Role report · Product and management
Technical Program Manager: what employers ask for
Of 1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads from 503 employers in the United States and Canada over the last 180 days, 55% ask for Risk Management, 42% for Technical Program Management, 36% for Agile, 36% for Project Management and 23% for Program Management.
From 1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads in the United States and Canada, May 6, 2026 to November 2, 2026. Updated November 2, 2026. How we count. Free to reuse with credit: CC BY 4.0
The role and its demand
- Job ads read
- 1,414from 503 employers
- Remote
- 11%of job ads
- Most common level
- Mid42% of job ads
- Experience asked
- 5 yearsmedian, from 1,100 job ads that state it
- Advertised pay
- $175,000median a year, from 1,014 job ads in US dollars; Canadian-dollar pay left out
- Rank by job ads
- 13thof the 39 roles with a page
October 2026 at a glance
The latest complete month against the three before it. Only moves clear of the month-to-month noise are named, so a quiet month shows none.
Share of tech job ads
675 of the 22,810 tech job ads read in October; not clearly different from July to September (2.5%)
Median advertised pay
From the 493 job ads published in October that state it in US dollars
Moved most
Which skills moved is in the app. Sign in
Share of October's 675 job ads, against July to September (631)
October 2026: 675 Technical Program Manager job ads; refreshed every month
Demand, month by month
Each month's Technical Program Manager job ads as a share of every tech job ad Mettlespark read that month.
Demand month by month is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Advertised pay
1,014 of these job ads state pay in US dollars. Job ads that pay in Canadian dollars are left out rather than converted. The middle half of their ranges' midpoints runs from $159,000 to $208,000 a year, with a median of $175,000. Its median is the 17th highest of the 39 roles with enough job ads stating pay. Advertised pay is what job ads offer, not what anyone is paid.
The range
How the stated ranges spread across pay bands, and the five figures that sum them up.
- Low end
- $104,00010th percentile of the ranges' lows
- Lower quarter
- $159,00025th percentile of midpoints
- Median
- $175,000the middle midpoint
- Upper quarter
- $208,00075th percentile of midpoints
- High end
- $291,00090th percentile of the ranges' highs
The numbers
| Pay band | Share of the ranges reaching it |
|---|---|
| $95,000 to $114,000 | 14% |
| $114,000 to $133,000 | 28% |
| $133,000 to $152,000 | 58% |
| $152,000 to $171,000 | 68% |
| $171,000 to $190,000 | 71% |
| $190,000 to $209,000 | 68% |
| $209,000 to $228,000 | 45% |
| $228,000 to $247,000 | 36% |
| $247,000 to $266,000 | 22% |
| $266,000 to $285,000 | 15% |
| $285,000 to $304,000 | 11% |
1,014 job ads stating pay in US dollars, May 6 to November 2, 2026
By level
Advertised pay at each level, from the job ads that state it.
Pay by level is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
By place
US metro areas, and remote job ads. Each with at least 30 job ads stating pay.
| Place | Middle half | Median |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area291 job ads | $184,000 to $245,000 | $209,000 |
| Seattle273 job ads | $175,000 to $208,000 | $175,000 |
| New York110 job ads | $173,000 to $229,000 | $192,000 |
| Remote87 job ads | $142,000 to $213,000 | $170,000 |
| Los Angeles57 job ads | $154,000 to $200,000 | $175,000 |
| Austin55 job ads | $162,000 to $210,000 | $175,000 |
| Washington DC51 job ads | $167,000 to $196,000 | $175,000 |
| Boston46 job ads | $136,000 to $194,000 | $156,000 |
970 job ads stating pay, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Month by month
Advertised pay by the month the job ad was published.
Pay month by month is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Which skills are linked to higher advertised pay
What each of the skills Technical Program Manager job ads ask for most is linked to in advertised pay, from Mettlespark's weekly pay model, with how sure it is.
What each skill adds to pay is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
What it asks for
The skills employers ask for most
The share of Technical Program Manager job ads that name each skill, and how often a job ad that names it lists it as required rather than nice to have.
| Skill | Share of job ads | Required when named |
|---|---|---|
| Risk Management | 92% | |
| Technical Program Management | 100% | |
| Agile | 72% | |
| Project Management | 78% | |
| Program Management | 98% | |
| Software Engineering | 85% | |
| Machine Learning | 70% | |
| Problem Solving | 93% | |
| AWS | 75% | |
| Project Planning | 97% | |
| Confluence | 71% | |
| Process Improvement | 87% | |
| Distributed Systems | 82% | |
| Change Management | 84% | |
| Microsoft Project | 69% | |
| Networking | 67% | |
| PMP Certification | 12% | |
| AI Agents | 76% | |
| LLMs | 62% | |
| Budget Management | 95% |
1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
What's moving
The skills taking a larger or a smaller share of Technical Program Manager job ads, month on month and comparing like with like.
What's moving is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Experience asked
The years asked for, in the job ads that say.
| Years | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | 97 | |
| 3 to 4 years | 245 | |
| 5 to 7 years | 524 | |
| 8 years or more | 234 |
1,100 job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Seniority
The level each job ad is for, read from the title and the text.
| Level | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| Mid | 590 | |
| Senior | 500 | |
| Staff | 130 | |
| Principal | 120 | |
| Lead | 42 | |
| Junior | 12 | |
| Intern | 8 |
1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Professional skills
Asked for alongside the technical ones.
- Stakeholder Management89%
- Communication77%
- Leadership69%
- Collaboration38%
- Executive Communication16%
1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Who hires and where
Employers with the most job ads
The employers behind the most Technical Program Manager job ads lately.
The employers hiring most is in the app. Part of Forge, free during early access.Part of Forge.
Where the job ads are
Metro areas in the United States and Canada (a job ad can name several).
| Metro area | Share | Job ads |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Bay Area | 410 | |
| Seattle | 290 | |
| New York | 146 | |
| Austin | 78 | |
| Los Angeles | 66 | |
| Washington DC | 62 | |
| Boston | 54 | |
| Toronto | 35 |
1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Remote, hybrid or on-site
How the Technical Program Manager job ads say the work is done.
- Remote11%
- Hybrid20%
- On-site37%
- Not stated33%
1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads, May 6 to November 2, 2026
Related roles
More in Product and management
Other roles in the same family, with their job ads in the last 180 days.
Quick answers
What skills does a Technical Program Manager need?
The skills named most often in Technical Program Manager job ads are Risk Management, Technical Program Management, Agile, Project Management and Program Management. Risk Management appears in 55% of them.
Are Technical Program Manager jobs remote?
11% of the 1,414 Technical Program Manager job ads in the last 180 days were remote.
Is demand for Technical Program Manager jobs growing?
In October 2026, Technical Program Manager job ads were 3.0% of the tech job ads Mettlespark read, not clearly different from the 2.5% of July to September.
How much experience do Technical Program Manager jobs ask for?
Job ads that state it ask for a median of 5 years. The most common level is Mid (42% of job ads).
What do Technical Program Manager job ads pay?
Job ads that state pay advertise a typical $159,000 to $208,000 a year, with a median of $175,000, from 1,014 job ads in US dollars. Job ads that pay in Canadian dollars are left out.