Technical Program Manager

Who you are

• 6+ years leading complex technical, operational, infrastructure, construction, manufacturing, deployment, or supply chain programs
• Proven track record managing large cross-functional programs with multiple organizations and long-lead dependencies, with accountability for schedule, quality, and cost
• Experience launching complex physical infrastructure or real-world operational systems. Experience in Nigeria or a comparable operating environment is highly preferred
• Strong program management fundamentals, including integrated planning, critical-path management, risk mitigation, dependency management, and escalation frameworks
• Demonstrated ability to build operating systems such as integrated schedules, stage gates, readiness criteria, playbooks, and program dashboards
• Hands-on experience with program and scheduling tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Primavera, Jira, Airtable), AI tools, and building dashboards that track KPIs
• Clear, concise communicator who can simplify technical complexity and coordinate large cross-functional teams without direct authority
• Ability to work effectively across global, cross-cultural teams and translate between on-the-ground realities and global requirements
• Comfort operating in fast-paced, ambiguous, and safety- or regulation-sensitive environments
• Willingness to travel regularly within Nigeria and internationally for planning, commissioning, and launch support
• Flexibility to regularly work across time zones, and outside normal hours during critical launch periods
• Relentless attention to detail, disciplined cadence-setting, strong judgment, and a bias toward measurable outcomes
• Prior ownership of integrated deployment schedules spanning engineering, procurement or manufacturing, shipping and logistics, and regulatory activities
• Demonstrated history of improving schedule predictability, launch readiness, deployment cost, or execution quality
• Experience personally driving complex programs through execution—not only creating plans or facilitating status meetings

What the job involves

• At Zipline, every new distribution center expands access to life-saving and essential deliveries for millions of people
• Nigeria represents one of our most important and ambitious deployment programs, with multiple launches requiring close coordination across engineering, supply chain, construction, logistics, regulatory, software, operations, finance, and country leadership
• We’re looking for an exceptional Technical Program Manager to lead the end-to-end execution of Zipline’s Nigeria deployments
• You’ll own the integrated deployment plan, operating cadence, tools, and processes required to turn a complex portfolio of launches into predictable, repeatable execution
• Working across Nigeria-based and global teams, you’ll identify risks early, drive accountability, resolve cross-functional issues, and ensure every site is ready to launch safely and successfully
• Own the Nigeria deployment Operating system:
• Own the master deployment plan across multiple concurrent distribution center launches in Nigeria
• Build and maintain integrated schedules connecting construction, procurement, shipping, hardware commissioning, regulatory approvals, software readiness, operations readiness, hiring, training, and launch execution
• Maintain a single source of truth for program health, site readiness, key dependencies, and critical-path milestones
• Continuously improve the deployment operating model so Nigeria launches become faster, more predictable, higher quality, and more cost-effective over time—with the long-term goal of launching new distribution centers in under three months
• Drive cross-functional execution:
• Lead execution across Engineering, Supply Chain, Construction, Logistics, Regulatory, Operations, Finance, and Nigeria country teams
• Identify risks months before they become problems by understanding long-term dependencies across workstreams, and anticipate how decisions made today can accelerate or jeopardize a launch many months down the road
• Ensure every workstream has clear ownership, accountability, and escalation paths
• Partner closely with Nigeria leadership to align deployments with customer commitments and country priorities
• Serve as the central coordination point during commissioning and launch windows, helping teams rapidly resolve issues that threaten launch
• Build systems that scale:
• Develop repeatable planning tools, stage gates, dashboards, templates, playbooks, and readiness checklists that contribute to or become the standard for deployments globally
• Establish metrics that provide clear visibility into schedule performance, launch readiness, execution quality, and deployment cost
• Raise the execution standard across the company by building planning processes, operating rhythms, and decision-making mechanisms that enable teams to execute consistently at a world-class level
• Capture lessons from every launch and translate them into improvements for future Nigeria and global deployments
• Lead program governance:
• Run weekly program reviews, executive status updates, cross-functional risk reviews, launch readiness reviews, and post-launch retrospectives
• Provide leaders with concise, decision-oriented reporting that highlights priorities, risks, tradeoffs, and actions
• Drive timely decisions when priorities compete, assumptions change, or plans fall behind