Technical Program Manager

Kforce Inc; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k)

Job summary

Kforce is hiring a Technical Program Manager in Foster City, CA to lead end-to-end, multi-team initiatives with significant business impact. You will partner with senior engineering and product leaders to influence roadmaps, resource decisions, and priorities, while defining scalable PM frameworks and managing cross-team dependencies.

You will drive risk management, communicate with executive audiences, and contribute to architectural scoping discussions, leveraging deep technical intuition and

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management.
• Deep experience managing multi-team software programs across the full SDLC.
• Strong technical foundation for architectural discussions and risk evaluation.
• Exceptional communication and executive presence; able to influence without authority.
• Experience building or improving program management processes and tooling.
• Proven ability to navigate ambiguity and drive clarity under pressure.
• Familiarity with AI tools to inform design decisions and with agentic AI models.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end program management for large-scale, multi-team initiatives with significant business impact.
• Partner with VP- and Director-level engineering/product leaders to influence roadmaps and priorities.
• Define and evolve program management frameworks, processes, and best practices across the org.
• Manage complex dependencies across teams and external partners; balance priorities.
• Anticipate risks, escalations, and trade-offs at program/portfolio level; minimize impact.
• Communicate technical complexity in business terms to executive audiences.
• Contribute to architectural and technical scoping discussions to validate feasibility.

Skills

Technical program mgmt

Multi-team leadership

Executive communication

Strategic influence

AI-assisted decision making

Cloud & distributed systems

Tools

Kafka (kafkajs)

Protobuf

AWS

Job description

Kforce has a client in Foster City, CA that is seeking a Technical Program Manager. Summary: As a Technical Program Manager, you will operate with a high degree of autonomy, setting the standard for program execution across the organization. You will be a trusted partner to senior engineering and product leadership, driving strategic initiatives that span multiple teams, systems, and business lines. This is a role for someone who brings deep technical intuition, strong organizational influence, and a track record of delivering at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end program management for large-scale, multi-team engineering initiatives with significant business impact, from strategy through delivery
• Serve as a strategic partner to VP- and Director-level engineering and product leaders, influencing roadmaps, resourcing decisions, and organizational priorities
• Define and evolve program management frameworks, processes, and best practices across the engineering organization
• Drive alignment across complex dependency landscapes involving multiple teams, external partners, and competing priorities
• Anticipate and proactively manage risks, escalations, and trade-offs at a program and portfolio level
• Communicate clearly and confidently to executive audiences - translating technical complexity into business impact and vice versa
• Actively participate in architectural and technical scoping discussions, providing informed input on feasibility, sequencing, and delivery risk

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management, with a proven record of delivering complex, org-wide engineering programs
• Deep expertise managing multi-team software programs across the full SDLC, including large-scale platform, infrastructure, or product initiatives
• Strong technical foundation - able to engage credibly in architectural discussions, understand system design trade-offs, and evaluate technical risk
• Exceptional communication and executive presence - skilled at influencing without authority and navigating organizational dynamics
• Experience building or improving program management processes and tooling at an organizational level
• Proven ability to manage ambiguity, drive clarity, and make sound decisions under pressure in fast-paced environments
• Ability to use AI tools to make informed technical decisions regarding a given design or code changes
• Knowledge of how agentic AI models work and how to execute programs with AI chatbots
• Technical expertise in understanding the following technologies
• Wireless Technologies - 4G/5G/Multi-WAN Load Balancing
• Networking Technologies - UDP/TCP, NAT Traversal, Network Security (mTLS, etc.)
• Experience with Kafka (kafkajs), Protobuf serialization, and AWS cloud infrastructure (API Gateways)

Bonus

• PMP, PgMP, or Agile/Scrum certification is a plus
• Experience at a software company working on infrastructure, platform, or product engineering programs
• Familiarity with cloud services (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and distributed systems concepts
• Prior background as a software engineer or in a technical role is advantageous
• Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills

The pay range is the lowest to highest compensation we reasonably in good faith believe we would pay at posting for this role. We may ultimately pay more or less than this range. Employee pay is based on factors like relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, location, performance, union contract and business needs. This range may be modified in the future.

We offer comprehensive benefits including medical/dental/vision insurance, HSA, FSA, 401(k), and life, disability & ADD insurance to eligible employees. Salaried personnel receive paid time off. Hourly employees are not eligible for paid time off unless required by law. Hourly employees on a Service Contract Act project are eligible for paid sick leave.

Note: Pay is not considered compensation until it is earned, vested and determinable. The amount and availability of any compensation remains in Kforce's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified in its discretion consistent with the law.

This job is not eligible for bonuses, incentives or commissions.

Kforce is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran status, or disability status.