Senior Program Manager

Haply Robotics; Montreal (administrative region); On-site; CAD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Haply Robotics seeks a Senior Program Manager to lead Haply's cross-functional programs spanning hardware, firmware, software, and manufacturing. You translate product priorities into executable plans, align teams around milestones, surface risks early, and drive decisions when execution is blocked.

Join a fast-moving robotics company delivering touch-enabled haptic devices for labs and industrial environments, with early-stage growth and venture-scale upside for those who contribute.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience leading complex technical programs or product-development initiatives.
• Experience leading cross-functional programs involving multiple teams and disciplines.
• Excellent stakeholder management and concise written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Own integrated program plans for major product and customer initiatives, including scope, milestones, dependencies, owners, risks, and acceptance criteria.
• Drive cross-functional execution across hardware, firmware, software, applications, operations, and commercial teams; keep commitments and critical paths visible.
• Identify risks early; establish mitigation plans and elevated trade-offs with clear recommendations.
• Lead governance for strategic customer programs and align with product priorities.
• Coordinate major product and software releases, including readiness, validation, documentation, and launch dependencies.
• Build lightweight program reporting and improve planning, decision tracking, risk management, and execution discipline.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Program management

Risk management

Stakeholder management

English proficiency

Technical understanding

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering/CS/Business

Tools

Aha!

GitLab

Jira

Odoo

Job description

We are hiring a Senior Program Manager to lead the execution of Haply's most important cross-functional programs.

About Haply

Haply Robotics builds the world's most precise haptic devices, deployed in research labs, industrial integration projects, and production environments where \"good\" and \"right\" are measured in milliseconds and millinewtons. As robots and autonomous systems grow more capable, humans still need intuitive ways to teach, guide, and supervise physical tasks, and Haply builds the platform that lets people do that through touch and motion.

Since 2018, we've built precision haptic controllers that let people and machines feel and respond to the physical world with microscopic precision. We've raised over $20 million CAD from leading venture and strategic investors, and we're partnering across robotics and industrial automation to bring touch and control into physical AI, building toward a leading, privately-valued Canadian company with real venture-scale upside for those who join us early.

About the Role

We are looking for a Senior Program Manager to lead the execution of Haply's most important cross-functional programs. You will translate product priorities and customer commitments into executable plans, align teams around milestones and dependencies, surface risks early, and drive decisions when execution becomes blocked.

This is not a project-coordinator role. You will work close to the substance of the programs you lead across Product, Engineering, Applications, Operations, Sales, customers, and partners. Programs may include new product development, strategic customer programs, major releases, integrations, and industrialization initiatives spanning hardware and software.

What You'll Do

• Own integrated program plans for major product and customer initiatives, including scope, milestones, dependencies, owners, risks, and acceptance criteria.
• Drive cross-functional execution across hardware, firmware, software, applications, operations, and commercial teams; keep commitments and critical paths visible.
• Identify schedule, technical, resource, supplier, and customer risks early; establish mitigation plans and elevate material trade-offs with clear recommendations.
• Lead governance for strategic customer programs, ensuring customer-specific work is clearly separated from reusable product development and aligned with product priorities.
• Coordinate major product and software releases, including readiness, validation, documentation, launch dependencies, and stakeholder communication.
• Build lightweight, reliable program reporting and continuously improve Haply's planning, decision tracking, risk management, and execution discipline without adding unnecessary bureaucracy.

What You'll Own Independently

For assigned programs, you will independently own integrated planning, milestone and dependency tracking, program risks, decision and action tracking, cross-functional follow-up, leadership status reporting, and escalation of material scope, schedule, cost, or resource conflicts. Product owns what and why; Engineering owns how; Program Management ensures the agreed plan is executable and delivered across teams and commitments.

Your First 3-6 Months

• Establish integrated plans for Haply's highest-priority programs and customer commitments.
• Ensure 100% of Tier-1 programs have clear scope, milestones, owners, key dependencies, major risks, and measurable completion criteria.
• Create a weekly program view that allows leadership to understand the state of major initiatives in under 30 minutes.
• Lead at least one major cross-functional program or release through a meaningful delivery milestone and establish clear escalation paths for critical blockers.

Success means Haply's most important commitments become more predictable, risks surface earlier, and teams spend less time recovering from avoidable execution surprises.

What We're Looking For

• 7+ years of professional experience, including significant ownership of complex technical programs or product-development initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional programs involving multiple teams and technical disciplines.
• Experience with complex technology products involving hardware, firmware, software, systems, manufacturing, or a comparable multidisciplinary environment.
• Strong program-management fundamentals: milestones, critical path, dependencies, risk management, change management, and resource constraints.
• Ability to understand technical issues deeply enough to identify execution risks and dependencies without replacing technical owners.
• Strong judgment when balancing scope, schedule, resources, customer expectations, and business priorities.
• Excellent stakeholder management and concise written and verbal communication; comfortable communicating difficult program realities early.
• Professional working proficiency in English and a hands-on operating style suited to a fast-moving environment.

Education

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Operations, Project/Program Management, or another relevant discipline. A technical degree combined with formal business or management education is a strong asset.

Nice to Have

• Experience in robotics, industrial automation, haptics, aerospace, automotive, medical devices, mechatronics, or another multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Experience managing integrated hardware + firmware + software programs, new product introduction, industrialization, or contract-driven customer programs.
• Experience working with suppliers, manufacturing partners, or complex customer integrations.
• Familiarity with Aha!, GitLab, Jira, Odoo, or equivalent product/program execution tools; PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP, or equivalent certification is a plus.
• Bilingual French / English and experience in an early-stage or rapidly scaling technology company.

Why Join

• High impact: directly influence how Haply executes its most important product and customer commitments.
• Complex technology: hardware, firmware, software, robotics, manufacturing, and Physical AI in one environment.
• Direct access to decisions and close collaboration with senior product, technical, operational, and commercial leaders.
• Build the operating model: help shape scalable execution practices while Haply is growing.

What a Great Candidate Looks Like

You create clarity in complex situations. You understand a program well enough to expose hidden dependencies before they become surprises, challenge unrealistic commitments constructively, and communicate bad news early. You know when a team can resolve an issue and when leadership needs to make a decision. Most importantly, the structure you create helps strong technical teams move faster rather than slowing them down.