Junior TPM Lead

Thundersoft; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Thundersoft in Palo Alto, CA, is seeking a Junior Technical Program Manager Lead to partner with engineering, product, QA, and vendors to drive technical programs from planning through delivery.

You will manage schedules, track dependencies, facilitate Agile workflows, and remove blockers across hardware, software, and validation teams. This role suits an engineer or coordinator aiming to grow into leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline.
• 3-5+ years of experience in technical project/program coordination, software/systems engineering, or product delivery—including 1-2+ years leading cross-functional technical initiatives.
• Strong understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), system integration, and engineering workflows to collaborate with technical teams.
• Hands-on proficiency with JIRA, Confluence, MS Project/Smartsheet, and Agile/Scrum/Kanban frameworks.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and written/verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain project schedules, sprint milestones, deliverables, and resource plans across multiple engineering workstreams.
• Serve as the central liaison across software, systems, hardware, and QA/validation teams to align on technical dependencies, integration timelines, and release readiness.
• Identify schedule risks, technical blockers, and scope changes; drive root-cause resolution with clear mitigation options.
• Facilitate core Agile/Scrum ceremonies and standardize program reporting across teams.
• Maintain project documentation, JIRA backlogs, and executive status dashboards communicating progress and KPIs.
• Track deliverables and timelines with third-party vendors and internal stakeholders for on-time delivery.

Skills

Communication skills

Agile/Scrum/Kanban

SDLC knowledge

Cross-functional coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

MS Project

Smartsheet

Job description

We are seeking a proactive, detail-oriented Junior Technical Program Manager (TPM) Lead to join our team in Palo Alto, CA.

In this role, you will partner closely with engineering leads, product managers, quality assurance teams, and external vendors to drive technical project execution from planning through delivery. You will be responsible for managing program schedules, tracking dependencies, facilitating Agile workflows, and removing roadblocks across complex technical initiatives. This is a great opportunity for an engineer or technical coordinator with strong foundational skills looking to grow into a technical program leadership track.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Planning & Tracking: Define and maintain project schedules, sprint milestones, deliverables, and resource plans across multiple engineering workstreams.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Serve as the central liaison across software, systems, hardware, and QA/validation teams to align on technical dependencies, integration timelines, and release readiness.
• Issue & Risk Management: Proactively identify schedule risks, technical blockers, and scope changes; drive root-cause resolution and elevate critical issues with clear mitigation options.
• Agile & Process Execution: Facilitate core Agile/Scrum ceremonies (daily stand-ups, sprint planning, backlog grooming, retrospectives) and help standardize program reporting across teams.
• Stakeholder Reporting & Documentation: Maintain accurate project documentation, JIRA backlogs, and executive status dashboards to communicate progress, KPIs, and program health to leadership.
• Vendor & Partner Coordination: Track deliverables and timelines with third-party vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure seamless integration and on-time delivery.

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: 3-5+ years of experience in technical project/program coordination, software/systems engineering, or product delivery—including 1-2+ years leading cross-functional technical initiatives.
• Technical Acumen: Strong understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), system integration, and engineering workflows to effectively collaborate with technical teams.
• Tools & Methodologies: Hands-on proficiency with JIRA, Confluence, MS Project/Smartsheet, and Agile/Scrum/Kanban frameworks.
• Communication: Excellent organizational, analytical, and written/verbal communication skills with the ability to run structured meetings and summarize technical status for leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting automotive, mobility, hardware/software integration, or enterprise technology programs.
• Familiarity with requirements management and data visualization tools (e.g., Jama, Tableau, Power BI).
• Experience working in fast-paced R&D or innovation lab environments with distributed teams.
• PMP, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), or SAFe certification is a plus.