Staff Technical Program Manager, Duolingo English Test

Drive Capital; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 182,000 - 272,000; Full time

Job summary

Duolingo is seeking a Staff-level leader to drive strategic, cross-functional initiatives from concept to launch within the Duolingo English Test domain. You will partner with engineering, product, data science, legal, security, and external stakeholders to translate requirements into durable execution.

You will operate with significant autonomy, shaping strategy across multiple workstreams, guiding teams, communicating clearly, and elevating DET programs in planning, communication, and delivery.

Qualifications

• Experience as TPM, engineering lead, or manager in software environments.
• Proven ability to translate complex technical requirements into executable plans.
• Strong communication with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels.
• Ability to manage ambiguity, dependencies, and risk in agile settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic, cross-functional initiatives from concept to launch.
• Oversee complex programs within a domain, coordinating with engineering, product, data science, legal, and security.
• Operate at staff level with autonomy, shaping strategy across multiple workstreams.
• Drive durable execution, clear milestones, and timely deliveries across teams.
• Identify delivery bottlenecks and resolve impediments with leadership and partners.
• Promote scalable processes and best practices across product and engineering teams.
• Make tough tradeoffs with a data-driven, calm, analytical leadership style.

Skills

TPM leadership

Engineering leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Agile execution

Education

B.S. or MS in Computer Science

Tools

AWS

Job description

Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!

At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about finding innovative solutions to complex technical problems, running countless experiments (300+ at a time!) with our massive user base to make data-driven decisions, and educating our users and employees alike. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities, mentorship and collaboration with world-class minds, and a variety of projects with large scopes — while doing work that’s both fun and meaningful.

Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.

You will...

• Lead the delivery of strategic, high-impact cross-functional initiatives from conceptualization to launch
• Lead complex, high-stakes technical programs within the Duolingo English Test (DET) domain, partnering with engineering, product, data science, legal, security, and external stakeholders to translate regulatory, compliance, and business requirements into clear technical plans and durable execution.
• Operate at the Staff level with significant autonomy, driving strategy across multiple workstreams, providing steady leadership through ambiguity and external scrutiny, and upleveling how DET programs are planned, communicated, and delivered.
• Partner with functions across the company—such as engineering, QA, product management, and executive leadership—to ensure communication and alignment across teams and to further collaboration across functions
• Leverage deep technical expertise to develop detailed plans with key milestones and goals, identify and mitigate risks, solve for dependencies, remove impediments, and ensure timely and smooth project launches
• Identify issues impacting delivery efficiency company-wide and quickly take action to resolve them, working collaboratively with leadership and other relevant partners
• Drive decisions when difficult tradeoffs must be made, including those with cross-organizational or company-level impact; serve as role model for navigating problems with analytical approach and calming demeanor
• Guide and train others on standard processes, scaling guidelines across teams, and improving how product and engineering organizations operate, even when you are not involved day to day.

You have...

• Strong experience as TPM, Engineering Lead, or Manager
• B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or equivalent degree or experience
• Experience working on commercial software products and their underlying infrastructure, with an understanding of client-service architecture
• Consistent track record of communicating 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 an agile environment
• Flexibility to adjust plans based on new information without losing a beat and while keeping morale high
• Outstanding leadership and influence in a matrix environment, including influencing senior leaders without direct authority
• Ability to operate effectively even with only high-level direction, setting strategy and direction across multiple teams or workstreams
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, start-up environment
• Demonstrated self-direction, with a desire both to learn new techniques and guide others
• Ability to relocate to Pittsburgh, PA

Exceptional candidates will have...

• Experience with software engineering, systems engineering, or similar experience, in addition to project/program management experience
• Deep experience with AWS
• Experience working with teams and technical projects distributed across the globe
• Experience running projects that include machine learning and large datasets
• Experience articulating business questions and using available data to find answers that translate into business recommendations

The offered salary is dependent upon several factors, including work experience, skills, and internal peer comparisons. The posted range is subject to change in the future. For this role, base salary is supplemented by equity compensation. We encourage you to talk with your recruiter for more information related to compensation for this role!

Salary Range:

$181,600 — $272,400 USD

Benefits: Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.

Accommodations: We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact [e-mail].

Equal Employment Opportunity: Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.