What would lead you to expect a smooth path to being hired as a tech manager without tech management experience?
It's a different job and the skills required to succeed have less overlap than many devs think.
Unfortunately, all of these managers also got in through networking not demonstrated ability. So to the person that wants to jump into management, you need to focus much more on networking and less on applying to open positions.
If you can't get in through networking, you need to put in the long slog to get in through working at the same employer (and likely suffering on the pay front until you make it into management and have enough experience there to jump).
IME, the easiest path is within a company, not in a new hire situation. You take someone with demonstrated technical skill/credibility, a track record of success, and a desire to lead and you give them progressively more management tasks, culminating in a formal role change to manager. They already know the company, the team, the codebase, the business, etc. and it's much easier for them to step back into a pure technical role if it doesn't work out or if they hate it.
I've had extremely "good luck with that".
It's much riskier to take a fresh new hire with no management experience into a tech manager role at a new-to-them company.