Technical Programme Manager

Salience Labs Ltd; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Salience Labs Ltd., based in the United Kingdom, seeks an experienced engineering programme manager to own and drive cross‑functional technical programmes from design through tape-out, fabrication, test and qualification. You will align photonics, electronics, firmware, test and packaging teams to meet milestones and deliverables in a fast‑paced, deep‑tech context.

You will engage with engineers to understand constraints, translate them into actionable plans, and manage risks, dependencies and

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Physics or related field.
• Experience delivering complex hardware or deep-tech programmes.
• Hands-on technical background before moving into programme/project management.

Responsibilities

• Own the delivery of cross‑functional technical programmes from planning through milestone completion.
• Build and maintain integrated plans, timelines and critical paths across photonics, electronics, firmware, test and packaging.
• Translate technical requirements and engineering constraints into clear scope, priorities and deliverables.
• Identify, track and escape risks, dependencies and blockers early, and drive them to resolution.
• Coordinate tape‑outs, fabrication runs and build cycles with external foundry, manufacturing and test partners.
• Run regular programme reviews, stand‑ups and milestone gates with clear actions and accountability.
• Report progress, risks and trade‑offs to engineering leads and senior leadership with data‑led clarity.
• Work with engineering teams to define test readiness, qualification plans and release criteria.
• Manage supplier and partner schedules, deliverables and communication.
• Continuously improve programme management processes, tooling and ways of working.
• Maintain clear documentation of decisions, plans and programme status.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Planning & scheduling

Risk management

Stakeholder communication

Technical background

Education

Engineering or Physics degree

Tools

Jira

Confluence

MS Project

Job description

About us

Salience Labs is developing optical circuit switching technology for AI infrastructure, aimed at significantly reducing latency and cost in data centre networks. As we move towards real-world deployment, you’ll have genuine ownership of your area, working alongside a highly technical team of physicists, engineers and software specialists on one of the hardest problems in AI infrastructure.

Job Overview

This role sits at the centre of how Salience Labs turns complex, multi-disciplinary engineering work into delivered hardware. You will drive our technical programmes from design through tape-out, fabrication, test and qualification, keeping photonics, electronics, firmware, test and packaging teams aligned and moving towards clear milestones.

We are looking for someone with an engineering background who has moved into programme or project management and still enjoys getting into the technical detail. You will be credible with engineers, able to understand the real constraints and dependencies, and able to turn them into plans, priorities and decisions that keep work moving.

You will work in a fast-paced, deep-tech environment where the work spans external partners as well as internal teams, and where clear ownership, early risk flagging and disciplined execution make a real difference to how quickly we get to deployment.

What you’ll be doing

• Own the delivery of cross‑functional technical programmes, from planning through to milestone completion
• Build and maintain integrated plans, timelines and critical paths across photonics, electronics, firmware, test and packaging
• Translate technical requirements and engineering constraints into clear scope, priorities and deliverables
• Identify, track and escape risks, dependencies and blockers early, and drive them to resolution
• Coordinate tape‑outs, fabrication runs and build cycles with external foundry, manufacturing and test partners
• Run regular programme reviews, stand‑ups and milestone gates, with clear actions and accountability
• Report progress, risks and trade‑offs to engineering leads and senior leadership with data‑led clarity
• Work with engineering teams to define test readiness, qualification plans and release criteria
• Manage supplier and partner schedules, deliverables and communication
• Continuously improve programme management processes, tooling and ways of working
• Maintain clear documentation of decisions, plans and programme status

What we’re looking for

• A degree in Engineering, Physics or a closely related technical discipline
• Experience delivering complex technical programmes or projects in hardware, semiconductor, photonics, electronics or similar deep‑tech environments
• An engineering background, with hands‑on technical experience before moving into programme or project management
• A strong understanding of hardware development lifecycles, such as design, prototyping, build, test and qualification
• Experience coordinating multi‑disciplinary teams and working with external partners, suppliers or foundries
• Proven ability to plan rigorously, manage dependencies and critical paths, and keep projects moving under changing priorities
• Strong technical understanding, with the ability to discuss detail with engineers and challenge assumptions constructively
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain progress, risks and trade‑offs clearly to technical and non‑technical audiences
• A structured, proactive and outcome‑driven approach, with strong attention to detail
• Comfort working in a fast‑paced, evolving deep‑tech environment

Even better if you

• Have experience with photonics/ semiconductor industry
• Have managed programmes through new product introduction, from prototype to production
• Have experience with qualification, reliability or manufacturing ramp
• Hold a recognised project or programme management qualification (for example PMP, PRINCE2 or Agile)
• Are experienced with programme tools such as Jira, Confluence, MS Project or similar
• Have worked in a scale‑up or early‑stage deep‑tech company
• Have experience line‑managing or coordinating a team of project or technical staff

You will join a highly ambitious deep‑tech company operating at the intersection of AI infrastructure, semiconductors, and photonics. We are building foundational technology with the potential to reshape the performance envelope of future AI systems.

If you want to apply your engineering background to driving hard, multi‑disciplinary hardware programmes at the frontier of AI infrastructure, we’d love to hear from you.