Senior Manager, Technical Program Management

An overview of this role

We're looking for an experienced Sr Manager, Technical Program Management to lead a team of TPMs in our Engineering org. Our R&D PMO is a new team within GitLab Engineering, so this is a great opportunity to help build out a new function and define the future of Program Management at GitLab.

This individual will be responsible for leading a team of TPMs of varying levels, all working on different areas of the Product. The Sr. Manager, Technical Program Management will work closely with Product and Engineering leadership to ensure that TPMs are assigned to high priority programs and that they are successfully delivering results for customers. In addition to managing a team, this leadership position will also contribute to the long-term operational success of the R&D organization by partnering with leaders to develop new planning cadences and other improvements to our ways of working.

What You’ll Do  

• Responsible for directly GitLab team members performing in the role of Technical Program Manager. Lead and mentor a team of Technical Program Managers, including providing regular feedback to foster their growth and ensure their success.
• Responsible for staffing requirements for the PMO, in partnership with the Director of Technical Program Management and the Product and engineering Leadership groups. Align TPM team resourcing / assignments with the company’s business objectives.
• Create and maintain program management standards for elements including program documentation, project plans, status reports, post-mortems as well as a team direction north star; work to continuously improve and iterate on these processes.
• Create and maintain a long-term strategy and vision for the Program Management function, in alignment with broader company goals. Develop and expand upon the job family, CDF, and long-term hiring and growth objectives for the Technical Program Management function.
• Build strong relationships  with cross-functional stakeholders including Engineering, Product, Security, and GTM teams.
• Identify and mitigate risks, resolve conflicts, and remove obstacles for the Technical Program Management team to ensure timely program delivery.
• Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for programs and team members and hold the team accountable for meeting commitments.
• Lead strategic planning with direct influence over staffing decisions, project timelines, and planning stakeholders.
• Demonstrate leadership as expected of Managers across GitLab and Embody our CREDIT values in your work

What You’ll Bring 

• Prior experience as a people manager and as an IC TPM, ideally in a position of seniority
• Ability to prioritize and delegate work effectively
• Proven track record of successful collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
• Experience developing and executing on strategic team development plans 
• Ability to coach others on driving cross functional product-driven initiatives, without direct control of the programs
• Proven ability to position oneself and the team as trusted partners and thought leaders
• More information about the Sr Manager Job Family is available in our handbook.

About the team

Our Technical Program Management function is relatively new to GitLab; we are building out a PMO that is centralized within Engineering and looking for strong TPMs that are interested in developing a newly formed PMO and standardizing on best practices for the business. You can learn more about the PMO in our handbook page.