DigitalOcean · 1 month ago
Senior Program Manager, AI Startups
United States
Full-time
Remote
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$122K/yr - $153K/yr
8+ years expDigitalOcean is a cutting-edge technology company focused on simplifying cloud and AI for builders. The Senior Program Manager for AI Startups will be responsible for managing the startup application process, optimizing operational systems, and leveraging data analytics to enhance program performance.
Cloud ComputingDevOpsSaaSVirtualizationWeb Hosting
Responsibilities
Own the end-to-end startup application process—from submission through approval, onboarding, and credit provisioning
Manage application review workflows, approval criteria, and cross-functional handoffs with Sales
Monitor application pipeline health: volume, approval rates, time-to-decision, and bottlenecks
Drive continuous improvement initiatives to streamline and automate the application process
Identify opportunities for automation using tools like Zapier, n8n, or custom integrations
Reduce manual work through process optimization, smart forms, and workflow automation
Collaborate with Engineering and IT to implement technical solutions for application management
Own operational processes and procedures for the entire team—document workflows, create SOPs, and maintain operational playbooks
Define and manage cross-functional interlocks with Sales, Marketing, Support, Finance, Legal, and Product teams
Establish clear escalation paths, approval workflows, and decision-making frameworks
Identify process gaps and implement solutions to improve team efficiency and member experience
Manage program operations calendar including application cycles, credit renewals, and key milestones
Own vendor relationships for operational tools and platforms
Lead operational planning for program launches, policy changes, and scaling initiatives
Own data and analytics for the Startup team—be the single source of truth for all startup metrics
Build and maintain dashboards in Looker or similar platforms tracking key program KPIs
Define and track metrics including: application volume, approval rates, credit utilization, member retention, program ROI
Drive creation of executive dashboards for leadership visibility into program performance
Contribute data, insights, and analysis for Weekly Business Reviews (WBRs) and QBRs
Partner with Data Analytics team to ensure data integrity, proper instrumentation, and reporting accuracy
Conduct ad-hoc analysis to answer business questions and inform strategic decisions
Translate data into actionable insights and recommendations for program improvements
Serve as the operational point of contact for startup credit package issues, application questions, and account problems (working with the Community Manager)
Triage and resolve member issues related to credits, billing, account access, and program eligibility
Work closely with Sales and the Community Manager to resolve complex customer issues quickly
Build and maintain internal knowledge base for common issues and resolutions
Escalate systemic issues to Product, Engineering, or Leadership with recommendations
Track issue trends and develop proactive solutions to prevent recurring problems
Create self-service resources (FAQs, troubleshooting guides) to reduce support volume
Manage disputes, appeals, and edge cases with professionalism and sound judgment
Own all startup program application forms—design, maintain, and continuously optimize for conversion and data quality
Manage program surveys including onboarding, satisfaction, and exit surveys
Implement A/B testing to improve form completion rates and data collection
Ensure forms capture essential data for decision-making, reporting, and program evaluation
Maintain form infrastructure across platforms (Typeform, Google Forms, Salesforce, etc.)
Proactively recommend improvements based on user feedback, drop-off analysis, and evolving program needs
Partner with Marketing and Community teams to ensure consistent member experience
Ensure compliance with data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA) in all data collection
Qualification
Required
8+ years of professional operations, program management, or business operations experience—preferably in tech, SaaS, or startup environments
Proficiency with data analytics tools such as Looker, Tableau, Google Analytics, or similar platforms
Strong analytical skills—comfortable with SQL, data modeling, and creating actionable dashboards
Process optimization expertise—proven track record improving efficiency through automation and workflow design
Application or program management experience—managing intake processes, approval workflows, and member onboarding
Customer service orientation—ability to handle escalations with empathy while protecting program integrity
Cross-functional collaboration—success working with Sales, Marketing, Product, and Engineering teams
Systems thinking—sees connections between processes and designs holistic solutions
Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills—manages multiple workstreams without dropping balls
Preferred
Experience in the startup ecosystem (accelerators, VCs, startup programs, or early-stage companies)
Familiarity with CRM platforms (Salesforce, HubSpot) and marketing automation tools
Background with form builders (Typeform, Google Forms, Jotform) and survey platforms (Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey)
Experience with workflow automation tools (Zapier, n8n, Workato)
Knowledge of cloud infrastructure or developer tools
Understanding of startup funding stages, business models, and growth metrics
Project management experience or certification (PMP, Agile, Six Sigma)
Experience with data privacy and compliance requirements
Benefits
Reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education
Access to LinkedIn Learning's 10,000+ courses
Employee Assistance Program
Local Employee Meetups
Flexible time off policy
Bonus in addition to base salary
Equity compensation to eligible employees
Equity grants upon hire
Option to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program
Company
DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean provides a cloud platform to deploy, manage, and scale applications of any size.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
DigitalOcean has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (30)
2024 (8)
2023 (9)
2022 (22)
2021 (11)
2020 (2)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$1.92BKey Investors
Global Secure InvestAccess IndustriesKeyBanc Capital Markets
2025-08-12Post Ipo Debt· $625M
2025-05-05Post Ipo Debt· $800M
2021-09-13Post Ipo Equity· $34.91M
Leadership Team
Paddy Srinivasan
Chief Executive Officer
Larry D'Angelo
Chief Revenue Officer
Recent News
2026-01-03
2025-12-17
2025-12-16
Company data provided by crunchbase