This becomes even more complex when you find yourself as the only one with your role, that your role has a transversal exposure and is unknown by most: Staff Technical Program Manager.

Lucky Staff Engineers have benchmarks and expectations outlined in recognised books, aligning with well-established practices in software engineering. However, in the realm of Program Management, we find ourselves in a stage where the function varies significantly across companies, with diverse approaches and operational methods from one organisation to another.

One challenge faced by Technical Program Managers in the industry is to convince the value they bring to their roles, inherently positioned cross-functionally to ensure successful delivery and goal attainment. Staff Engineers contend with comparable ambiguities in their daily tasks, resulting in a convergence of job title trajectories.

This talk offers the perspective of a Staff Technical Program manager as the first one hired in a company, deconstructing the evolutionary journey that paved the way for hiring more of them. This provides an opportunity to explore the essential elements in crafting your leadership journey incrementally, culminating in the ability to influence at scale without formal authority. The format will feature practical tips and tricks gleaned from a two-year experience at Back Market.