Senior Program Manager, R&D Talent Management

About the role

We're looking for a Senior Program Manager, R&D Talent Management to join our team and play a pivotal role in shaping how we operate and grow our Talent. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives on building and optimizing, with the potential to contribute to the formation of a broader program management function within Rippling.

In this role, you'll be instrumental in designing, implementing, and scaling critical programs across the R&D organization. You'll work closely with various stakeholders, including business leaders, cross-functional teams (such as Engineering, HR, Operations, and Product), and individual contributors to ensure our processes are seamless, effective, and impactful. This includes driving operational excellence in key areas like engineering team health metrics, leading talent excellence initiatives, and providing strategic contributions to high-impact projects. Your success will be measured by your ability to create programs that scale with our rapid growth.

Please note that this individual is expected to be in the SF office 3X per week.

What you will do

• Design and Implement Programs: Lead the end-to-end design and implementation of new programs, from outlining initial concepts and ideation to detailed specification and execution. This may include internal talent programs or people processes.
• Execute Talent Initiatives: Manage and execute key work streams to address talent metrics and gaps, such as retention, engagement, and high-performer programs. You will also partner with leadership to shape manager onboarding and drive cross-organizational recruiting and talent strategies.
• Contribute to Strategic Projects: Act as a strategic partner on high-impact projects, such as defining manager performance metrics, participating in working groups for hiring programs, and providing recommendations on workforce talent mix.
• Facilitate Cross-Functional Alignment: Partner with business leaders and cross-functional stakeholders to align program objectives with company priorities. You'll work with departments like HR, IT, and Operations to ensure programs are well-integrated.
• Optimize Through Feedback & Data: Establish robust feedback loops and monitor key metrics to continually improve program effectiveness. Make data-driven adjustments to optimize impact and ensure continuous improvement.
• Champion Program Excellence: Take true ownership of program success, demonstrating a deep commitment to every aspect of your programs, and proactively addressing any challenges.

What you will need

• 6+ years of experience in building and scaling programs, ideally within a fast-paced technology or high-growth environment and talent related.
• Proven experience in program design and implementation, demonstrating the ability to take an idea from concept to successful execution.
• Strong analytical skills with a demonstrated ability to use data and feedback to iterate, improve, and measure program success.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with stakeholders at all levels, influence outcomes, and build strong relationships.
• Excellent organizational skills with a high attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple complex programs simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, taking initiative and driving projects forward independently and through cross-functional teams.
• A "true ownership" mindset: you are deeply invested in the success of your programs, proactive in problem-solving, and committed to seeing initiatives through to completion.

Programs You Will Work On

Quality Week / Hack Week

Balance operational excellence with creativity and innovation with one week creative programs twice a year

• Quality Week: Focus on tech debt, reliability, and core engineering quality.
• Hack Week: Open-ended innovation and prototyping.

Talent Summits

Quarterly gatherings with distinct audiences and objectives:

• R&D Summit: Align all R&D on priorities, strategy, and culture.
• Engineering Managers Summit: Focus on leadership best practices, metrics, and team-building.
• EU Engineering Summit: Foster alignment between EU-based and global teams.
• Top Talent Offsites: Highlight high performers, build visibility, and enable leadership networking.

You will shape the content of these events with a focus on how each summit can be used as a lever for developing talent across the company while reinforcing our values, showcasing role models, and creating environments that accelerate growth.

Manager Excellence & Impact

Develop a cadence of VP-led coaching and development for senior and high-potential engineering managers.

• Focus on leadership development, decision-making, and operational rigor.
• Building a suite of programs that build a pipeline of managers ready for expanded scope or roles.

Talent Management Operations

Drive and manage initiatives that strengthen R&D talent systems, focusing on targeted improvements to core people processes.

• Manage working group timelines for quarterly initiatives that seek to improve talent/people management
• E.g. promotion committee processes, career development frameworks, high-performer rewards and recognition
• Spin up, execute, and transition programs into ongoing cadences with other program managers as needed.
• Manage some operational checkpoints and cadence review of how we are performing against talent metrics both qualitative and quantitative.

Additional Information

Rippling is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected characteristics, Rippling is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities who need assistance during the hiring process. To request a reasonable accommodation, please email accomodations@rippling.com

Rippling highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. For office-based employees (employees who live within a defined radius of a Rippling office), Rippling considers working in the office, at least three days a week under current policy, to be an essential function of the employee's role.

This role will receive a competitive salary + benefits + equity. The salary for US-based employees will be aligned with one of the ranges below based on location; see which tier applies to your location here.

A variety of factors are considered when determining someone’s compensation–including a candidate’s professional background, experience, and location. Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed below.

#LI-Onsite

The pay range for this role is:

126,000 - 220,500 USD per year (US San Francisco Bay Area)