Technical Program Manager
Program owner for a cross-team software initiative.
For companies with an open seat
Interim seat coverage: keep your search, keep the work moving
You keep the search. I cover the seat you've posted so the work does not stall, then I hand it to your hire.
Seats I cover
Head / VP of Product Engineering
Player-coach for product engineering.
Engineering Manager
Hands-on engineering management while you hire.
Product Manager / Head of Product
Product leadership for the roadmap and the launch.
AI lead
Head of AI, AI operations lead, or AI enablement lead for the team you already have.
These seats overlap. I work across all of them at once. I also cover technical operations architect seats.
What I do
The problem
An open leadership seat on a live initiative costs time and budget. The search takes longer than the work can wait.
- Cover the posted seat while you keep searching.
- Keep the initiative moving across engineering, product and program.
- Build the team up so nothing comes to depend on me.
- Hand the seat to your hire cleanly.
Who this is for
- Mid-market companies, not big tech, with a critical software initiative underway where an open seat slows delivery or costs budget.
- Companies outside tech, or only lightly technical, building their first real technical systems and teams.
- The owner, founder, VP or head who holds the budget. Not the recruiting team.
Who this isn’t for
- Companies that only want another full-time employee and have no appetite for coverage.
- Organizations already funding a full greenfield AI team and leadership as their main path.
How AI fits
I lean hard on AI in how the work gets done. AI does drafting and synthesis. A person signs off on anything that goes out. The seat is still judgment, people, and the outcome.
Where I’ve sat
I've held IC seats in product and engineering, up through the executive seat. I work across engineering, product and program at once. What people I've worked with say is on LinkedIn.
Notes
This is coverage, not a replacement for your search.
At a glance
- Seat
- Technical Program Manager; Head / VP of Product Engineering; Engineering Manager; Product Manager / Head of Product; AI lead; technical operations architect
- Who it is for
- Mid-market companies with a critical software initiative underway. Buyer is an owner, founder, VP or head with the budget.
- Engagement
- Conversation, then a time-boxed covering trial with one success check, then coverage while you search and a clean handoff. Coverage runs month-to-month while you search.
- Availability
- Open now for new engagements, as of October 2026.
- Location
- Irvine, CA, working with US startups remotely. Core hours 1–9pm PT (Pacific).
- Cost
- We work it out in the first conversation, scoped to the seat.
- Contact
- rick@datasaa.com
Questions
Do we have to stop our search?
No. You keep searching. I cover the seat in the meantime.
Which seats do you cover?
Technical Program Manager, Head / VP of Product Engineering, Engineering Manager, Product Manager / Head of Product, AI lead, and technical operations architect. These seats overlap. I work across all of them at once.
Is this a full-time hire?
No. It's coverage while you hire. [[RICK: capacity statement]]
What does it cost?
We work it out in the first conversation, scoped to the seat.
Related
Start with an email.
Posted a seat you can't afford to leave empty? Let's talk about covering it while you hire.
Subject: “Covering a seat - via datasaa.com/cover-the-seat” (the link above fills it in).
Include
- the seat, and the job post link if it is posted
- the initiative behind it and what is slipping
- any hard date (launch, migration cutover, board, hire)
- who owns the budget for it
I reply by email within one business day. Core hours 1–9pm PT (Pacific). There is no form and no booking link.