For companies hiring a TPM
Interim / fractional Technical Program Manager for a critical build
I cover the technical program manager seat you've posted so the build keeps a date, a sequence, and an owner.
What I do
The problem
A dated build has too many dependencies and no program owner. The TPM search is open. The date is already at risk.
- Own the program for a cross-team software initiative.
- Name the milestones that protect the date, and what each one depends on.
- Keep engineering, product and program talking so the work has one sequence.
- Surface what's slipping and what the empty seat is costing you.
- Build the team's capability so your hire inherits a moving program.
- Hand the seat over cleanly when the hire lands.
Who this is for
- Mid-market companies with a critical software initiative underway — a migration, a replatform, a new platform build, a funded program — where an open TPM seat slows delivery or costs budget.
- The owner, founder, VP or head with the budget.
Who this isn’t for
- Companies that only want another full-time employee and have no appetite for coverage.
How AI fits
AI does drafting and synthesis: status, first drafts, the middle of the coordination. I own judgment, people, and the outcome. A person signs off on anything that goes out.
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
These seats overlap. I work across engineering, product and program at once.
If you want a one-time look at the milestones on your build before you talk about coverage, request a sample delivery timeline. That is a separate offer. It is not covering the seat.
At a glance
- Seat
- Technical Program Manager / program owner for a cross-team software initiative
- 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 TPM search?
No. You keep searching. I cover the seat in the meantime.
Is this the same as asking for a sample delivery timeline?
No. The sample timeline is a separate, one-time look at your build. Covering the TPM seat is ongoing ownership while you hire. See /delivery-timeline if you want the sample first.
What does it cost?
We work it out in the first conversation, scoped to the seat.
How much time does a covered seat get?
[[RICK: capacity statement]]
Related
Start with an email.
Posted a TPM seat you can't afford to leave empty? Let's talk about covering it while you hire.
Subject: “TPM seat - via datasaa.com/cover-the-seat/technical-program-manager” (the link above fills it in).
Include
- the TPM seat, and the job post link if it is posted
- the build or initiative and what is slipping
- any hard date
- 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.