Technical Program Manager

We’re a global team of over 400 people, working together to push the boundaries of open-source technology and multi-cloud solutions. Our vision is to become the trusted Data & AI Platform for everyone, leveraging the most popular open-source technologies like Apache Kafka®, Aiven for PostgreSQL®, Aiven for Clickhouse®, and Aiven for OpenSearch®. to help companies accelerate time-to-market, drive efficiency, and build innovative solutions across any cloud. 

The Role:

This is a foundational and high-impact role for a Senior Technical Program Manager (TPM), reporting to the Head of Product and Engineering Operations.

Your primary purpose is to build the operational framework that allows our Product and Engineering teams to consistently deliver complex, high-quality products to developers. You'll be instrumental in establishing the TPM function and defining the pragmatic ways of working that link strategic vision to reliable execution. You are the operational backbone ensuring that security, reliability, and performance are central to everything we build.

What You Will Do:

As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you will focus on execution, process creation, and cross-functional alignment:

• Establish the TPM Function: Help define the charter, standards, and practical best practices for the TPM discipline across the Product and Engineering organization.
• Define Delivery Workflows: Create, document, and embed scalable delivery frameworks, rituals, and communication standards (e.g., planning, dependency management, launch readiness) that drive predictable, high-quality outcomes.
• Drive Complex Programs: Own the end-to-end delivery of a major, long-term roadmap track or a set of highly complex, cross-functional products, acting as the operational owner.
• Manage Dependencies and Risk: Proactively identify, track, and mitigate critical technical and schedule dependencies across numerous teams, conducting deep-dive technical reviews with engineering leaders to address systemic risks (scaling, architecture, security).
• Tooling Improvement: Work closely with the Operations team to continuously improve the tooling that enables accurate planning, tracking, and reporting for the product delivery teams.
• Improve Go-to-Market: Partner directly with the Go-To-Market (GTM) team to refine and execute product launch processes, ensuring seamless internal alignment and proper technical support for sales enablement and market release.
• Communicate & Report: Establish and monitor key delivery health metrics, providing clear, concise, and accurate status reporting on program progress to executive stakeholders.
• Champion Quality: Ensure non-functional requirements (Security, Reliability, Performance) are prioritized and integrated as critical milestones throughout the entire product delivery lifecycle.

What We Are Looking For:

• Experience: 5+ years of experience in a Technical Program Manager, Technical Project Manager, or Senior Engineering Manager role, ideally within a high-growth PaaS, Cloud Infrastructure, or Developer Tools company.
• Technical Acumen: Demonstrated experience managing the delivery of highly technical products where deep understanding of infrastructure, data systems, or platform services was required.
• Process Creation: Proven ability to not just follow processes, but to design and implement simple, effective delivery and planning frameworks from scratch in a pragmatic, results-oriented manner.
• Execution Focus: Expert capability in driving execution in an agile/lean environment, with a track record of successfully delivering complex, multi-quarter programs on time.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Exceptional ability to lead and align diverse stakeholders, including Engineering, Product Management, Security, and Go-to-Market teams.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience operating within a scale-up environment and dealing with the inherent ambiguities.
• Familiarity with open-source technologies, Kubernetes, Kafka, PostgreSQL, or other core cloud-native technologies.

Our Offer:

If you ask us what’s the best thing about working for Aiven, many will probably say it’s the high concentration of talent from around the world that we have here. Enjoy the agile environment of a hyperscale scale-up where you can truly make an impact and have fun while at it.

We invest in you:

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.
• With Aiven locations spanning the globe, we want all of our crabs to find the right balance with our hybrid work policy.
• Get the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Step up your career game with real employer support (use one of our learning platforms, annual learning budget, and more).
• Get holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.

Make a difference at Aiven:

• Contribute to open-source projects that you find meaningful outside of work - and get paid for it! Our Plankton program recognizes extra work to the open-source ecosystem for developers and non-developers alike.
• Use up to 5 days per year to volunteer for a good cause of your choice.
• Join one of our team member resource groups - empower yourself and others in missions that resonate with you.

Amazing! What’s next:

If you think Aiven is the place for you, send us your CV and we’ll get in touch.

How to Recognize and Avoid Employment Scams:

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Here at Aiven, all of our emails relating to recruitment come from an @aiven.io, @greenhouse.io or @eu.greenhouse.io domain and all of our interviews are conducted over video call or in person, our interviews will never occur over text or chat. If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of a job opportunity/offer pertaining to Aiven, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

Equal Opportunities:

Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment.

At Aiven we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities or special needs in our working environment and job application procedures. We make all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or who otherwise need support to thrive in the workplace. We are committed to continuously improving workplace accessibility. There is an option to request a discussion in the application process but if you have any questions before applying please write to us at [email protected].