Lead TPM, Powertrain & Thermal Programs

Zoox; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 214,000 - 257,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a Staff Technical Program Manager for Powertrain and Thermal to lead the vehicle program from concept through production. You will bridge strategic direction with deep technical execution across powertrain and thermal domains.

You will balance performance, cost, quality, and manufacturability while coordinating with internal teams and external suppliers. The role demands strong collaboration, program leadership, and travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in mechanical/automotive engineering or related technical field.
• 12+ years of automotive engineering experience with a focus on powertrain or thermal systems and project management.
• Proficient in CATIA, PLM/BOM, FMEA/FTA and structured root-cause analysis (8D, fishbone).
• Experience with external suppliers and contract manufacturers in NPI.
• Strong collaboration and communication across all levels and ability to travel globally.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the program and technical lead for the vehicle program across powertrain and thermal system design components, coordinating with internal engineers and external supplier design teams.
• Oversee BOM integrity, approve critical build processes, and drive quality and cost engineering initiatives.
• Develop program schedules and partner with suppliers, quality, procurement, service, manufacturing, and engineering teams to close open issues and ensure on-time delivery.
• Identify and communicate program progress, challenges, and risks; develop strategic mitigation plans.
• Lead root-cause analysis and tracking of build and design issues impacting performance, quality, and production readiness.
• Influence system designs to optimize performance, cost, quality, manufacturability, and serviceability through top-level design reviews and DFMEAs.

Skills

Automotive engineering

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

B.S./M.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

CATIA V5/V6

PLM/BOM management

FMEA/FTA

JIRA

Confluence

Polarion

Gantt charts

ERP

ALM

Job description

Zoox is seeking a Staff Technical Program Manager for Powertrain and Thermal to lead the vehicle program from concept through production. You will bridge strategic direction with deep technical execution across powertrain and thermal domains.

You will balance performance, cost, quality, and manufacturability while coordinating with internal teams and external suppliers. The role demands strong collaboration, program leadership, and travel as needed.