Senior Technical Program Manager

Lightning AI; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Equity

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Winter break

Parental leave

Learning allowance

Wellness stipend

Sabbatical

Hybrid work

Office meals

Job summary

Lightning AI in New York is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to lead cross-functional infrastructure programs spanning network, compute, storage, datacenter operations, and hardware/platform rollouts. You will own planning, milestones, dependencies, and coordinate with engineering, operations, and leadership to ensure predictable delivery in a fast-moving technical environment.

You will drive cross-functional alignment, manage risks and blockers, and contribute to improving execution

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager in infrastructure, cloud, or distributed systems environments.
• Experience driving execution across multiple technical workstreams (network, compute, storage, datacenter infrastructure).
• Strong communicator who can align engineering, operations, and leadership stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Drive execution across multiple infrastructure programs (network, storage, datacenter, hardware/platform rollouts).
• Own program planning, milestones, and dependency management across parallel workstreams.
• Coordinate with Infra Engineering, Network, DC Operations, Security, and Platform teams to align scope and timelines.
• Provide clear program updates to leadership with progress, risks, and mitigation plans.
• Manage risks, blockers, and dependencies across teams.
• Contribute to improving execution frameworks and program visibility.

Skills

Strong communicator

Program planning

Dependency management

Risk mitigation

Cross-functional leadership

Job description

Who We Are

Lightning AI is the company behind PyTorch Lightning. Founded in 2019, we build an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems—designed to take ideas from research to production with less friction.

Through our merger with Voltage Park, a neocloud and AI Factory, Lightning AI combines developer-first software with cost-efficient, large-scale compute. Teams get the tools they need for experimentation, training, and production inference, with security, observability, and control built in.

We serve solo researchers, startups, and large enterprises. Lightning AI operates globally with offices in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and London, and is backed by Coatue, Index Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Firstminute.

The Way We Work

The people who thrive here are builders who move fast, communicate openly, take ownership, and continuously improve themselves, their teams, and our company. Here's what that looks like in practice:

• Move with Urgency: We move quickly, make thoughtful decisions, and keep momentum. We value action over perfection and learn by shipping.
• Take Ownership: We own outcomes, not just our individual work. We make decisions that move the company forward and follow through.
• Communicate Openly: We communicate directly, seek to understand, and create clarity for others. Honest conversations help us move faster together.
• Build Great Teams: We lead by example, empower others, and create healthy teams where people can do their best work.
• Raise the Bar: We're always improving ourselves. We learn from feedback, consistently challenge ourselves to grow, and focus on the work that matters most.
• Think Long-Term: We design for what's next. We create scalable systems, simplify complexity, and use AI and automation to amplify our impact.

What You’ll Do

We are seeking an experienced Senior Technical Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional programs that span compute, network, storage, observability, and datacenter operations. You will drive delivery of high impact initiatives, define clear milestones and dependencies, and partner closely with engineering, operations, and leadership to ensure predictable execution in a fast moving technical environment.

What You’ll Do

• Drive execution across multiple infrastructure programs, including network builds and upgrades, storage initiatives, datacenter builds and expansions, and hardware/platform rollouts
• Own program planning, milestone definition, and dependency management across parallel workstreams
• Partner with Infra Engineering, Network, DC Operations, Hardware, Security, and Platform teams to align scope, timelines, and delivery
• Coordinate execution across initiatives such as:
• Network expansions, upgrades, and large-scale migrations
• Datacenter expansions and capacity growth
• Hardware bring-up and infrastructure readiness
• Next-generation platform rollouts (e.g. new GPU architectures), ensuring end-to-end readiness across infrastructure layers
• Drive cross-functional alignment to ensure infrastructure is ready for deployment, bring-up, and customer usage
• Manage risks, blockers, and dependencies across engineering and operations teams
• Provide clear, concise program updates to leadership, highlighting progress, risks, and mitigation plans
• Operate effectively in a fast-moving, ambiguous environment with shifting priorities
• Contribute to improving execution frameworks, tooling, and program visibility across the infrastructure organization

Who You Are

• 8+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager in infrastructure, cloud, or distributed systems environments
• Strong experience driving execution across multiple technical workstreams (network, compute, storage, datacenter infrastructure)
• Proven ability to coordinate complex, cross-functional programs without needing to be the deepest domain expert in every area
• Experience operating across multiple infrastructure domains rather than a single area of specialization
• Comfortable operating in ambiguous environments with evolving priorities and limited process
• Strong communicator who can align engineering, operations, and leadership stakeholders
• Skilled in program planning, dependency management, and risk mitigation
• Able to manage multiple programs simultaneously while maintaining execution quality

Ideal Experiences

• Experience supporting infrastructure scale-out, hardware deployment, or capacity expansion programs
• Familiarity with GPU/compute platforms, network infrastructure, storage systems, or datacenter operations
• Experience coordinating infrastructure readiness for new hardware or platform rollouts
• Background working in fast-paced or high-growth environments
• Experience partnering across hardware, network, and platform/software teams

We are committed to offering competitive compensation that reflects the value each team member brings to our mission. Final offers are based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, and role expectations. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package for eligible roles includes a discretionary bonus, a meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits.

The anticipated annual base salary range for this role is:

$160,000 — $220,000 USD

Benefits and Perks

We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support our employees’ health, well-being, and long-term success:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.
• Meaningful Equity: RSUs that give employees a stake in the company's long-term success.
• Retirement Savings: 401(k) matching (U.S.) and pension contributions (U.K.).
• Flexible Time Off: Unlimited PTO, company holidays, and floating holidays to support work-life balance.
• Company-Wide Winter Break: Two weeks of company closure each winter to disconnect and recharge.
• Paid Parental & Family Leave: Paid leave to support you and your family through life's important moments.
• Professional Development: Annual learning and development allowance to support your professional growth.
• Wellness Benefits: Wellness and work-from-home stipends to support your physical and mental well-being.
• Sabbatical Program: Four weeks of paid sabbatical leave after four years of service.
• Flexible Work: Flexible schedules and a hybrid work model for our office-based teams.
• In-Office Meals: Complimentary meals at our office hubs.

Benefits may vary by location, team, and role.

At Lightning AI, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and create better products. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We are dedicated to building a culture where everyone can thrive and contribute to their fullest potential.