Technical Program Manager - Hardware

Department: Operations

Location: Palo Alto

Employment Type: FullTime

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Ownership: Lead the hardware development schedule from initial architecture and prototyping through validation, industrialization, and production ramp.

• Program Planning: Create and maintain comprehensive program plans, Gantt charts, and action trackers across all active hardware subsystems (actuators, electronics, structures, and sensors).

• Metric Tracking: Monitor and report on key program metrics—including cost, mass, reliability, and performance—against the schedule, while communicating status, blockers, and risks to leadership.

• Risk Mitigation: Identify and escalate technical and supply chain risks early, leading rapid reaction plans to keep programs on track.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Coordinate across mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software teams to align design milestones, integration timelines, and test readiness.

• Supply Chain Collaboration: Partner with supply chain, supplier industrialization, and contract manufacturers to ensure parts and assemblies are delivered on time and to specification.

• Configuration Management: Drive rigorous design reviews, change control processes, and BOM accuracy across all subsystems to ensure documentation is efficient and precise.

• Validation & Testing: Support the planning and execution of Design Validation Testing (DVT) and Production Validation Testing (PVT) across all hardware subsystems.

Qualifications

• Educational Background: Bachelor’s degree in engineering (mechanical, electrical, or a related field) or equivalent practical experience.

• Industry Experience: 5+ years of experience in technical program management for complex hardware products (e.g., robotics, consumer electronics, automotive, or aerospace).

• Proven Track Record: Demonstrated success in shipping physical products from initial concept through mass production.

• Technical Depth: Strong technical fundamentals with the ability to engage meaningfully in mechanical, electrical, and firmware design discussions without requiring translation.

• System Complexity: Experience managing programs involving electromechanical systems with multiple interdependent subsystems (motors, PCBAs, sensors, structural assemblies).

• NPI Mastery: Familiarity with New Product Introduction (NPI) processes, including tooling qualification, PPAP, DVT/PVT, and first-article inspections.

• Manufacturing Engagement: Experience working directly with contract manufacturers and global suppliers on industrialization and production readiness.

• Execution & Ownership: High sense of urgency, comfortable with ambiguity, and driven by an "engineering curiosity" to understand how the entire system works.