Principal Technical Program Manager, Snap
Reliability
$251-377k
+ RSUs
Social media & camera company
Be an early applicant
Social media & camera company
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$251-377k
+ RSUs
1001+ employees
Company mission
To empower people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.
Role
Who you are
- The most successful TPMs possess the ability to grasp new concepts quickly, navigate technical complexity, and adapt in fast-moving environments
- This role is ideal for former engineers or data scientists who have evolved into program leaders without leaving their technical roots behind
- Bachelor's in a technical field such as computer science, mathematics, statistics or equivalent years of experience
- 12+ years of experience spanning Engineering / Data Science / Technical Program Management leading cross-functional efforts in the software or tech industry in a data-driven environment
- 5+ years of experience in Technical Program Management
- A proven track record of leading large-scale, ambiguous programs across distributed teams in fast-paced, cross-functional environments, especially in the areas of improving platform reliability, operational stability and performance of production systems
- Strong proficiency with Python and SQL, and experience using data to analyze systems, build tools, or inform decisions
- Experience with data visualization tools (e.g. Grafana, Looker, Tableau) building dashboards, source control (e.g. GitHub), ticket management (e.g. JIRA)
- Experience working directly with engineers and contributing to technical design, architectural trade-offs, and roadmap planning
- Comfort operating with high visibility and accountability; you thrive on ownership and impact
- Demonstrated ability to quickly learn new domains, systems, and technologies
- Excellent communication, organizational, and leadership skills
Desirable
- A background in software engineering, machine learning, or infrastructure systems
- Prior hands-on experience with big data technologies such as Spark, Airflow, Hive, Kafka, or Flink
- Familiarity with cloud-native infrastructure (e.g., AWS, GCP) and containerization tools like Kubernetes or Docker
- Deep understanding of ML development workflows, model lifecycle management, or experimentation frameworks
- Background in building internal tools or developer platforms to improve engineering velocity and system reliability
- Experience managing production systems, reliability initiatives, or cost optimization programs
- Exposure to high-scale consumer technology or social platforms with strong privacy, performance, or safety requirements
- Strong storytelling and presentation skills—especially with senior engineering or executive audiences
- Masters or PhD in a highly analytical field
What the job involves
- At Snap, the Technical Program Manager (TPM) is not a traditional project coordinator—this is a strategic, high-leverage leadership role designed for deep technical operators who thrive at the intersection of software engineering, machine learning, data analytics, and program execution
- TPMs at Snap are single-threaded owners of large-scale, high-stakes, and often ambiguous programs
- They combine engineering depth with execution precision, earning visibility and trust across the company by driving outcomes that power the core of our products and infrastructure
- Unlike industry-standard TPM roles, Snap TPMs are hands-on contributors who write Python notebooks, build dashboards and automation tools, and partner closely with engineering leaders to shape technical roadmaps, make architectural trade-offs, and drive the operating rhythm of the business
- Lead complex, cross-functional programs that span multiple engineering organizations and require deep technical understanding, rigorous execution, and strategic influence
- Operate as a single-threaded owner (STO) for the most critical programs, managing ambiguity, dependencies, and alignment across diverse technical teams
- Own the full lifecycle of programs—from ideation to execution to operational excellence—delivering outcomes that support Snap’s product, infrastructure, and platform goals
- Partner directly with engineering and product leadership to shape roadmaps, influence technical decisions, and drive accountability
- Use hands-on data analytics (Python, SQL, dashboards, notebooks) to guide programs with data, uncover insights, and communicate clearly with senior stakeholders
- Contribute to Snap’s technical ecosystem by building automation tools, improving internal systems, and identifying opportunities for platform-wide transformation
- Work across both development programs (spanning multiple orgs with complex interdependencies) and platform excellence programs (focused on reliability, efficiency, and performance)
- Drive the operating rhythm of the business, ensuring engineering systems scale effectively while remaining cost-conscious and performant
- Mentor and grow other junior TPMs and Engineers to scale the performance of the org
Application process
- Our interview process reflects the technical rigor and strategic impact expected of TPMs at Snap
- Unlike typical program management interviews, our process is designed to evaluate candidates’ ability to think like engineers and act like owners
- Candidates begin with an introductory conversation with the hiring manager, followed by a technical screen that dives into core program execution and engineering fundamentals
- From there, candidates complete a hands-on data analytics assessment via HackerRank, where they write executable Python and SQL code to analyze real-world data problems
- The final stage is a virtual onsite, which includes a program leadership presentation and three 1:1 interviews with senior leaders across Snap
- Throughout, we assess not only communication and collaboration skills but also technical fluency, first-principles thinking, and the ability to drive strategic outcomes in complex, ambiguous environments
Our take
Snap is the social media giant that owns Snapchat, a social media mobile app released in 2011. Created to serve as a more emotive communication form than texting, the app has gained mass popularity, reaching upwards of 400 million daily users worldwide.
After rejecting a billion dollar acquisition from Meta (then Facebook) in 2013, Snap has found itself in competition with the social media giant, particularly with Instagram. Despite this, the company has marked a place for itself in the ever competitive social media space through developing features like a Discover tab, augmented reality lenses, in-app games, ads and monetisation options, as well as launching its paid service, Snapchat+.
Snap has so far not earned an annual profit since going public in 2017, but as Snapchat's user base has continually increased it has nearly closed the gap. Like other tech companies it suffered in late 2022 due to a surprise drop in advertising revenue, but has been rebuilding to its former trajectory since then. Given Snapchat's lasting popularity amongst young people, further success appears likely.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-9% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
May 2016
$1.8bn
SERIES F
Mar 2015
$200m
SERIES E
Total funding: $2.6bn
Company benefits
- Paid maternity, paternity and family caregiver leave
- Adoption, surrogacy, infertility and fertility preservation benefits
- Backup child care coverage, caregiver assistance and digital maternity care support
- Short-term disability, long-term disability, life insurance and AD&D insurance
- Comprehensive medical coverage, including PPO, HSA and HMO options
- Dental coverage, including orthodontia benefits
- Vision coverage, including LASIK benefits
- Gym perks and discounts
- Team fitness classes, hikes and races
- Sports leagues
- Cooking and nutritional workshops
- Generous time off and leave programmes
- Meditation and yoga classes
- Emotional and mental health support programmes and apps
- Social gatherings, team outings and volunteering programmes
- Speaker series, classes and subscriptions to educational programmes
- Snap Inc. provides a 401(k) plan that allows you to save on a pre-tax, Roth and after-tax basis for your retirement (yes, we even have the Mega Backdoor option!)
- Rocket Lawyer memberships
- Financial education programmes
- Compensation packages that let you share in Snap's long-term success!
- Have a teammate going through a tough time? Lend them a hand through our internal Snap-a-wish programme! We'll work hard to make sure they get the support they need.
Company HQ
Sunset Park, Santa Monica, CA
Leadership
Evan Spiegel
(CEO)Graduated from Standford with a BS in Product Design.
Bobby Murphy
(CTO)Studied Mathematical and Computational Science at Stanford.
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