Technical Project Manager, Hardware

Sanctuary AI; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanctuary AI is seeking a Senior Technical Project Manager to turn complex hardware development into predictable execution. You will build the operating rhythm for programs spanning prototype to early production, coordinating across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, test, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations.

You will work hands-on to provide clarity, accountability, and credible milestones, while ensuring risks are surfaced early and decisions are made on time.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in technical/project management, program management, product development, or hardware operations.
• Proven track record moving electromechanical products prototype→pilot builds→early production.
• Experience with robotics, mechatronics, advanced manufacturing, automation or heavy hardware.
• Knowledge of product development, NPI, design reviews, build readiness, verification, validation, and ramp.
• Experience using PLM, CM, ECO/ECN, BOM control, revision control, and ETW workflows.
• Technical fluency across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, test, and manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Create operating rhythm to move hardware programs from prototype through production.
• Coordinate across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, test, manufacturing, quality, supply chain and operations.
• Ensure milestones are credible, risks surfaced early, decisions on time, and builds show progress.
• Support Program Lead and engineering leaders by providing clarity and accountability across the program.
• Do not own the Hardware organization or replace functional engineering leadership.

Skills

Critical path planning

Decision clarity

Risk & dependencies

Accountability

Product data flow

Program communication

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Your New Role and Team

Sanctuary AI, a world leader in building Physical AI for general purpose robots, is seeking a Senior Technical Project Manager to help turn complex hardware development into predictable execution.

Your New Role and Team

Sanctuary AI, a world leader in building Physical AI for general purpose robots, is seeking a Senior Technical Project Manager to help turn complex hardware development into predictable execution.

Reporting to the Program Lead, you will create the operating rhythm that enables hardware programs to move from prototype through product development, NPI, pilot builds, and early production.

You will work across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, test, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations. Your impact will be measured by whether teams are aligned, milestones are credible, risks are surfaced early, decisions happen on time, and each build produces meaningful progress.

This is a hands on execution role. You will support the Program Lead and functional engineering leaders by creating clarity and accountability across the program. You will not own the Hardware organization or replace functional engineering leadership.

Success Criteria

• Hardware programs consistently meet agreed milestones because plans, dependencies, and critical paths are visible and actively managed.
• Each major development phase and build has clear entry criteria, exit criteria, owners, and decision records.
• PDP and NPI decisions are made with the right technical evidence, risk assessment, and cross functional input.
• Engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and operations understand what must be true before each build or release.
• Risks are identified early, assigned to clear owners, and either resolved or escalated before they affect critical milestones.
• Engineering changes are traceable across PLM, ERP, BOMs, drawings, configurations, work instructions, manufacturing, and suppliers.
• Program status accurately reflects progress, risks, decisions, and likely outcomes rather than simply reporting activity.
• Lessons from prototypes and pilot builds lead to measurable improvements in the product, process, or execution model.

Your Experience And Qualifications

• 8 or more years of experience in technical project management, program management, product development, or hardware operations.
• A track record of moving complex electromechanical products from prototype through pilot builds, NPI, or early production.
• Experience with robotics, mechatronics, advanced manufacturing, automation, or other mechanism heavy hardware is strongly preferred.
• Practical knowledge of product development processes, NPI, design reviews, build readiness, verification, validation, and production ramp.
• Experience using PLM, configuration management, ECO and ECN processes, BOM control, revision control, and engineering to manufacturing workflows.
• Technical fluency across mechanical, electrical, controls, software, test, and manufacturing disciplines.
• A history of improving execution by establishing clear milestones, decision points, ownership, and escalation mechanisms.
• Experience working with suppliers, contract manufacturers, manufacturing engineering, quality, and supply chain teams.
• The ability to communicate technical risks, tradeoffs, and decisions clearly to senior stakeholders.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, operations, project management, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

Skills

• Builds plans that expose the real critical path and connect technical work to business outcomes.
• Converts ambiguity into clear decisions, owners, dates, and next actions.
• Identifies dependencies and risks before they become schedule or quality problems.
• Creates accountability across teams without relying on formal authority.
• Understands how product data and engineering changes flow from design into purchasing and manufacturing.
• Communicates program health clearly, accurately, and concisely.
• Uses process to improve outcomes without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

Traits

• Structured, dependable, and focused on results.
• Comfortable challenging assumptions and holding senior stakeholders accountable.
• Calm under pressure and persistent when plans change.
• Low ego, collaborative, and willing to solve problems across organizational boundaries.
• Curious enough to understand complex hardware and pragmatic enough to keep decisions moving.
• Motivated by Sanctuary’s mission to bring human like intelligence to machines.

Working at Sanctuary AI

Sanctuary AI is an equal opportunity employer; employment with Sanctuary AI is governed based on skills, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any way by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status. In 2023, Sanctuary AI moved into a state-of-the-art office facility and has been recognized by LinkedIn as a Top Startup company.

Compensation And Benefits

Sanctuary offers a market-leading compensation package that includes competitive salaries, equity stakes, and a full suite of benefits for permanent employees, encompassing health coverage, paid time off, cutting-edge work facilities, and worksite flexibility by role. Our commitment to fairness ensures that our total compensation consistently surpasses market standards.

About Sanctuary AI

Founded in 2018, Sanctuary builds humanoid robots and a novel control system for them that integrates symbolic logic and reasoning with data-driven robot foundation models. We use our robots to collect vision, audio, touch, and proprioception data from the perspective of the robot while they perform real-world work tasks. We use that data to train multimodal robot foundation models. Because our systems are vertically integrated, we can design, deploy, and refine at scale. Our mission is to create the world's first human-like intelligence platform for robots.