Senior Program Manager II

Overview

Instacart’s Expansions team builds the programs that unlock new markets, new retailers, and new product capabilities while ensuring we stay ahead of a rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. We partner across Product Engineering, Policy Government Affairs, Legal, Business Development, and Operations to turn complex, cross-functional work into simple, scalable launches that help more people access the food they love.

We’re searching for a Senior Program Manager, Expansions to lead high-visibility, multi-quarter initiatives that span the U.S. and Canada. As an individual contributor with broad influence, you’ll orchestrate regulatory readiness, retailer integrations, and market launches from discovery through scale, translating ambiguity into clear plans, milestones, and measurable outcomes.

This is a fast-paced environment that rewards ownership, clarity, and tenacity. You’ll Go Far Together with a team that values transparent communication and diverse perspectives, Roll Up Your Sleeves to solve challenges big and small, and Grow the Pie by building long-term solutions where everyone wins. The Expansions pillar includes a 15-person core team within a broader Consumer Operations organization of 23 colleagues you’ll collaborate with every day.

This role is remote across approved locations in the United States and Canada.

Note: This role is not available to candidates in the states of California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Washington.

About the Job

• Lead complex, cross-functional programs that enable Instacart to enter new markets, onboard new retailers, and operationalize new legislation—owning scope, timelines, dependencies, risks, and success metrics from inception through launch and scale.
• Stand up regulatory readiness and compliance workstreams across the U.S. and Canada by partnering with Legal and Policy Government Affairs to translate requirements into product changes, operational playbooks, and training at scale.
• Establish clear program governance and operating cadences, including RACIs, decision logs, and exec-ready status reviews that Put it all on the Table and drive decisive, data-informed tradeoffs.
• Identify and resolve cross-team blockers across Product Engineering, Business Development, and Operations; proactively manage risks and scenario plans, and ensure teams stay aligned to OKRs that Drive Results.
• Continuously improve how we launch: codify repeatable processes and tooling, build dashboards that make progress and health visible, and Serve Generously by sharing learnings and best practices across the company.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 7+ years of program management experience driving cross-functional launches in technology, marketplace, retail, logistics, or operations environments.
• Proven track record leading regulatory, compliance, or market expansion programs across multiple states or provinces, with the ability to translate policy into product and operational change.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills; you tailor messages to diverse audiences, facilitate alignment, and Communicate Effectively with transparency and respect.
• Strong problem-solving and systems thinking; you Solves Creatively by identifying root causes, exploring options, and using data to prioritize and measure impact.
• Comfort with ambiguity and change; you adapt quickly, manage multiple concurrent workstreams, and deliver high-quality outcomes under tight timelines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in marketplace or grocery/retail technology and familiarity with retailer integrations or go-to-market for new partners.
• Background partnering with Policy/Government Affairs and Legal teams to operationalize new legislation and build compliant, scalable processes.
• Working knowledge of Agile delivery practices and common program tools (e.g., Jira, Asana, Smartsheet); comfort building dashboards or lightweight reporting in spreadsheets or SQL.
• Formal program management training or credentials (e.g., PMP, PgMP) and experience leading cross-border initiatives in the U.S. and Canada.
• Willingness to travel up to 15% for launch readiness, on-site collaboration, and stakeholder engagement as needed.