Technical Program Manager

An overview of this role
As a Technical Program Manager in GitLab’s R&D organization, you’ll lead cross functional initiatives that help teams deliver reliably, efficiently, and at scale. You’ll own programs that cut across multiple product stages and engineering teams, turning strategic priorities into clear plans, aligning stakeholders, and driving progress in an all-remote, asynchronous environment. You’ll use GitLab issues, epics, and handbook-first documentation to create visibility, remove blockers, and keep complex work moving across time zones, while partnering closely with Engineering Leadership at all levels. In your first year, you’ll be expected to independently run a portfolio of programs from scoping through delivery and retrospectives, and to improve how R&D programs operate by contributing to and evolving Technical Program Management best practices.

What you’ll do

• Lead 1–3 strategic technical programs at a time spanning multiple engineering teams and product stages, ensuring clear scope, priorities, and outcomes.
• Partner with engineering leaders and other key stakeholders to align on goals, timelines, and delivery milestones for cross functional initiatives.
• Own end-to-end program planning and execution, from initial discovery and scoping through delivery, measurement, and retrospectives.
• Drive asynchronous collaboration using GitLab issues, epics, and handbook updates so globally distributed teams stay aligned and informed.
• Identify risks and blockers early, coordinate resolution across teams, and escalate when needed to maintain momentum.
• Facilitate working group meetings and async discussions to support decision-making, surface tradeoffs, and keep programs on track.
• Track and communicate program health through metrics, dashboards, and regular status updates to provide visibility to the Engineering Division and partners.
• Contribute to evolving Technical Program Management practices by documenting processes, sharing learnings, and improving how R&D programs run across GitLab.
• Take part in on-call or operational support where your team’s ownership model requires it.

What you’ll bring

• Experience in technical program management, project management, software engineering, or similar technical roles.
• Understanding of the software development lifecycle and Agile ways of working, including how engineering teams plan, build, and ship.
• Skill in coordinating programs across multiple engineering teams or departments, aligning stakeholders on goals, timelines, and milestones.
• Strong written communication skills for asynchronous, documentation-first collaboration in a fully remote environment.
• Ability to work independently in a distributed setting, set priorities, and make progress with minimal supervision.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity, identifying blockers, and proposing practical solutions to keep programs moving.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, or platforms like GitLab, with interest in deepening this knowledge over time.
• Openness to learning, iterating based on feedback, and applying transferable skills from varied backgrounds to technical program management.

About the team
You’ll join the R&D organization as part of the Technical Program Management function, a small, cross-functional team that leads high-impact programs spanning multiple product stages and departments. The team focuses on driving clarity, alignment, and predictable delivery for complex initiatives that touch many parts of GitLab, using a handbook-first, asynchronous way of working with stakeholders across regions and time zones. You’ll collaborate closely with engineering leaders and partners in other functions to improve how programs are planned, executed, and communicated, helping evolve shared practices, templates, and tooling for program governance across R&D.