Technical Program Manager

Espresso Systems is the lead developer of Espresso: the coordination layer for cross-chain transactions and interactions. We are building a network and marketplace that enables chains to interoperate seamlessly, without sacrificing scale or sovereignty. Chains that are fueled by Espresso create better experiences for their users and capture more value for their ecosystems.

At Espresso, we work with leading projects developing chains, rollups, and applications including Offchain Labs, Polygon, Cartesi, RARI Chain, and beyond. We support these teams in offering users an open, interoperable experience through a pragmatic and diligent approach to infrastructure design and by harnessing the power of free and fair markets.

Contributors to Espresso comprise a diverse and passionate team located around the world. We are developers, designers, and researchers who have contributed in academia, in open source communities, in policymaking, and beyond. We are backed by over $50m in funding from leading investors in technology and crypto including a16z, Greylock Partners, Electric Capital, Sequoia Capital, and Polychain Capital.

In the last two years, Espresso has shipped 5 testnets, onboarded 10 node operators, developed frameworks to support 5 different rollup stacks, and made plans to integrate with 16 rollup ecosystems (and counting). Espresso is building infrastructure that will underpin the future of how blockchains work, scale, interoperate, and serve user needs—and we are looking to bring on an experienced technical program manager who will help us define what this looks like in terms of metrics, results, and features, and to help us transition from beta to production systems and manage our ambitious roadmap.

Responsibilities

• Manage project timelines, resources, and dependencies to ensure on-time delivery of critical features and integrations.
• Work closely with engineering and leadership teams to document, specify, and prioritize feature requests as part of the Espresso roadmap.
• Drive internal alignment on product roadmap and execution strategy based on business goals and customer needs.
• Develop a deep technical understanding of the Espresso product stack and effectively communicate its details to technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate with leadership to define and track key success metrics for the product and our partners as we evolve from beta to production systems.
• Collaborate with business development and partnership teams to deeply understand the “what” and the “why” of customer requirements within the context of customer goals and market trends.
• Drive results for customers by understanding how the Espresso infrastructure impacts developer experience and end-user experience for the chains that integrate with the product.
• Partner with the marketing team to provide technical and operational input for product positioning and key narratives.

Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to articulate complex concepts clearly and persuasively.
• Proficiency in product management tools and methodologies (e.g., Agile, Scrum, Jira, Trello).
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities and stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and motivate cross-functional teams.
• Comfort coming into an org with existing processes, while confident in ability to bring new structures, frameworks, and approaches to product work to an established team.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of experience in technical program management or similar roles, preferably in software development.
• Proven track record of successfully delivering complex technical projects on schedule.
• Experience working with strong, opinionated technical leadership and driving results in challenging environments.
• Background in companies known for operational excellence is a plus.
• Ideal to have experience working on mainnet launches or similar large-scale blockchain deployments.
• Familiarity with blockchain technology, especially in areas such as L2 rollups, fast finality, sequencing, preconfirmations, and data availability, is highly desirable but not required.