# Senior Principal, Technical Program Management (Research & Development)

**Company:** [Twilio](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/twilio)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** Technical Program Management
**Salary:** $188k – $277k/yr
**Experience:** 12+ years
**Skills:** Distributed Systems, Cloud Infrastructure, API Design, Agile Methodologies, Technical Program Management, Roadmapping, Risk Management, Operational Frameworks, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP
**Posted:** 2026-04-07

> Leads portfolio of strategic, complex technical programs in R&D, orchestrating multi-year roadmaps, cross-functional alignment, and execution frameworks for engineering and product teams. Requires 12+ years experience, deep architectural fluency in distributed systems, and bachelor's degree.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities

- Orchestrate the technical strategy and multi-year roadmap for high-impact, cross-organizational technical programs that define the future of Twilio’s platforms. Manage systemic complexity and high-stakes risk while serving as the primary technical point of contact for SVPs and executive leadership on mission-critical programs.
- Architect the end-to-end execution framework, including global sequencing logic, multi-tier governance, architectural integration patterns, and enterprise-grade operational success metrics. Ensure the strategy accounts for technical debt retirement and long-term platform health.
- Orchestrate Cross-Portfolio Alignment: Own the master execution roadmap for complex, interdependent product suites. Identify and resolve structural misalignment between engineering roadmaps, surfacing high-stakes tradeoffs and resource reallocations to executive leadership.
- Partner deeply with lead engineers/architects to evaluate technical approaches, integration patterns, and operational risks; ensure plans reflect real system constraints, failure modes, and readiness requirements.
- Define Systems of Accountability: Establish the organizational \"operating system\" for high-stakes programs. Define the standards for how cross-functional teams interact, ensuring clear ownership across siloed domains when technical priorities conflict.
- Anticipate Ecosystem-Wide Impacts: Proactively identify \"hidden\" technical requirements across the platform (e.g., global security / compliance shifts, complex billing migrations, or observability gaps) and ensure they are integrated into the core technical design.
- Scale R&D Excellence: Design and institutionalize durable program frameworks and technical readiness standards that elevate the execution maturity of the entire global R&D organization. Build the playbooks that become the Twilio standard for large-scale engineering delivery.
- Force Multiplier & Mentor: Mentor to Principal TPMs and Engineering Leads. Raise the collective bar for technical risk management, executive storytelling, and high-velocity decision-making.

## Qualifications

**Required:**
- 12+ years of experience leading massive-scale technical programs in a high-growth, distributed systems and software engineering domain.
- Proven ability to influence technical direction and architectural decisions at the VP/SVP level, with a track record of steering programs through complex technical pivots.
- Expert-level mastery in defining execution strategies for programs with hundreds of engineers; identify integration risks and failure modes.
- Exceptional ability to frame highly technical challenges into strategic business narratives, driving consensus among senior executives.
- Deep technical depth in **cloud-scale infrastructure**, **API-first design**, and **distributed systems**. Proven experience influencing Staff/Principal/Distinguished Engineers.
- Demonstrated success in building and scaling operational readiness frameworks using self-service tools to surface status, actions, and KPIs.
- Proven track record of bringing order to chaos in environments with constant flux.
- **Bachelor’s degree** in Computer Science, Engineering, a related field or equivalent practical experience.

**Desired:**
- **Master’s** in computer science or engineering or a related field.
- 5+ years of technical program management at hyperscaler or Fortune 100 cloud software/infrastructure companies.
- Domain expertise in global-scale communications (**Telephony**, **SMS**, **CPaaS**) or high-throughput distributed platforms.
- Experience leading \"company-bet\" transformations, such as major cloud migrations or foundational platform re-architectures.

## Compensation

Estimated pay ranges (for specific states):
- Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Vermont: $188,240 - $235,000
- Washington D.C., Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, California (outside SF Bay Area): $199,280 - $249,100
- New York, New Jersey, Washington State, San Francisco Bay Area, California: $221,360 - $276,700

Eligible for equity plan.

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