward of the open-source project NetBox, recognized as a leading network source of truth, as well as Orb, an open-source network observability platform. Our offerings include NetBox Enterprise and NetBox Cloud. We are supported by notable investors such as Notable Capital, Grafana Labs CEO Raj Dutt, Flybridge, IBM, Salesforce Ventures, and Mango Capital. Our core values include ownership, problem-solving, community engagement, simplicity, and transparent communication. NetBox Labs is committed to being an equal opportunity employer and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds. Accommodations are available upon request during the application process.

About the company

Build and manage complex networks easier with NetBox Labs, using an enterprise-grade version of the world's most popular network source of truth.