Senior Technical Program Manager, Payments
Airbnb · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $150,000 / year
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Job highlights
- Lead cross-functional payment programs at Airbnb.
- Manage complex projects with engineering, ops, and product.
- Drive predictable, consistent, and impactful results.
- Shape technical direction and influence design decisions.
- Collaborate with stakeholders and senior leadership.
About the role
About Airbnb
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
The Community You Will Join
Airbnb’s mission is to create a world where people can Belong Anywhere. As we grow to achieve that mission, we’re looking to add a technical, hands-on, and mission-driven Technical Program Manager (TPM) to support the Payments and Insurance Engineering team.
This person will partner with our Payments and Insurance engineering, ops, and product teams to build new Payments and Insurance capabilities and deliver strategic business priorities. We are looking for a candidate with a robust technical background who understands the problem space and leverages their expertise to lead multiple strategic programs that deliver value and fulfill key commitments aligned with Airbnb's priorities in payments and insurance.
The Difference You Will Make
You will play a crucial role in tackling complexity and delivering predictable, consistent, and impactful results. You will be leading complex projects/ programs that touch multiple product surfaces, services, functions and teams, and hence are required to keep the big picture in focus while being able to dive into the details, working through unique challenges. Success in this role requires a strong sense of ownership, coupled with the ability to think critically and strategically while managing relationships with cross-functional stakeholders.
A Typical Day
- Lead planning, execution, and delivery of large cross-functional initiatives aimed at meeting key business priorities.
- Balance broad, outcome-driven thinking with attention to critical details, exercising sound judgment to prioritize where deep focus is necessary to ensure successful execution.
- Shape and influence the technical direction of projects, ensuring we meet stakeholder needs while maintaining high-quality standards.
- Define and secure stakeholder alignment on clear, measurable success criteria to accelerate initiatives.
- Regularly assess risks and opportunities, and devise proactive mitigation strategies to maintain momentum and project success.
- Maintain transparent and effective communication channels to keep stakeholders informed of progress, developments, and challenges.
- Lead cross-functional risk and issue management by identifying and documenting risks/issues, assigning clear owners, and driving mitigation to protect delivery commitments.
- Expertly present outcomes and updates to senior leadership, clearly and comprehensively articulating trade-offs, risks, and emerging opportunities.
- Define and align on success criteria with relevant stakeholders.
- Regularly assess risks and identify ways to mitigate them.
- Collaborate with leadership to implement best practices and aligning on priorities across Payments and Insurance.
- Develop a portfolio view of Payments and Insurance programs. Provide leaders with sufficient visibility into execution status, issues, and decisions.
- Provide visibility into key performance indicators so leaders are aware of risks and opportunities.
- In this role, you will be expected to work independently with stakeholders and cross-functional leadership, maintain focus on key priorities, and not let important details slip through the cracks or derail a project.
- Build atmosphere of trust within the team and inspire team to do their best work and addresses impediments to this quickly and effectively.
- Regularly assess opportunities, drive for process improvements, and find new ways of operating, with a focus on simplification and productivity.
Your Expertise
Qualifications
- BE/B.Tech in Computer Science or equivalent technical background
- 10+ years in software development industry in big tech companies, with 7+ years leading medium-to-large cross-functional programs (multi-quarter, 30+ engineers)
- Proficient with Jira, Asana, or comparable program management tooling
Ownership & Delivery
- Takes full accountability for outcomes, aligns scope to strategy, manages competing priorities, and drives teams to deliver measurable business impact on time.
Program Management
- Expert at building integrated plans, managing critical path and dependencies, maintaining RAID logs, and navigating ambiguity to keep complex programs on track.
- Operates effectively across a highly matrixed org; builds trust with diverse stakeholders and keeps alignment across multiple teams simultaneously.
- Proactively identifies and mitigates risks, resolves issues before they escalate, and manages cross-team dependencies and escalations to keep programs on track.
- Thrives in ambiguous environments, builds structure where little exists, and adapts quickly when plans change.
Communication
- Communicates with clarity and precision across all levels; can distill complex technical concepts for non-technical audiences and influence without authority.
Technical Depth
- Engages substantively on architecture and trade-offs; a credible partner to engineering who can shape design and implementation decisions, not just track.
Nice to have:
- Experience developing or working directly on various aspects of large-scale ML/AI platforms.
- Experience with feature development of AI-powered product experiences.
- Experience and passion for building and maintaining products leveraging AI models.
Our Commitment To Inclusion & Belonging
Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible. We believe diverse ideas foster innovation and engagement, and allow us to attract creatively-led people, and to develop the best products, services and solutions. All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.
Key skills/competency
- Technical Program Management
- Payments
- Software Development
- Cross-functional Leadership
- Agile Methodologies
- Risk Management
- Stakeholder Management
- Jira
- Asana
- Communication
Skills & topics
- Technical Program Manager
- Payments
- Insurance
- Program Management
- Agile
- Jira
- Asana
- Software Development
- Cross-functional
- Stakeholder Management
- Big Tech
- AI
- ML
- Leadership
- Engineering
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 7+ years of program management experience and technical depth in payments.
- Showcase leadership: Emphasize experience leading large cross-functional teams in big tech.
- Quantify achievements: Use data to demonstrate measurable business impact and successful delivery.
- Prepare for technical questions: Be ready to discuss architecture, trade-offs, and AI/ML experience.
- Understand Airbnb's mission: Align your application with Airbnb's commitment to belonging and community.
Technical preparation
Deepen understanding of payment systems architecture.,Review AI/ML platform development concepts.,Practice articulating technical trade-offs clearly.,Familiarize with Jira and Asana workflows.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex program you led.,How do you handle conflicting priorities?,Give an example of mitigating a risk.,How do you influence stakeholders without authority?
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Senior Technical Program Manager do at Airbnb's Payments team?
- As a Senior Technical Program Manager at Airbnb Payments, you will lead complex, cross-functional programs that build new payment and insurance capabilities. You'll partner with engineering, operations, and product teams, ensuring predictable delivery of strategic business priorities while maintaining a strong technical understanding and influencing project direction.
- What are the key qualifications for this Senior Technical Program Manager role at Airbnb?
- The role requires a BE/B.Tech in Computer Science or equivalent, 10+ years in software development (with 7+ years in program management for large, cross-functional initiatives of 30+ engineers). Proficiency with tools like Jira or Asana, strong communication, technical depth, and experience in payments are essential.
- How does Airbnb foster inclusion and belonging for applicants?
- Airbnb is committed to working with the broadest talent pool possible, believing that diverse ideas foster innovation. They encourage applications from all qualified individuals who align with their mission to create a world where people can Belong Anywhere.
- What kind of technical challenges can I expect as a TPM at Airbnb Payments?
- You can expect to tackle challenges in building large-scale payment and insurance capabilities, potentially involving AI/ML platforms and AI-powered product experiences. The role involves deep engagement with technical architecture, trade-offs, and influencing design decisions to ensure high-quality, impactful solutions.
- How important is cross-functional collaboration for this role?
- Cross-functional collaboration is critical. You will partner closely with engineering, operations, and product teams, and need to build trust and maintain alignment across a highly matrixed organization. Effective communication and stakeholder management are key to navigating these relationships and ensuring program success.
- Does Airbnb prefer candidates with AI/ML experience for this TPM role?
- While not strictly required, experience with large-scale ML/AI platforms, AI-powered product experiences, and building products with AI models is considered a strong plus. This suggests a growing focus on AI within Airbnb's product development, particularly in areas like payments and insurance.