Principal Technical Program Manager (TPM) - AI Infrastructure Operations
Nscale · San Francisco, CA · 1 wk ago
HybridInformation TechnologyFull-time
As a Technical Program Manager (TPM) for AI Infrastructure Operations, you will be the operational backbone of our high-scale, high-performance AI and High-Performance Computing (HPC) environment. You will drive complex, cross-functional programs ensuring the stability, availability, and growth of our cutting-edge GPU fleet and Infiniband network fabrics. This role requires deep technical understanding, rigorous program management, and a relentless focus on delivering against key operational metrics (SLAs, Uptime, Availability).
Responsibilities
- Own the planning, execution, and delivery of strategic operational programs, including new data center AI infrastructure build-outs, large-scale fleet software/firmware rollouts, and the implementation of new operational tooling (in partnership with SRE).
- Establish, track, and drive accountability against critical infrastructure KPIs, specifically focusing on Availability (Target 97.5%) and Uptime (Target 99%). Develop clear dashboards and communication rhythms to provide leadership with real-time visibility into operational health, program status, and risk.
- Analyze and optimize operational workflows across Fleet Operations, Network Operations, and SRE teams. Drive the standardization of incident management, change management, and postmortem processes to reduce toil and improve Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR).
- Serve as the primary liaison between engineering teams (Hardware, Compute Platform, Network), Data Center Operations, and external vendors (GPU, Network hardware). Proactively identify and resolve dependencies, risks, and roadblocks.
- Partner with Data Science/Operation Programs to translate capacity planning models into actionable infrastructure delivery and readiness roadmaps. Ensure that new hardware (GPUs, NICs, switches) is successfully integrated into the operational control plane and meets go-live criteria.
- Proactively identify technical, schedule, and resource risks related to AI infrastructure scaling and stability. Develop mitigation strategies and communicate impacts clearly to stakeholders.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in a Technical Program Management role, successfully driving large-scale, complex infrastructure or software engineering programs.
- Strong foundational understanding of data center infrastructure, distributed systems, Linux, and networking concepts.
- Proven expertise in modern program management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, PMP certification preferred). Exceptional organizational, communication, and presentation skills.
- Demonstrable experience in defining, tracking, and improving system performance based on operational metrics (e.g., Uptime, Availability, MTTR, SLOs/SLIs).
- Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, managing multiple priorities and adapting to evolving technical requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- Direct experience managing programs related to data center infrastructure build-outs and hardware commissioning processes.
- Specific domain knowledge of AI/HPC infrastructure, including NVIDIA GPUs, InfiniBand/RDMA networks, and the challenges of tightly-coupled systems.
- Experience in a hyperscale or public cloud environment supporting 24/7 mission-critical services.
- Familiarity with SRE principles, automation tooling, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for infrastructure.
- A Bachelor's or Master's degree in a technical field (Computer Science, Engineering, etc.) or equivalent practical experience.
Benefits
- Highly competitive package (base + equity) with reviews every 12 months.
- Dynamic progression plan tailored to your ambitions, allowing you to grow by trying new things, leading, challenging the status quo, and owning your impact.
- Collaborative, supportive, and innovative environment where your contributions spark real impact.
- Opportunity to join the fastest-growing tech startup and collaborate with brilliant minds on cutting-edge AI.