# Technical Program Manager

**Company:** [Forward Networks](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/forward-networks)
**Location:** Santa Clara, CA
**Role:** Technical Program Management
**Salary:** $190k – $220k/yr
**Experience:** 5+ years
**Skills:** Release Management, SDLC, Cross-Functional Program Management, Process Design, Automation, AI Tools, Networking, Infrastructure
**Posted:** 2026-06-30

> Technical Program Manager driving end-to-end SaaS release management, cross-functional engineering programs, internal communications, and lightweight process design. Requires track record with complex dependencies, technical depth (networking/infra preferred), and ability to challenge scope/timelines while translating between technical and business teams.

## Job Description

## What you'll own

- Release management end-to-end: SDLC coordination from product definition through production deployment, dependency mapping, release cadence, risk identification, and escalation before deadlines slip
- Cross-functional programs that span engineering, product, and the technical field: scoping, sequencing, and driving them to outcomes
- Internal engineering communications: status reporting, exec updates, and the cadence of how engineering keeps the rest of the org informed
- Process design that gets teams aligned without adding bureaucracy. Lightweight, followed, and retired when no longer useful
- Automation and AI leverage: identify what should be automated, partner with engineers to implement, and use AI for status tracking, documentation, and dependency analysis

## What matters

- Track record running multi-team SaaS releases and broader engineering programs with complex dependencies
- Technical depth to distinguish realistic from fantasy (networking or infrastructure background a plus)
- Translates fluently between technical teams and business stakeholders
- Builds lightweight processes that actually get followed
- Knows when to push back on scope or timeline vs. when to escalate
- Comfortable being the person who asks "are we still on track?" repeatedly, and the one who reframes the question when the answer keeps being "yes" but the evidence says otherwise

## What this isn't

- Pure project management. You need technical credibility
- Pure engineering. You're not writing runbooks or going on-call
- Order-taker. You'll challenge unrealistic commitments and unclear program goals
- Customer-facing. This role is internal

**Base pay range:** $190,000 - $220,000 (depends on skills, qualifications, experience, and location)

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