Principal Technical Program Manager, New Product Development

Tract Capital Management; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K

Paid holidays

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Tract Capital Management is seeking a Principal Technical Program Manager, New Product Development to lead complex manufacturing programs for data center infrastructure. You will partner with Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Construction, Commissioning, and Operations to drive products from concept through design, validation, pilot, launch, and production.

You will own integrated program strategy, governance, schedules, risks, and decisions to deliver high-quality,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field.
• 10+ years of manufacturing, operations, industrialization, or advanced manufacturing experience.
• 5+ years leading manufacturing strategy, process development, or production scale-up for complex hardware products.
• Experience with manufacturing footprint decisions, automation strategies, contract manufacturing, OEM partnerships, and production system design.
• Track record improving quality, throughput, capacity, and on-time delivery.
• Experience launching products from prototype or pilot production into volume manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Define end-to-end manufacturing strategy, including make-vs-buy decisions, manufacturing footprint, partner selection, capacity planning, and regional deployment strategy.
• Evaluate tradeoffs across cost, quality, lead time, logistics, supply chain risk, automation opportunities, and customer requirements.
• Develop manufacturing roadmaps supporting new product introduction, production ramp-up, and long-term scaling.
• Establish manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures, test systems, production flows, and equipment strategies.
• Lead adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies including robotics, automation, machine vision, digital work instructions, and data-driven process controls.
• Partner with engineering teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, testability, serviceability, and production scale.
• Build production systems that achieve throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, and capacity targets.
• Lead pilot builds, process validation, production readiness, staffing plans, and volume production transitions.
• Implement KPIs and dashboards to monitor yields, schedule attainment, bottlenecks, and overall manufacturing performance.
• Define manufacturing quality strategies, in-process controls, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for manufacturing, supplier, and field quality issues.
• Drive improvements in first-pass yield, defect reduction, process capability, and operational discipline.
• Develop scalable training programs, work instructions, certification requirements, and operating procedures.
• Lead relationships with contract manufacturers, OEMs, integrators, equipment suppliers, and automation partners.
• Drive partner performance across quality, cost, capacity, responsiveness, and delivery metrics.
• Serve as the manufacturing leader across Product Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, Operations, and Customer Delivery.
• Provide executive-level recommendations on manufacturing investments, risks, sourcing strategies, and scaling opportunities.

Skills

Leadership

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Manufacturing strategy

Production scale-up

Quality improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field

Master's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or Business

Tools

Robotics

Automation technologies

Job description

Tract Capital adopts a unique approach to digital infrastructure investment. Leveraging experience and strategic insights honed over three decades of creating successful companies in the space, we excel in nurturing and advancing leading-edge digital infrastructure enterprises. Our team of specialized experts are united by a singular purpose: to support the growth of digital infrastructure. Tract Capital goes beyond simple investment by acting as a strategic partner and catalyst for innovation within the sector. We ensure our engagements not only generate strong financial results but also develop essential digital infrastructure to meet growing demands.

Position Overview

The Principal Technical Program Manager, New Product Development leads the most complex and business-critical product development programs supporting data center infrastructure. This role partners closely with Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Construction, Commissioning, and Operations teams to drive products from concept through design, validation, pilot, launch, and scaled production, while also shaping the operating model used across multiple programs.

The Principal Technical Program Manager owns integrated program strategy, executive-level governance, schedules, risks, dependencies, and decision frameworks required to deliver high-quality, manufacturable products aligned with performance, cost, safety, and timeline objectives. This role ensures the right teams are aligned at the right time, that key technical and operational issues are surfaced early, and that execution remains disciplined across internal stakeholders and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Strategy & Scale

• Define end-to-end manufacturing strategy, including make-vs-buy decisions, manufacturing footprint, partner selection, capacity planning, and regional deployment strategy.
• Evaluate tradeoffs across cost, quality, lead time, logistics, supply chain risk, automation opportunities, and customer requirements.
• Develop manufacturing roadmaps supporting new product introduction, production ramp-up, and long-term scaling.

Process, Automation & Industrialization

• Establish manufacturing methods, tooling, fixtures, test systems, production flows, and equipment strategies.
• Lead adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies including robotics, automation, machine vision, digital work instructions, and data-driven process controls.
• Partner with engineering teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, testability, serviceability, and production scale.

Operations & Performance

• Build production systems that achieve throughput, cycle time, labor efficiency, and capacity targets.
• Lead pilot builds, process validation, production readiness, staffing plans, and volume production transitions.
• Implement KPIs and dashboards to monitor yields, schedule attainment, bottlenecks, and overall manufacturing performance.

Quality & Continuous Improvement

• Define manufacturing quality strategies, in-process controls, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for manufacturing, supplier, and field quality issues.
• Drive improvements in first-pass yield, defect reduction, process capability, and operational discipline.

Workforce & Partner Leadership

• Develop scalable training programs, work instructions, certification requirements, and operating procedures.
• Lead relationships with contract manufacturers, OEMs, integrators, equipment suppliers, and automation partners.
• Drive partner performance across quality, cost, capacity, responsiveness, and delivery metrics.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the manufacturing leader across Product Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality, Program Management, Operations, and Customer Delivery.
• Provide executive-level recommendations on manufacturing investments, risks, sourcing strategies, and scaling opportunities.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or related field.
• 10+ years of manufacturing, operations, industrialization, or advanced manufacturing experience.
• 5+ years leading manufacturing strategy, process development, or production scale-up for complex hardware products.
• Proven experience with manufacturing footprint decisions, automation strategies, contract manufacturing, OEM partnerships, and production system design.
• Track record improving quality, throughput, capacity, and on-time delivery.
• Experience launching products from prototype or pilot production into volume manufacturing.

Preferred

• Master's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, or Business.
• Experience with data center infrastructure, thermal systems, liquid cooling, HVAC, power distribution, or mission-critical equipment.
• Experience implementing robotics, automation, and advanced manufacturing technologies.
• Knowledge of global manufacturing strategies, supply chain risk management, and multi-site production scaling.
• Experience in highly regulated, safety-critical, or uptime-sensitive environments.

Travel

Required to manufacturing facilities, supplier sites, test labs, and deployment locations. This role requires strong strategic judgment, operational rigor, and the ability to shape the long-term manufacturing model of a rapidly growing digital infrastructure business.

Expected Salary Range

$150,000 - $200,000 + Discretionary Bonus

Tract Capital Employment

Tract Capital employees enjoy competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits, including 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401K program, standard paid holidays, and unlimited PTO.

NOTE: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Employees may perform other related duties to meet the organization's ongoing needs.

Tract Capital is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants are considered for employment regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status. If you need assistance applying for any of our open positions, please contact us at [e-mail]