[Remote] Senior Principal, Technical Program Management (Research & Development)
Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Twilio is a leading customer engagement platform that empowers developers to build modern communication applications. They are seeking a Senior Principal Technical Program Manager for Research & Development to direct complex programs, set strategies, and ensure successful delivery of business and technical improvements across various teams.
Responsibilities
- Orchestrate the technical strategy and multi-year roadmap for high-impact, cross-organizational technical programs that define the future of Twilio’s platforms. You 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. You ensure the strategy accounts for technical debt retirement and long-term platform health, moving beyond a project plan to build a sustainable delivery engine
- Orchestrate Cross-Portfolio Alignment: Own the master execution roadmap for complex, interdependent product suites. You 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. Beyond RACI, you 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, not treated as afterthoughts
- 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. You build the playbooks that become the Twilio standard for large-scale engineering delivery
- Force Multiplier & Mentor: Mentor to Principal TPMs and Engineering Leads. You raise the collective bar for technical risk management, executive storytelling, and high-velocity decision-making
Skills
- 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; you have a 'spidey sense' for identifying integration risks and failure modes before they manifest
- Exceptional ability to frame highly technical challenges into strategic business narratives, driving consensus among senior executives with competing priorities
- Deep technical depth in cloud-scale infrastructure, API-first design, and distributed systems. Proven experience influencing Staff/Principal/Distinguished Engineers and challenging assumptions when necessary
- Demonstrated success in building and scaling operational readiness frameworks using self-service tools to surface status, actions, and KPIs across a multi-thousand-person R&D organization
- A proven track record of bringing order to chaos, creating high-functioning execution structures in environments where specifications, technologies, and market demands are in constant flux
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, a related field or equivalent practical experience
- 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
Benefits
- Competitive pay
- Generous time off
- Ample parental and wellness leave
- Healthcare
- A retirement savings program
- This role may be eligible to participate in Twilio’s equity plan.
- All roles are generally eligible for the following benefits: health care insurance, 401(k) retirement account, paid sick time, paid personal time off, paid parental leave.
Company Overview
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