Principal Technical Program Manager - Actuators

Boston Dynamics; Waltham (MA); On-site; USD 178,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

Boston Dynamics in Waltham, MA, seeks a Principal Technical Program Manager - Actuators to lead actuation programs from design to mass production. You will coordinate with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and controls teams and stakeholders to ensure performance-optimized humanoid actuator subsystems, including motors, gearboxes, and PCBAs.

The role requires 12+ years across engineering and PM, with 7+ years in engineering design and 5+ years managing complex shipping robotics projects.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of total experience across engineering and project management.
• 7+ years of experience in engineering design.
• 5+ years of project management on a complex shipping product, preferably in robotics or automotive industries.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical systems, actuators, controls, assembly, and testing processes.
• Proactive, highly organized, and detail oriented with strong technical communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Work with functional leads to establish a schedule within the master program schedule and track performance.
• Coordinate with stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables.
• Use resource planning to identify bottlenecks, unblock them, and adjust schedules accordingly.
• Continually track projects and report project status and critical path to stakeholders.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks to project delivery and implement contingency plans when necessary.
• Coordinate with Operations Program Manager to ensure on-time delivery of all critical components.
• Coordinate design reviews to ensure deliverables meet high engineering standards, enabling a seamless transition from development to manufacturing.
• Ensure rigorous documentation, change control, and versioning of components and assemblies.
• Coordinate creation of annual budgets and track performance against forecasts.
• Facilitate weekly coordination meetings with South Korean vendors, requiring at least 1x week evening availability to accommodate international time zones.

Skills

Program management

Mechanical engineering

Robotics

Cross-functional

Education

BS/MS in engineering

Tools

Smartsheets

Microsoft Project

Job description

Boston Dynamics is adding a Principal Technical Program Manager - Actuators to our Atlas Program Management Team.

As the Lead Actuation Technical Program Manager for a new product team you will help coordinate the development lifecycle of robotics actuators from early stage design coordination to mass production.

You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including mechanical, electrical, firmware, and controls engineers as well as stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of performance-optimized humanoid actuator subsystems, including motors, gearboxes, and PCBAs. You will work with the Hardware Design Managers, Operations Program Managers, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and engineering leads to build comprehensive project plans, which align resources and budgets with project scope, as well as ensuring risks are identified and mitigated. A successful candidate will be able to manage multiple projects simultaneously, plan strategically and execute with excellence.

Boston Dynamics is a world leader in mobile robots, tackling some of the toughest robotics challenges. For years, our awe-inspiring viral videos on YouTube have shown the world what remarkably capable robots can do. Now we are quickly becoming a recognized leader in automation solutions for industrial applications and warehouse logistics.

How You Will Make An Impact

• Work with functional leads to establish a schedule within the master program schedule and track performance
• Coordinate with stakeholders to define project scope, objectives, and deliverables
• Use resource planning to identify bottlenecks, unblock them, and adjust schedules accordingly
• Continually track projects and report project status and critical path to stakeholders
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks to project delivery, and implement effective contingency plans when necessary
• Coordinate with Operations Program Manager to ensure on-time delivery of all critical components
• Coordinate design reviews to ensure all required deliverables meet high engineering standards, enabling a seamless transition from development to manufacturing
• Ensure rigorous documentation, change control, and versioning of components and assemblies
• Coordinate creation of annual budgets and track performance against forecasts
• Facilitate weekly coordination meetings with South Korean vendors, requiring at least 1x week evening availability to accommodate international time zones.

You Bring

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related field.
• 12+ years of total experience across engineering and project management
• 7+ years of experience in engineering design
• 5+ years of prior experience in project management on a complex shipping product, preferably in robotics or automotive industries
• Strong knowledge of mechanical systems, preferably actuators, controls, assembly, and testing processes
• Proactive, highly organized, and detail oriented, with strong technical communication ability - able to drive improvements across an interdisciplinary team
• Ability to both plan strategically and track the details to ensure nothing is missed
• Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities with a results-driven mindset
• Proficiency in waterfall project management tools and software (e.g. Smartsheets, Microsoft Project)

We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor visas for this position.

The salary range for this position will be clearly stated in the job posting as required by Massachusetts law. The base pay range for this position is between $178,000 - $215,000. Base pay will depend on multiple individualized factors including, but not limited to internal equity, job related knowledge, skills and experience. This range represents a good faith estimate of compensation at the time of posting.

Boston Dynamics will never ask you to divulge your personal financial or account information as part of its recruiting process.