Autonomous Vehicle Firmware Program Lead

Aquent; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent is partnering with a pioneering company in San Mateo, CA to lead firmware-focused Technical Program Management for autonomous vehicle hardware and software integration.

You will own end-to-end firmware programs across multiple vehicle systems, coordinating hardware bring-up, validation, and production release, while aligning with safety and reliability requirements. Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration are essential in this fast-paced, hardware-software environment.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in technical or engineering program management for firmware or embedded software.
• Experience taking embedded products from requirements through bring-up, validation, and production release.
• Experience managing firmware in manufacturing: factory flashing, provisioning, end-of-line testing, version control via contract manufacturer.
• Own embedded software release management and defect triage, including branching and release sign-off.
• Coordinate hardware, firmware, software, systems engineering, and validation teams.
• Background in automotive, consumer electronics, or similarly complex hardware.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end program management for embedded firmware across vehicle systems.
• Build and drive firmware release plans with milestones like feature freeze and sign-off.
• Synchronize firmware with hardware build events (EVT/DVT/PVT).
• Coordinate dependencies across hardware, firmware, software, systems engineering, and validation.
• Ensure bootloaders, drivers, diagnostics, and test firmware are ready for hardware bring-up.
• Lead manufacturing firmware activities: factory flashing, provisioning, secure-key injection, end-of-line testing, version control, and CM coordination.
• Manage release strategy, defect triage, burn-down, change control, and production readiness.
• Identify program risks early and drive mitigation plans.
• Provide clear updates to engineering teams and senior leadership.
• Establish structured processes and reporting to improve execution.

Skills

Technical Program Management

Embedded firmware

Cross-functional leadership

Hardware-software integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Git-based workflows

Gantt-based planning

Job description

Aquent is partnering with a pioneering company in San Mateo, CA to lead firmware-focused Technical Program Management for autonomous vehicle hardware and software integration.

You will own end-to-end firmware programs across multiple vehicle systems, coordinating hardware bring-up, validation, and production release, while aligning with safety and reliability requirements. Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration are essential in this fast-paced, hardware-software environment.