Operations Senior Technical Program Manager Strategy & Ops

Front Door Defense; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Apptronik, a humanoid robotics company in Austin, TX, seeks an Operations Senior Technical Program Manager to drive hardware programs from concept to production. You will coordinate across engineering, operations, supply chain, manufacturing, quality, and finance to ensure new products move smoothly from design to mass production.

Reporting to the Director of the PMO, you will champion DFX, lead readiness activities, and manage cost, risks, and schedules to meet ambitious product milestones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, or related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of technical program management or operations leadership experience within complex hardware product development.
• Preferred: Robotics, automotive, aerospace, industrial automation, or other complex electromechanical products.
• Preferred: PMP certification or equivalent program management experience.
• Preferred: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or APICS certification.
• Preferred: Experience with ERP, PLM, and program management tools.

Responsibilities

• Program Leadership: Represent Operations as core stakeholder from concept through production launch across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, and Procurement.
• DFX: Champion manufacturability, serviceability, and quality requirements early in design.
• Build Readiness: Lead readiness activities across prototype, EVT, DVT, PVT, and production builds.
• Supply Chain & Sourcing: Flag long-lead items early and monitor supplier readiness against milestones.
• Engineering & Product Data Management: Align EBOM/MBOM; collaborate in Siemens Teamcenter; identify DFX opportunities.
• Cost Management: Track NRE expenditure and supplier RFQs; align with budgets and timelines.
• Risk & Issue Management: Identify risks and present health status at reviews.

Skills

Cross-Functional Leadership

Hardware Program Execution

Design for Excellence (DFX)

Systems & Tools Fluency

Executive Communication

Data-Driven Decision Making

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Operations/Supply Chain

PMP certification

Lean/Six Sigma or APICS certification

Experience with ERP/PLM in hardware PM

Tools

Siemens NX

Siemens Teamcenter

ERP

PLM

Job description

Operations Senior Technical Program Manager

Lead hardware programs from concept to production, aligning cross-functional teams across engineering, operations, and supply chain

Location: Austin, Texas

About The Role

Operations Senior Technical Program Manager

Onsite - Austin, TX

Apptronik is a human-centered robotics company developing AI-powered robots to support humanity in every facet of life. Our flagship humanoid robot, Apollo, is built to collaborate thoughtfully with people, starting with critical industries such as manufacturing and logistics, with future applications in healthcare, the home, and beyond. We operate at the cutting edge of Applied AI, applying our expertise across the full robotics stack to solve some of society's most important problems. You will join a team dedicated to bringing Apollo to market at scale, tackling the complex challenges like safety, commercialization, and mass production to change the world for the better.

Job Summary

We are looking for a highly execution-oriented Senior Technical Program Manager (Operations) to serve as the Operations organization's advocate within our engineering-driven product development programs. Reporting to the Director of the Program Management Office (PMO), you will bridge Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Quality, and Finance to ensure new products move seamlessly from concept through production.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Program Leadership: Represent Operations as the core stakeholder within cross-functional engineering programs from concept through production launch. Drive execution across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Test, IT, Facilities, Service, and Procurement, escalating risks and resource constraints to PMO and Operations leadership.
• Design for Excellence (DFX): Champion DFM, DFA, DFS, DFT, DFSC, and DFQ throughout product development. Facilitate cross-functional design reviews and drive early resolution of manufacturability, sourcing, serviceability, and quality risks.
• Build Readiness: Lead readiness activities across prototype, EVT, DVT, PVT, and production builds. Own Build Readiness Checklists spanning manufacturing, supply chain, material availability, tooling, documentation, training, and quality.
• Supply Chain & Sourcing: Partner with Strategic Sourcing and Procurement to flag long-lead items early, monitor supplier and material readiness against milestones, and drive resolution of sourcing constraints.
• Engineering & Product Data Management: Partner with Engineering on product structures, EBOM-to-MBOM alignment, and change management within Siemens Teamcenter; collaborate in Siemens NX to identify DFX opportunities early in the development cycle.
• Cost Management: Coordinate NRE expenditure tracking and supplier RFQs, and partner with Finance, Supply Chain, and Engineering to keep quotation and cost activity aligned with program timelines.
• Risk & Issue Management: Identify operational risks before they become program delays, drive mitigation plans with accountable owners, and present operational health and readiness status at program reviews and executive meetings.

Skills and Requirements

• Cross-Functional Leadership Without Direct Authority – Proven ability to drive alignment, accountability, and timely decision-making across Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, and Facilities.
• Hardware Program Execution – Strong understanding of engineering development lifecycles and experience bringing products from concept through production.
• Design for Excellence (DFX) – Experience embedding manufacturability, serviceability, and quality requirements into design before release.
• Systems & Tools Fluency – Familiarity with product structures (BOMs), engineering change management (ECN/ECO), and configuration/release processes; hands-on experience with Siemens NX and Teamcenter is a plus.
• Executive Communication – Comfortable presenting operational risk and readiness status to program reviews and executive stakeholders.
• Data-Driven Decision Making – Track record of using cost, schedule, and readiness data to drive disciplined execution.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline required
• 8+ years of technical program management or operations leadership experience within complex hardware product development
  • Preferred: Experience in robotics, automotive, aerospace, industrial automation, or other complex electromechanical products
  • Preferred: PMP certification or equivalent program management experience
  • Preferred: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or APICS certification
  • Preferred: Experience with ERP, PLM, and program management tools

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
• Must be able to lift 15 pounds at times
• Vision to read printed materials and a computer screen
• Hearing and speech to communicate

This is a direct hire. Please, no outside Agency solicitations.

Apptronik provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.