Staff Technical Project Manager, Global Expansion & M&A

Instacart is transforming the grocery industry and is looking for a strategic Technical Program Manager to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives supporting global expansion and M&A activities. This role involves end-to-end program management for international market entry and acquisition integrations, ensuring coordination across various stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Lead large-scale, cross-functional programs related to international expansion and corporate development initiatives
• Develop integrated program plans across People, Legal, Finance, IT, Security, and Operations
• Define scope, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and risk mitigation strategies
• Establish governance models, operating rhythms, and executive reporting for complex initiatives
• Drive alignment across senior stakeholders to ensure clarity of decision rights and accountability
• Partner with Legal, Finance, IT, Security, and People teams on entity creation, employer-of-record transitions, and regulatory readiness
• Coordinate HR COE workstreams including compensation benchmarking, benefits setup, payroll implementation, mobility, and local compliance
• Build repeatable playbooks and scalable frameworks for new country launches
• Ensure technical and operational systems (people systems, payroll, IT provisioning, security access) are aligned for new markets
• Identify risks related to compliance, data privacy, and workforce management across jurisdictions
• Lead integration program management for acquisitions, including Day 0 / Day 1 readiness and post-close integration
• Partner with HR COEs on org design, job architecture alignment, compensation harmonization, benefits transition, and talent assessment
• Coordinate system integrations (people systems, payroll, identity management, collaboration tools)
• Track synergy milestones, integration KPIs, and change management initiatives
• Establish structured communication plans to ensure clarity for acquired employees and leaders
• Serve as a central connector across Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, People Systems & Operations, Payroll, Benefits, HRBPs, and Employee Relations
• Translate expansion and M&A strategy into clear People workstreams with defined deliverables and timelines
• Identify interdependencies across COEs and proactively manage sequencing and risk
• Support scalable documentation, process mapping, and operational readiness
• Elevate program management maturity within People through templates, dashboards, and playbooks
• Partner with Legal and Security to operationalize GDPR and international privacy requirements within people systems, ensuring compliant employee data management across jurisdictions
• Build structured intake and prioritization processes for expansion and integration initiatives
• Maintain centralized risk registers and mitigation frameworks
• Create executive-ready dashboards and reporting artifacts
• Ensure documentation quality, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance
• Continuously refine global expansion and M&A operating models based on lessons learned

Requirements:

• 7–10+ years of experience in Technical Program Management, M&A, Strategy & Operations, Corporate Development, or related functions
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional programs with executive visibility
• Experience supporting global expansion initiatives and/or M&A integrations
• Strong familiarity with People systems, HR operations, and cross-border workforce considerations
• Experience operating in high-growth, fast-paced environments
• TPM or Strategy leader with experience in enterprise-scale transformation initiatives
• Exceptional program management discipline (planning, dependency mapping, risk mitigation)
• Ability to translate ambiguity into structured execution plans
• Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills
• Comfort navigating high-stakes, confidential initiatives
• Systems thinker who can connect business strategy, technical systems, and workforce implications
• High judgment and ability to manage competing priorities
• Strong analytical skills with a bias toward measurable outcomes