People Experience Program Manager - San Francisco

We're transforming the grocery industry At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers. Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table. Instacart is a Flex First team There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work. Why this role is on the menu Instacart’s People Experience team sits at the center of two of the most impactful moments in an employee’s journey: new hire orientation and the performance review cycle. Right now, both of these programs are growing in complexity, and the operational work required to run them well is outpacing our current capacity. We’re hiring a People Experience Program Manager to bring structure, automation, and heart to these programs so that every new hire feels genuinely welcomed and every review cycle runs like clockwork. This role sits at the intersection of operational excellence and employee experience, and the person who fills it will have a direct hand in making sure both programs are executed with care and precision. What you’ll cook up in your first year Orientation runs smoothly every session — logistics are buttoned up, vendor relationships are well-managed, and new hires move through the experience without friction because the operational infrastructure behind it is solid and continuously improving. Performance review cycles are executed without a hitch — timelines are met, stakeholders are informed and aligned, communications go out on schedule, and the cross-functional partners who depend on you (Comms, Legal, People Leadership) always know what’s coming next. The processes that used to require constant manual effort have been documented, optimized, and where possible automated — and the People team has less operational bottlenecks to worry about in two of the most high-visibility parts of the employee lifecycle. Vendor relationships for onboarding are well-managed and strategically aligned — contracts are sharp, SOWs are outcome-focused, and budget tracking for things like swag and logistics is always current and accurate. You’ve grown into facilitating both virtual and in-person orientation components, and you’re increasingly contributing to content iteration — bringing operational insight back into the design process as a close partner to those who own the bigger picture strategy. The secret ingredients we’re looking for You’re a program manager who thrives in the space between ambiguity and execution — someone who can hold multiple complex programs simultaneously, communicate with clarity across diverse audiences, and genuinely light up when a new hire says their first week changed how they feel about a company. You obsess about operational excellence and continuous process improvement. You’ve got a fair amount of training and facilitation experience under your belt but you’re looking to hone your facilitation skills as the first touch point for all new employees. Must-have pantry staples (Minimum Qualifications) 5+ years in program management, learning & development, talent development, or a related people/HR function Hands-on experience using AI tools in a professional context (we’ll ask you about this!) Demonstrated ability to manage cross-functional projects from inception to completion — including when the problem or solution isn’t fully defined at the outset Proven experience facilitating learning or orientation content for diverse audiences Track record of managing vendor relationships end-to-end: procurement, contract renewals, and ongoing partnership management Located in the SF Bay Area with ability to support in-person orientation components in our San Francisco office Optional garnishes (Preferred Qualifications) Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience Experience with instructional design tools and/or learning management systems Certification in project management (PMP, CAPM, or equivalent) Experience applying AI to automate or redesign people programs at scale Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is in office and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy here. Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please read more about our benefits offerings here. For San Francisco, CA based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below. San Francisco, CA $141,000—$149,000 USD