Staff Technical Project Manager, Global Expansion & M&A

Instacart

1d•Remote

About The Position

We're transforming the grocery industry At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers. Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table. Instacart is a Flex First team There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work. Overview Instacart is looking for a strategic, execution-oriented Technical Program Manager (TPM) to lead and scale complex, cross-functional initiatives supporting global expansion and M&A activities. This role operates at the intersection of strategy, operations, People, Legal, Finance, IT, and executive leadership. You will own end-to-end program management for international market entry, entity setup, workforce expansion, and acquisition integrations, ensuring seamless coordination across stakeholders and disciplined execution against timelines, budgets, and risk frameworks. A key component of the role includes close partnership with HR Centers of Excellence (COEs) on integration, compliance, compensation, benefits, payroll, and organizational design workstreams. This role requires a systems thinker who can translate ambiguity into structure, manage high-stakes initiatives with executive visibility, and bring operational rigor to moments of significant company change. About the Job Strategic Program Leadership (Global Expansion & M&A) Lead large-scale, cross-functional programs related to international expansion and corporate development initiatives. Develop integrated program plans across People, Legal, Finance, IT, Security, and Operations. Define scope, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and risk mitigation strategies. Establish governance models, operating rhythms, and executive reporting for complex initiatives. Drive alignment across senior stakeholders to ensure clarity of decision rights and accountability. Global Expansion Execution Partner with Legal, Finance, IT, Security, and People teams on entity creation, employer-of-record transitions, and regulatory readiness. Coordinate HR COE workstreams including compensation benchmarking, benefits setup, payroll implementation, mobility, and local compliance. Build repeatable playbooks and scalable frameworks for new country launches. Ensure technical and operational systems (people systems, payroll, IT provisioning, security access) are aligned for new markets. Identify risks related to compliance, data privacy, and workforce management across jurisdictions. M&A Integration Management Lead integration program management for acquisitions, including Day 0 / Day 1 readiness and post-close integration. Partner with HR COEs on org design, job architecture alignment, compensation harmonization, benefits transition, and talent assessment. Coordinate system integrations (people systems, payroll, identity management, collaboration tools). Track synergy milestones, integration KPIs, and change management initiatives. Establish structured communication plans to ensure clarity for acquired employees and leaders. HR COE Partnership Serve as a central connector across Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, People Systems & Operations, , Payroll, Benefits, HRBPs, and Employee Relations. Translate expansion and M&A strategy into clear People workstreams with defined deliverables and timelines. Identify interdependencies across COEs and proactively manage sequencing and risk. Support scalable documentation, process mapping, and operational readiness. Elevate program management maturity within People through templates, dashboards, and playbooks. Risk, Governance & Infrastructure Partner with Legal and Security to operationalize GDPR and international privacy requirements within people systems, ensuring compliant employee data management across jurisdictions. Build structured intake and prioritization processes for expansion and integration initiatives. Maintain centralized risk registers and mitigation frameworks. Create executive-ready dashboards and reporting artifacts. Ensure documentation quality, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance. Continuously refine global expansion and M&A operating models based on lessons learned.

Requirements

7–10+ years of experience in Technical Program Management, M&A, Strategy & Operations, Corporate Development, or related functions. Alternatively, an operator within People, Finance, or Legal who has led large cross-functional global programs.
Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional programs with executive visibility.
Experience supporting global expansion initiatives and/or M&A integrations.
Strong familiarity with People systems, HR operations, and cross-border workforce considerations.
Experience operating in high-growth, fast-paced environments.
TPM or Strategy leader with experience in enterprise-scale transformation initiatives
Exceptional program management discipline (planning, dependency mapping, risk mitigation).
Ability to translate ambiguity into structured execution plans.
Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.
Comfort navigating high-stakes, confidential initiatives.
Systems thinker who can connect business strategy, technical systems, and workforce implications.
High judgment and ability to manage competing priorities.
Strong analytical skills with a bias toward measurable outcomes.

Responsibilities

Lead large-scale, cross-functional programs related to international expansion and corporate development initiatives.
Develop integrated program plans across People, Legal, Finance, IT, Security, and Operations.
Define scope, milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and risk mitigation strategies.
Establish governance models, operating rhythms, and executive reporting for complex initiatives.
Drive alignment across senior stakeholders to ensure clarity of decision rights and accountability.
Partner with Legal, Finance, IT, Security, and People teams on entity creation, employer-of-record transitions, and regulatory readiness.
Coordinate HR COE workstreams including compensation benchmarking, benefits setup, payroll implementation, mobility, and local compliance.
Build repeatable playbooks and scalable frameworks for new country launches.
Ensure technical and operational systems (people systems, payroll, IT provisioning, security access) are aligned for new markets.
Identify risks related to compliance, data privacy, and workforce management across jurisdictions.
Lead integration program management for acquisitions, including Day 0 / Day 1 readiness and post-close integration.
Partner with HR COEs on org design, job architecture alignment, compensation harmonization, benefits transition, and talent assessment.
Coordinate system integrations (people systems, payroll, identity management, collaboration tools).
Track synergy milestones, integration KPIs, and change management initiatives.
Establish structured communication plans to ensure clarity for acquired employees and leaders.
Serve as a central connector across Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, People Systems & Operations, , Payroll, Benefits, HRBPs, and Employee Relations.
Translate expansion and M&A strategy into clear People workstreams with defined deliverables and timelines.
Identify interdependencies across COEs and proactively manage sequencing and risk.
Support scalable documentation, process mapping, and operational readiness.
Elevate program management maturity within People through templates, dashboards, and playbooks.
Partner with Legal and Security to operationalize GDPR and international privacy requirements within people systems, ensuring compliant employee data management across jurisdictions.
Build structured intake and prioritization processes for expansion and integration initiatives.
Maintain centralized risk registers and mitigation frameworks.
Create executive-ready dashboards and reporting artifacts.
Ensure documentation quality, audit readiness, and regulatory compliance.
Continuously refine global expansion and M&A operating models based on lessons learned.