Technical Program Manager, Model Performance

Baseten • San Francisco, CA

1d • $165,000 - $330,000

About The Position

The Model Performance organization at Baseten is looking to hire our first Technical Program Manager. This is a zero-to-one role in a team that is responsible for building the core algorithms and methods that power Baseten’s high performance inference stack. You won't inherit an existing program framework, you'll build one from the ground up: the planning structure, execution processes, metrics and the cross-functional alignment that a fast-growing organization needs. Your contributions will directly impact how fast our performance R&D gets productized. If you can drive turning a set of ambitious but loosely defined initiatives into a predictable, well-governed program, this role is for you.

Requirements

• Deep technical program management experience - you're already running programs of this scope at an organization of similar or greater complexity.
• Experience program-managing model performance or inference optimization work - you understand how engines like vLLM, TensorRT-LLM, SGLang, or NVIDIA Dynamo fit into a production serving stack and can engage credibly with the engineers building on them.
• Demonstrated comfort with ambiguity and zero-to-one program building, not just executing an existing framework.
• Proven ability to influence without authority across engineers, managers, and leadership who don't report to you.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to make deeply technical programs legible to any audience.
• High agency decision making that demonstrates ownership, accountability and a strong desire to get things done.

Nice To Haves

• Experience coordinating model release programs, including day-zero launches (ideally for large-scale models).
• Prior hands-on software engineering background.
• Deep learning performance optimization background, in training or inference, with inference preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own execution across Model Performance's active project portfolio, freeing the team's technical leads to focus on technical direction rather than tracking.
• Design and stand up the planning structures, operating cadences, and status reporting mechanisms that best fits the team’s DNA.
• Coordinate model release and optimization programs end to end, including day-zero launches, sequencing the work across performance engineering, infra, and release stakeholders.
• Drive cross-team alignment as scope expands from Model Performance Core into Model APIs and the inference production stack (BIS).
• Surface risks and dependencies early, and keep leadership informed with clear, honest status.
• Partner with engineering leads to design team structures and ownership boundaries as the org scales.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation, including meaningful equity.
• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance for employee and dependents
• Flexible PTO policy including company wide Winter Break (our offices are closed from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day!)
• Paid parental leave
• Fertility and family-building stipend through Carrot
• Company-facilitated 401(k)
• Exposure to a variety of ML startups, offering unparalleled learning and networking opportunities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed