Principal Technical Program Manager (Hardware)

Hayden AI; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Hayden AI is seeking a Principal Technical Program Manager to lead a portfolio of hardware programs across the product lifecycle. You will collaborate with leaders to drive strategy into roadmaps, ensuring on-time delivery and high quality while setting the standard for program excellence.

The role emphasizes end-to-end delivery, phase-gate governance, and close partnership with Edge AI, Perception, and Platform teams to align hardware decisions with AI system requirements from day one.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in Hardware TPM or Engineering Program Management.
• Led 5+ multi-disciplinary hardware products from concept to production.
• Experience with NPI lifecycle (EVT, DVT, PVT, MP) and phase gate governance.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of enterprise hardware programs across the full product lifecycle.
• Collaborate with leaders across the organization to translate strategy into roadmaps and plans.
• Drive phase gate reviews, milestones, quality standards, and executive alignment.
• Oversee New Product Introduction (EVT, DVT, PVT, MP) and manage vendor/CM relationships for mass production.
• Translate field feedback and regulatory requirements into hardware requirements before design begins.

Skills

Hardware TPM

Program management

NPI lifecycle

Edge AI hardware

Regulatory compliance

Supplier management

Cross-functional leadership

Phase gate governance

Embedded systems

Autonomous systems/ robotics

Education

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in an engineering discipline

Job description

• The Principal Technical Program Manager will lead the development and execution of a portfolio of hardware programs
• This role will collaborate with leaders across Hayden in highly ambiguous conditions to drive strategy into roadmaps and plans that deliver critical work on time and at high quality
• They will set the standard for program excellence across the entire product lifecycle and drive systemic improvements across the company
• Strategic Execution: Drive end-to-end delivery of enterprise engineering programs, bridging executive business goals and technical execution
• Edge AI & On-Vehicle Systems: Partner with Perception and Platform engineering to ensure hardware programs account for the full edge inference stack - thermal envelope, compute constraints, sensor integration, and field serviceability - so that AI system requirements drive hardware decisions from day one
• Advanced R&D & Technology Incubation: Partner with engineering leadership to drive early-stage R&D efforts, including proof-of-concepts (PoCs) and the rigorous evaluation of next-generation components, shaping the N+1 and N+2 product roadmaps
• Phase Gate & Milestone Governance: Define, implement, and rigorously enforce phase gate reviews and program milestones across the hardware lifecycle. Ensure cross-functional readiness, quality standards, and executive alignment before advancing products to subsequent development phases
• NPI Lifecycle & Manufacturing: Drive the end-to-end New Product Introduction (NPI) process (EVT, DVT, PVT) and oversee vendor delivery to ensure a seamless transition from prototype to Mass Production (MP)
• Requirements & Scope Definition: Partner with Engineering and Growth to shape what gets built at the hardware level — translating field feedback, customer deployment constraints, and regulatory requirements into clear hardware requirements before design begins, and holding the line on scope when program objectives drift

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in an engineering discipline
• Led 5+ multi-disciplinary hardware products from 0-to-1 through production
• Experience with hardware reliability, regulatory compliance (FCC, CE), and supply chain risk
• Strong technical foundation in embedded systems, hardware/software integration, or computer vision systems
• 12+ years in Hardware TPM or Engineering Program Management
• Deep knowledge of NPI lifecycle (EVT, DVT, PVT, MP), phase gate governance, and CM/supplier management
• Experience with on-vehicle, edge-deployed, or ruggedized hardware
• Background in autonomous systems, robotics, or AI/ML hardware programs
• Experience delivering technology to government or municipal clients
• Familiarity with DFX methodologies (DFA, DFI, DFS)