Director Technical Program Manager, Software

Cobot; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Collaborative Robotics in Santa Clara, CA is seeking a Director Technical Program Manager (TPM), Software to lead end-to-end robot software programs that fuse AI with robotics. You will guide cross-functional teams across software, hardware, operations, and leadership to deliver scalable, customer-centric solutions.

You will own planning and execution for the Proxie autonomy stack (Localization, Perception, Navigation) and fleet management, shaping today’s products and future generations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Science, or related).
• 12+ years of program management experience for autonomous software.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams.
• Experience guiding software teams on cutting-edge product development.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects using Agile or Scrum.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced, collaborative startup environment.
• Willing to travel occasionally.
• Must have US work authorization.

Responsibilities

• Lead End-to-End Programs for software supporting current robots and future generations.
• Create plans meeting scope, timeline, and resource budget and drive them to closure.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with software, hardware, operations, and leadership to align objectives and deliverables.
• Identify risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Blend technical and business acumen to align software work with customer/product needs.
• Identify and troubleshoot deployment issues with engineering teams.
• Seek opportunities to streamline and simplify processes.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional teams

Agile / Scrum

Autonomous software programs

Communication

Travel (occasional)

US work authorization

Problem solving

Startup environment

Team-building

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering

Job description

The Director Technical Program Manager (TPM), Software will pioneer product development at the intersection of robotics and AI and orchestrate complex programs that drive innovation. If you’re a strategic thinker with a hands‑on approach, eager to lead cross‑functional teams in delivering integrated system solutions, we invite you to join us at Collaborative Robotics as the Technical Program Manager responsible for robot software.

In this role, you will guide the development of all software related to our robot, Proxie, including our autonomy stack (Localization, Perception, Navigation), robot behaviors, and fleet management system for both the current and future generations of the product. Working across software, hardware, customer operations, and company leadership, you will create and execute plans, enable key decision‑making, and drive complex issues to resolution while building scalable, customer‑centric products. This is a golden opportunity for a technically strong leader who is ready to tackle challenges head‑on and play a pivotal role in helping us achieve our ambitious company goals.

Join us to reimagine the future of human‑robot interaction.

Collaborative Robotics is a team of innovators and builders redefining the future of human‑robot interaction. We are working to realize a world where robots are a trusted extension of your surroundings. They work, adapt, and react around you. Not the other way around.

This role is located onsite at our Santa Clara, CA headquarters.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead End-to-End Programs while overseeing the planning, execution, and delivery of software supporting continuous improvement and new features on our current robots, as well as for future robots.
• Driving Execution by creating plans that meet scope, timeline, and resource budget requirements, then manage them to closure.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with software developers, hardware engineers, operations team members, and customer-facing teams to align objectives and deliverables.
• Proactively identify potential risks and opportunities that may impact the product or schedule - develop strategies to mitigate/enact them.
• Blend technical expertise with business expertise to provide guidance on how software engineering work aligns with customer/product needs.
• Identify and troubleshoot issues that arise during deployments, working closely with engineering teams to resolve them.
• Continuously seek opportunities to streamline and simplify processes.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Science, or related field).
• 12+ years of program management experience, including the development of software products for an autonomous system.
• Excellent leadership and team-building skills, with experience leading cross‑functional teams.
• Experience guiding SW teams focused on cutting‑edge product development.
• Proven ability to manage complex projects using methodologies like Agile or Scrum, while holding to top level company goals/milestones.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities.
• Highly motivated teammate with excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Enjoy working in a fast paced, collaborative and dynamic start‑up environment as part of a small team.
• Willing to occasionally travel.
• Must have and maintain US work authorization.
• Candidates must be able to meet all US person status requirements at the time of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience bridging AI solutions into engineering deliverables.
• Experience managing software products that are routinely deployed into live operations.
• Strong understanding of software and hardware development processes, including system integration.
• Experience delivering products that have been certified for functional safety.
• Experience with AI tools to accelerate program management.

The base salary range for this position is $225,000 - $265,000 plus equity and comprehensive benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role and experience level. The range reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position in the noted geographic area. Within the range, individual pay is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Cobot is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let your recruiter know.