Senior Technical Program Manager, Cost Management

Overview

Instacart’s Cost Management team powers the processes, systems, and insights that help our technical organizations make cost-conscious decisions at scale. We enable efficient innovation by improving cloud cost visibility, streamlining software capitalization, and supporting R&D tax credit documentation—driving accuracy in our reporting and clarity in our investments.

We’re looking for a Senior Technical Program Manager, R&D Cost Management to lead high-impact, cross-functional programs that transform how Instacart manages, analyzes, and optimizes its R&D investments. You’ll partner closely with Engineering, Product, Accounting, Tax, and Finance to define strategy, prioritize initiatives, manage execution, and deliver data-driven insights that shape our technical roadmap.

This is a role for a builder who thrives in a fast-paced, evolving environment. You will bring structure to ambiguity, roll up your sleeves to solve complex problems, and influence leaders with clear, actionable narratives. If you enjoy connecting engineering and finance to drive measurable outcomes—and want to help accelerate innovation responsibly—this role offers the scope and visibility to make a meaningful impact.

About the Job

• Own the roadmap and execution for R&D cost management programs, including software capitalization, cloud cost optimization, vendor spend governance, and scalable financial reporting frameworks.
• Lead cross-functional programs end-to-end—defining strategy, success metrics, and operating mechanisms—and deliver monthly forecasts for top vendors alongside measurable cost savings initiatives.
• Drive clarity in complex domains such as cloud cost allocation, capitalization policy application, and R&D tax credit qualification, removing blockers and aligning stakeholders on compliant, scalable solutions.
• Partner with Accounting, Tax, and Corporate Finance to implement consistent processes for capitalization, R&D credit documentation, audit-readiness, and vendor spend management with strong data quality controls.
• Integrate financial analytics into technical decision-making by building and promoting frameworks that tie business value and ROI to technical spend across the R&D portfolio.
• Establish and operationalize mechanisms (cadences, dashboards, KPIs) that improve cost visibility, accountability, and budget stewardship for engineering leaders and product teams.
• Create momentum in a fast-changing environment by communicating clear priorities, sequencing work for impact, and continuously improving processes to scale with the business.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management, strategic finance, FinOps, or related roles within technology or R&D-focused organizations.
• 4+ years leading end-to-end, cross-functional programs that span engineering and finance (e.g., cloud cost optimization, software capitalization, R&D tax credits, vendor governance).
• Hands-on experience delivering or improving software capitalization processes and supporting audits across at least 2 annual cycles.
• 3+ years driving cloud cost transparency and optimization (e.g., allocation/tagging, showback/chargeback, forecasting) with AWS, GCP, or similar platforms.
• Proficiency in SQL or advanced spreadsheet modeling (e.g., Google Sheets/Excel) to analyze costs, forecast, and build variance/ROI reporting; familiarity with BI dashboards.
• Demonstrated experience managing program-level budgets and vendor spend, including roadmap tradeoffs tied to business outcomes.
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, engineering, computer science, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a relevant technical field.
• FinOps Certified Practitioner (or equivalent) and a track record of implementing cloud cost optimization programs at scale.
• Experience with AWS Cost Explorer, Cost & Usage Report (CUR), GCP Billing/BigQuery, and building cost visibility in tools such as Looker or similar BI platforms.
• Proven ability to implement budget governance frameworks (e.g., rolling forecasts, showback/chargeback) for R&D organizations.
• Familiarity with software capitalization policies (e.g., ASC 350-40) and R&D tax credit processes in the U.S. and Canada.
• History of delivering measurable savings and efficiency improvements while maintaining product velocity and reliability.