Senior Technical Program Manager at Confluent

We’re not just building better tech. We’re rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn’t sit still. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them. It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together. One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform. ABOUT THE ROLE: As a Senior Technical Program Manager (TPM), you will be a key force-multiplier within Confluent's engineering organization. Your primary responsibility is leading the execution of high-priority, "cannot-fail" programs. This role requires driving crucial cross-functional alignment across Product, Engineering, Finance and Security teams to build the foundational "central nervous system" for modern enterprises. WHAT YOU WILL DO: - Drive Complex Initiatives: Lead the end-to-end delivery of large-scale technical projects, such as Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery, Cost and Efficiency or platform-wide architecture shifts. - Technical Liaison: Translate high-level business goals into detailed technical requirements and communicate complex architecture trade-offs to non-technical stakeholders. - Operational Excellence: Establish rigorous program management standards, including clear milestones, KPIs, and risk-mitigation strategies to ensure predictable delivery. - Strategic Alignment: Partner with leadership to prioritize the roadmap, resolve cross-team dependencies, and manage resource allocation for business-critical programs. Stakeholder Management: Facilitate decision-making across global, distributed teams and manage relationships with key internal and external partners. WHAT YOU WILL BRING: - Experience: 5–8+ years in a technical program management role, specifically within cloud-native or high-scale software environments. - Technical Deep-Dive: Deep understanding of distributed systems, cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), and data streaming technologies like Apache Kafka. - Leadership Style: Alignment with Confluent’s values: Smart, Humble, and Empathetic; you thrive in fast-paced environments and "Get Stuff Done". - Proactive Problem-Solving: A results-driven mindset with the ability to navigate ambiguity and take initiative to drive efficiencies. - Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work across engineering, product, Finance, and data teams to align on goals and deliver cost savings. - Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field. WHAT GIVES YOU AN EDGE: - Experience with cost management tools or frameworks in large-scale infrastructure environments. - Familiarity with Confluent or other large-scale platforms. - Experience in building dashboards using JQL, SQL, Data Studio, BigQuery is highly desirable. READY TO BUILD WHAT'S NEXT? LET’S GET IN MOTION. COME AS YOU ARE Belonging isn’t a perk here. It’s the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. And we make space for everyone to lead, grow, and challenge what’s possible. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Employment decisions are based on job-related criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law. PRIVACY STATEMENT Confluent is an IBM subsidiary which has been acquired by IBM and will be integrated into the IBM organization. By proceeding with this application, you understand that Confluent will share your personal information with other IBM affiliates involved in your recruitment process, wherever these are located. More Information on how IBM protects your personal information, including the safeguards in case of cross-border data transfer, are available here [Upgrade to PRO to see link]