Duolingo

Staff Technical Program Manager

Duolingo$181K — $272K *
Education, Government & Non-Profit
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5-7 years of experience as a Technical Project Manager, Engineering Lead, or Manager.
  • B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
  • Experience working on commercial software products and client-service architecture.
  • Proven ability to communicate technical issues to diverse audiences.
  • Strong track record in agile environments managing ambiguity and dependencies.
  • Demonstrated leadership ability in matrix organizations, influencing senior leaders effectively.
  • Ability to adapt in a fast-paced, start-up environment.

Responsibilities

  • Lead strategic cross-functional initiatives from start to finish.
  • Manage complex technical programs in the Duolingo English Test domain.
  • Drive strategy with a high level of autonomy across multiple workstreams.
  • Ensure alignment and communication across engineering, QA, product management, and leadership.
  • Create detailed plans that address risks and dependencies for project launches.
  • Identify and resolve delivery efficiency issues collaboratively with stakeholders.
  • Model decision-making in trade-offs impacting multiple teams.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.
  • Equity compensation included.
  • Support for continuous learning and development opportunities.
  • Flexible work environment and potential relocation assistance.
  • Emphasis on employee well-being and holistic care.
Full Job Description
You will...
  • Lead the delivery of strategic, high-impact cross-functional initiatives from conceptualization to launch
  • Lead complex, high-stakes technical programs within the Duolingo English Test (DET) domain, partnering with engineering, product, data science, legal, security, and external stakeholders to translate regulatory, compliance, and business requirements into clear technical plans and durable execution.
  • Operate at the Staff level with significant autonomy, driving strategy across multiple workstreams, providing steady leadership through ambiguity and external scrutiny, and upleveling how DET programs are planned, communicated, and delivered.
  • Partner with functions across the company-such as engineering, QA, product management, and executive leadership-to ensure communication and alignment across teams and to further collaboration across functions
  • Leverage deep technical expertise to develop detailed plans with key milestones and goals, identify and mitigate risks, solve for dependencies, remove impediments, and ensure timely and smooth project launches
  • Identify issues impacting delivery efficiency company-wide and quickly take action to resolve them, working collaboratively with leadership and other relevant partners
  • Drive decisions when difficult tradeoffs must be made, including those with cross-organizational or company-level impact; serve as role model for navigating problems with analytical approach and calming demeanor
  • Guide and train others on standard processes, scaling guidelines across teams, and improving how product and engineering organizations operate, even when you are not involved day to day.


You have...
  • Strong experience as TPM, Engineering Lead, or Manager
  • B.S. or M.S. in Computer Science or equivalent degree or experience
  • Experience working on commercial software products and their underlying infrastructure, with an understanding of client-service architecture
  • Consistent track record of communicating technical issues effectively to technical and non-technical partners at different levels of the organization
  • Proven ability to build and implement detailed plans accounting for ambiguity, dependencies, and technical complexity in an agile environment
  • Flexibility to adjust plans based on new information without losing a beat and while keeping morale high
  • Outstanding leadership and influence in a matrix environment, including influencing senior leaders without direct authority
  • Ability to operate effectively even with only high-level direction, setting strategy and direction across multiple teams or workstreams
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, start-up environment
  • Demonstrated self-direction, with a desire both to learn new techniques and guide others
  • Ability to relocate to Pittsburgh, PA


☆ Exceptional candidates will have...
  • Experience with software engineering, systems engineering, or similar experience, in addition to project/program management experience
  • Deep experience with AWS
  • Experience working with teams and technical projects distributed across the globe
  • Experience running projects that include machine learning and large datasets
  • Experience articulating business questions and using available data to find answers that translate into business recommendations


The offered salary is dependent upon several factors, including work experience, skills, and internal peer comparisons. The posted range is subject to change in the future. For this role, base salary is supplemented by equity compensation. We encourage you to talk with your recruiter for more information related to compensation for this role!

Salary Range:

$181,600-$272,400 USD

Benefits: Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.

Job Alerts: Sign up for job alerts here.

Accommodations: We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact [redacted].

About Duolingo

Duolingo is a language-learning platform that includes a language-learning website and app, as well as a digital language proficiency assessment exam. The company was founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker. Duolingo offers courses in over 40 languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Chinese. The platform is free to use, but users can pay for additional features. Duolingo has won numerous awards for its innovative approach to language learning.
Learn more about Duolingo
Size
400 employees
Market Cap
$2.7 billion
Industry
Founded
2011
NASDAQ

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