Program Manager, Hardware Development (Contract)

Stealth AI Startup; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

In-office collaboration

Job summary

Stealth AI Startup in Laguna Hills, CA is seeking a Technical Program Manager to lead cross‑functional programs spanning silicon, hardware, firmware, software, and product delivery.

You will build schedules, manage dependencies, identify risks, and ensure hardware and software teams stay aligned through major milestones while coordinating with architecture, engineering, and product teams.

Qualifications

• Ability to understand technical dependencies across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Experience building schedules, managing risks, and coordinating major development milestones.
• Strong organization, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to influence technical teams without relying solely on formal authority.
• Experience communicating with engineers, functional leaders, executives, and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex technical programs across silicon, hardware, firmware, software, validation, and operations.
• Develop integrated schedules connecting hardware-development and software-readiness milestones.
• Coordinate dependencies across architecture, engineering, system integration, testing, and product teams.
• Identify program risks, clarify ownership, and drive teams toward resolution plans.
• Facilitate cross-functional reviews, milestone meetings, and leadership updates.
• Track decisions, technical dependencies, deliverables, and critical-path activities.
• Support ASIC and SoC development, tapeout planning, and silicon-readiness activities.
• Coordinate firmware, drivers, development tools, boards, and pre-silicon platforms.
• Support hardware bring-up, system integration, validation, qualification, and production release.
• Work with engineering leaders to evaluate priorities, resources, schedules, and technical tradeoffs.

Job description

Relocation assistance to Orange County is available

About the Opportunity

Join an established edge-AI semiconductor company building the hardware and software that enable intelligent computing outside the data center.

We are seeking a Technical Program Manager to lead cross‑functional programs spanning silicon, hardware, firmware, software, system integration, and product delivery.

You will partner with technical teams to turn complex development plans into coordinated execution. This includes building schedules, managing dependencies, identifying risks, facilitating technical decisions, and ensuring that hardware and software teams remain aligned through major product milestones.

Direct ASIC tapeout experience is valuable, but we will also consider candidates who have led sophisticated hardware‑development programs involving embedded systems, processors, automotive electronics, robotics, aerospace, consumer devices, or advanced computing platforms.

The position is based in Laguna Hills, California. Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates.

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What You’ll Do

• Lead complex technical programs across silicon, hardware, firmware, software, validation, and operations
• Develop integrated schedules connecting hardware‑development and software‑readiness milestones
• Coordinate dependencies across architecture, engineering, system integration, testing, and product teams
• Identify program risks, clarify ownership, and drive teams toward resolution plans
• Facilitate cross‑functional reviews, milestone meetings, and leadership updates
• Track decisions, technical dependencies, deliverables, and critical‑path activities
• Support ASIC and SoC development, tapeout planning, and silicon‑readiness activities
• Coordinate firmware, drivers, development tools, boards, and pre‑silicon platforms
• Support hardware bring‑up, system integration, validation, qualification, and production release
• Work with engineering leaders to evaluate priorities, resources, schedules, and technical tradeoffs
• Establish practical program dashboards, operating rhythms, and communication processes
• Improve collaboration across engineering teams in multiple locations

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline
• Five or more years of technical program, engineering program, project, or product‑development management experience
• Experience managing complex hardware, embedded, semiconductor, or hardware‑software development programs
• Ability to understand technical dependencies across multiple engineering disciplines
• Experience building schedules, managing risks, and coordinating major development milestones
• Strong organization, communication, leadership, and problem‑solving skills
• Ability to influence technical teams without relying solely on formal authority
• Experience communicating with engineers, functional leaders, executives, and external partners
• Experience with Jira, Smartsheet, MS Project, Confluence, or similar tools

Preferred Experience

• Experience with ASIC, SoC, FPGA, semiconductor, processor, or embedded‑system development
• Exposure to tapeout, silicon bring‑up, post‑silicon validation, or production release
• Experience coordinating firmware, drivers, SDKs, embedded software, or hardware‑validation activities
• Experience with AI hardware, automotive systems, robotics, aerospace, networking, or consumer electronics
• Previous engineering or technical product‑development experience
• Familiarity with foundries, packaging, boards, test, manufacturing, or external development partners
• Experience working across geographically distributed engineering teams
• PMP, PgMP, Scrum, or another relevant program‑management certification

Why Join

You will operate at the center of an ambitious edge‑AI product‑development organization, connecting silicon innovation with the hardware and software required to deliver a complete product.

You will have:

• Broad exposure across hardware and software engineering
• Direct interaction with senior technical leaders
• Ownership of highly visible product‑development programs
• Opportunities to influence planning and execution processes
• A direct role in bringing advanced edge‑AI technology to market

Location and Relocation

This position is based in Laguna Hills, California, and requires regular in‑office collaboration.

Candidates currently located elsewhere in the United States are encouraged to apply. Relocation assistance may be available for qualified candidates who are willing to move to Orange County.