Technical Program Manager, Engineering Excellence

Role Description

We're seeking an Engineering Effectiveness Manager to drive measurable improvements in how our engineering organization delivers value. This role focuses on optimizing developer productivity, streamlining workflows, and implementing data-driven practices that accelerate delivery without sacrificing quality. You'll be the catalyst for making our engineers more effective, satisfied, and impactful.

Unlike traditional engineering management focused on people or products, this role centers on the systems, metrics, and processes that enable engineering excellence at scale.

Core Responsibilities:

• Strategic Cross-Functional Initiative Leadership
  • Own and drive 1-3 major strategic initiatives per quarter that span multiple teams and departments.
  • Act as the central coordinator and single point of accountability for complex, multi-stakeholder technical projects such as:
    • Infrastructure transformations (e.g., database migrations, architecture reworks)
    • Platform consolidations or modernization efforts
    • Major tooling or process changes affecting the entire engineering organization
    • Technical initiatives requiring coordination across Customer Success, Sales, Business Analytics, Product, and Engineering teams
  • Navigate competing priorities and build consensus across departments with different objectives.
  • Define success criteria, track progress, manage dependencies, and communicate status to stakeholders.
  • Identify and mitigate risks before they become blockers.
  • Drive initiatives from conception through successful delivery and post-launch measurement.
• Process Optimization and Workflow Excellence
  • Design and continuously improve engineering workflows including agile practices, sprint cycles, and release processes.
  • Identify and eliminate friction points in the development lifecycle from code commit to production deployment.
  • Strategically drive CI/CD pipeline improvements to reduce cycle time and increase deployment frequency.
  • Establish engineering best practices and standards that scale across teams.
  • Define, track, and report on key engineering effectiveness metrics.
  • Build dashboards and reporting systems that provide actionable insights to engineering leadership.
  • Translate technical metrics into business impact for executive stakeholders.
  • Conduct retrospectives and data analysis to identify trends and improvement opportunities.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager (TPM) or similar role driving cross-functional technical programs.
• Proven track record leading complex, cross-functional technical initiatives involving 5+ teams/departments.
• Strong project and program management skills with ability to drive initiatives from conception to completion.
• Proven track record of implementing metrics and measurement systems.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to translate data into actionable insights.
• Experience with modern development practices.
• Understanding of agile methodologies and their practical application.
• Excellent communication skills with both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience influencing without authority across engineering organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Gets energized by making other people's work easier and more effective.
• Loves digging into data to find insights and patterns.
• Can navigate complex organizations and build consensus.
• Thinks in systems and sees the interconnections between tools, processes, and people.
• Isn't afraid to challenge the status quo with data-backed proposals.
• Balances pragmatism with ambition, shipping incremental improvements while building toward transformational change.
• Genuinely cares about developer experience and engineering craft.
• 3+ years in software engineering with deep understanding of the full development lifecycle.

Travel Required

We are a fully remote company, and this job may require up to 10% of travel to be successful.

Compensation and Values

At Horizon3, we believe that our people are our greatest asset, and our compensation philosophy reflects this core value. We are committed to fostering an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and rewarded for their contributions. Our compensation structure is designed to be fair, competitive, and transparent, ensuring that every team member is recognized and compensated equitably across roles, levels, and locations.

• Base salary range: $230,000 - $265,000. The exact salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s location, qualifications, experience, and relevant skills.
• Additional compensation: All full-time roles are eligible for an equity package in the form of stock options.

Benefits

• Inclusive Team: We value diversity and promote an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.
• Growth Opportunities: Be part of a dynamic and growing team with numerous career development opportunities.
• Innovative Culture: Work in a collaborative environment that encourages creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.
• Hybrid & Remote Work: We embrace a mix of remote and hybrid work models depending on role and location, including our Chicago office, where some roles require regular in-office presence.
• Competitive Compensation: We offer competitive salary, equity and benefits. Our benefits include health, vision & dental insurance for you and your family, a flexible vacation policy, and generous parental leave.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Application Note

In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.