Principal Technical Program Manager

Rippling, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 159,000 - 265,000; Full time

Job summary

Rippling, Inc. in San Francisco, CA, seeks a highly accomplished Technical Program Manager (Staff/Principal) to lead our product development and geographic expansion efforts.

You will work closely with product managers and engineering managers to own execution plans and drive complex cross-team programs. You will champion predictable delivery by identifying dependencies and blockers, mitigating architectural risks, and applying TPM best practices to ensure timely releases across engineering and

Qualifications

• 7+ years of TPM/Engineering leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Drive strategic cross-functional planning with Product and Engineering leadership to develop program plans, roadmaps, dependencies, and resourcing.
• Translate high-level requirements into concrete engineering tasks, milestones, and specs.
• Track technical metrics and drive improvements for system health and performance.
• Lead program-level meetings and reviews to ensure successful delivery across teams.
• Identify dependencies and blockers, mitigate risks, and escalate where needed.

Skills

TPM experience

Engineering leadership

Cross-functional communication

Planning & scheduling

Risk management

Problem solving

Executive communication

Prioritization

Education

B.S. in CS/Engineering/Business

Job description

Rippling gives businesses one place to run HR, IT, and Finance. It brings together all of the workforce systems that are normally scattered across a company, like payroll, expenses, benefits, and computers. For the first time ever, you can manage and automate every part of the employee lifecycle in a single system.

Take onboarding, for example. With Rippling, you can hire a new employee anywhere in the world and set up their payroll, corporate card, computer, benefits, and even third-party apps like Slack and Microsoft 365—all within 90 seconds.

Based in San Francisco, CA, Rippling has raised $1.4B+ from the world’s top investors—including Kleiner Perkins, Founders Fund, Sequoia, Greenoaks, and Bedrock—and was named one of America's best startup employers by Forbes.

We prioritize candidate safety. Please be aware that all official communication will only be sent from @ Rippling.com addresses.

About the Role

We are looking for a highly accomplished Technical Program Manager (TPM) — at the Staff or Principal level — to play a pivotal role in spearheading our product development and geographic expansion initiatives. This strategic role requires a deep technical background to effectively partner with product managers and engineering managers, providing technical leadership to own the execution plan and deliver complex, cross-team engineering initiatives. You will be the champion for predictable and timely delivery, able to take ownership of and drive the mitigation of risks to the program, and skilled in facilitating quantifiable success across diverse engineering and product teams. Your core responsibility is to ensure the predictable delivery of products by actively engaging in technical discussions, identifying and proactively resolving dependencies and technical blockers, mitigating architectural risks, and applying best-in-class program management practices.

What You'll Do

Technical Strategy & Planning

• Drive strategic, cross-functional planning and prioritization, partnering with Product and Engineering leadership to develop comprehensive program plans, including roadmap definition, dependency mapping, and resourcing models.
• Drive the process of translating high-level business and product requirements into actionable, concrete engineering tasks, milestones, and technical specifications.
• Contribute to the definition and tracking of effective technical metrics, driving improvements that optimize engineering operating performance and system health.

Technical Execution & Delivery

• Lead and facilitate regular program-level meetings and reviews with Product and Engineering leadership to ensure projects achieve successful outcomes.
• Proactively monitor program health, tracking status, risks, issues, and complex technical dependencies across engineering teams.
• Deep dive into technical issues to facilitate resolution, and drive appropriate executive-level escalations and program-level change management processes as-needed.
• Take personal ownership of engineering roadblocks and technical delays, escalating issues appropriately and driving them to timely closure by working directly with engineering leads.

Process & Communication

• Manage high-level program communications, ensuring all stakeholders—from delivery teams to executive management—are consistently informed of roadmap changes, release plans, and delivery status, with a clear explanation of technical trade-offs and risks.
• Establish, document, and champion the adoption of new program frameworks, tools, and best practices across the R&D organization.
• Act as an agent of change, helping to establish and strengthen the Technical Program Management function across the company.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience as TPM, Engineering Lead, Manager, or equivalent working directly with software engineering teams.
• Proven track record to communicate technical issues effectively to technical and non‑technical partners at different levels of the organization.
• Proven ability to build and implement detailed plans accounting for ambiguity, dependencies, and technical complexity in a fast‑moving environment.
• Demonstrated excellence in the practice of technical program management, especially in establishing TPM processes from scratch.
• Highly skilled in pragmatically identifying, tracking and reporting on cross team dependencies and collaboratively addressing them effectively with providing/receiving teams.
• Demonstrated attention to detail and a hands‑on disposition.
• Excellent problem solving and troubleshooting skills.
• Proven ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a fast‑moving environment.
• Outstanding ability to effectively communicate across all levels of the organization from engineers to executives.
• Four‑year Computer Science, Engineering, Business or related degree, or equivalent work experience.

Additional Information

Rippling is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected characteristics, Rippling is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities who need assistance during the hiring process. To request a reasonable accommodation, please email [e-mail]

Rippling highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. For office-based employees (employees who live within a defined radius of a Rippling office), Rippling considers working in the office, at least three days a week under current policy, to be an essential function of the employee's role.

This role will receive a competitive salary + benefits + equity. The salary for US-based employees will be aligned with one of the ranges below based on location; see which tier applies to your location here .

A variety of factors are considered when determining someone’s compensation–including a candidate’s professional background, experience, and location. Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed below.

The pay range for this role is:

159,000 - 265,000 USD per year (US Tier 1)