Staff Technical Program Manager, Core Experience

Overview

Instacart’s Technical Program Management team sits within Engineering and brings cross-functional partners together to solve some of the most complex problems in our multi-sided marketplace. As a Staff Technical Program Manager, you will operate at the intersection of technical strategy and execution, leading high-visibility, company-wide initiatives that shape the future of our products, platform, and operations.

You will drive programs that span customers, shoppers, retailers, and brands—owning strategy, execution, and outcomes across multiple teams. Current areas of focus include Core Experience initiatives such as Shopping AI Transformation, Health and Meals, and AI-driven personalization. You’ll partner closely with Engineering, Product, Data Science, Design, and Business teams, as well as VPs and executive leadership, to align on goals, derisk solutions, and deliver results at scale.

If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy turning ambiguity into structure, and care deeply about raising the bar for quality and collaboration, this role offers the opportunity to influence company strategy and deliver impact that customers feel every day. We value ownership, transparency, and working together to achieve ambitious goals.

About the Job

• Lead the strategy, definition, and end-to-end execution of complex, cross-company programs with high ambiguity, risk, and executive visibility; drive urgency, clarity, and ownership from kickoff to launch and iteration.
• Turn poorly understood problems into well-structured programs by architecting execution plans, success metrics, and governance that set a high standard for quality and maintainability.
• Create cross-program roadmaps that span multiple engineering organizations and partner functions; proactively manage dependencies, trade-offs, and risks to deliver scalable outcomes.
• Demonstrate deep technical acumen to propose, vet, and derisk solutions; facilitate architecture discussions and align technical decisions with business objectives.
• Partner with VPs and executive leadership to align program goals with company strategy; craft clear, decision-oriented narratives and run effective executive forums.
• Drive operational excellence through data-driven program management, establishing KPIs/OKRs, reporting cadences, and mechanisms for continuous improvement.
• Unblock teams by resolving resource gaps, negotiating priorities, and de-escalating conflicts with tact; elevate team efficiency, morale, and capability.
• Define and scale foundational frameworks, processes, and evaluation criteria that are adopted broadly across TPM, Engineering, and Product teams.
• Mentor and onboard TPMs across experience levels; model best practices and help the best ideas win—regardless of where they originate.
• Proactively identify new problem areas with sizable business impact and ensure they have clear ownership and execution paths.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of post-graduation experience in technology, including experience as a technical program manager, engineering manager, product manager, or related technical role.
• Proven track record leading end-to-end, company-wide programs of high complexity and ambiguity across multiple engineering organizations and cross-functional partners.
• Expert ability to design program structures, execution plans, and cross-program roadmaps tailored to the problem space and organizational context.
• Deep technical domain knowledge enabling you to influence architectural decisions, derisk complex solutions, and tailor approaches to diverse technical audiences.
• Exceptional communicator with demonstrated experience presenting to and influencing VP and executive audiences; able to tailor message and medium to audience and situation.
• Data-oriented decision maker with experience defining KPIs/OKRs and building mechanisms to track and drive outcomes.
• Demonstrated ability to drive a culture of continuous improvement, elevating quality, efficiency, and collaboration across teams.
• History of mentoring and developing TPMs, fostering inclusive, high-performing team environments.
• Strong relationship builder who can navigate competing priorities and resolve organizational friction with tact.
• Bachelor’s degree in a technology or engineering discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in a technology or engineering discipline.
• Experience leading programs with active VP and executive-team engagement that directly impact company strategy and outcomes.
• Proven ability to design and scale reusable program management frameworks, tools, and processes adopted across organizations.
• Experience with AI/ML programs or demonstrated fluency in applying AI to program management and engineering workflows.
• Background in marketplace, e-commerce, or logistics technology and awareness of relevant industry trends and competitive dynamics.