Program Manager, Global Compliance Programs

Overview

Instacart is hiring a Program Manager, Global Compliance Programs to lead cross-functional programs that keep Instacart’s business innovative and compliant. You will own high-impact initiatives spanning Product compliance, Regulatory and Policy obligations, and other strategic compliance projects that cut across legal, regulatory, product, engineering, operations, and marketing teams.

This role sits within the Risk & Compliance team and operates as a force-multiplier for the team: you’ll connect regulatory strategy to on-the-ground execution, ensuring that requirements are translated into clear roadmaps, processes, and monitoring. This is an individual contributor role, while you won’t have direct reports, but you’ll lead complex, multi-org programs and influence senior stakeholders across the company.

About the Job

Define and execute compliance program strategy

• Shape Instacart's Global compliance strategy and program across hardware, product, and marketplace domains, defining how the company will navigate complex and evolving regulatory landscapes.
• Make strategic decisions about compliance investments, risk tolerance, and trade-offs between speed-to-market and regulatory risk.
• Serve as the executional leader on compliance strategy, advising senior leadership on regulatory positioning, competitive implications, and strategic opportunities.

Lead enterprise-wide, multi-year compliance programs

• Own the most complex, highest-impact compliance programs spanning multiple organizations, products, and markets with multi-year timelines.
• Navigate significant ambiguity and regulatory uncertainty, creating structure and clarity where none exists.
• Drive programs in novel compliance domains where Instacart has limited precedent or where regulatory requirements are still being defined.
• Balance competing priorities across business units and make strategic trade-offs that optimize for company-wide outcomes.

Design scalable compliance frameworks and operating models

• Create compliance frameworks, governance models, and playbooks that can scale across products, markets, and regulatory domains.
• Design compliance processes that integrate seamlessly into product development, hardware engineering, and go-to-market workflows.
• Build compliance capabilities that enable teams to move fast while maintaining regulatory excellence.
• Establish metrics, KPIs, and monitoring systems that provide early warning of compliance risks and measure program effectiveness.

Shape regulatory relationships and external strategy

• Serve as the primary interface with external regulators, certification bodies, industry associations, and outside counsel on strategic matters.
• Represent Instacart in regulatory discussions, industry working groups, and policy forums, shaping regulatory outcomes where possible.
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key external stakeholders that advance Instacart's compliance and business objectives.
• Coordinate with outside counsel on complex regulatory interpretations, novel legal questions, and strategic regulatory positioning.

Drive organizational compliance maturity

• Elevate the organization's compliance capabilities, culture, and sophistication over time.
• Influence product, engineering, and business strategies to incorporate compliance considerations early and effectively.
• Build compliance awareness and capabilities across the organization through training, tools, and embedded support.
• Partner with Legal, Risk, Product, Engineering, Hardware, and Operations leadership to ensure compliance is integrated into strategic planning.

Influence at the executive level

• Partner with VPs, C-suite executives, and the Board on compliance strategy, risk assessment, and regulatory positioning.
• Translate complex regulatory landscapes into clear strategic recommendations and business implications for senior leadership.
• Provide executive-level reporting on compliance program health, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities.
• Advocate for compliance investments and resources needed to support business objectives.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in strategic program leadership within regulatory, compliance, hardware, product, or risk domains, with demonstrated progression to increasingly strategic roles.
• Demonstrated success as an individual contributor leading complex, cross-functional programs structuring ambiguity, driving alignment, and delivering results across multiple teams.
• Proven track record of defining strategy and leading enterprise-wide, multi-year programs in complex, ambiguous environments.
• Strong understanding of how regulatory or policy requirements impact product, technology, and operations and experience translating them into concrete requirements, processes, or controls.
  Proven ability to operate effectively at multiple altitudes:
• Strategic: designing roadmaps, frameworks, and governance.
• Tactical: writing requirements, building trackers, reviewing test reports, and driving day-to-day execution.
• Excellent program management skills: scoping, planning, risk management, stakeholder management, and clear status communication.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging to executives, engineers, hardware teams, operators, and external partners.
  Comfort with execution and tracking tools and working with data/visualization tools to inform decisions.
• Growth mindset, high ownership, and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving, and sometimes ambiguous environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MBA, JD, MS in Engineering, or related field) or equivalent strategic leadership experience.
• Experience in high-growth technology companies navigating rapid scaling and regulatory expansion.
• Direct experience representing a company in regulatory proceedings, industry working groups, or policy discussions.
• Background in both startup/high-growth environments and larger, matrixed organizations.
• Experience with international regulatory frameworks and multi-market compliance strategy.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CCEP, PMP) demonstrating commitment to professional excellence.

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