Program Manager, Operations Infrastructure (212757)

Aquent; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent in San Francisco seeks a Program Manager – Operations Infrastructure to lead IT, network, and data infrastructure programs supporting autonomous-mobility fleet operations.

You will translate operational needs into technical plans, coordinate cross-functional teams, manage vendor relationships, and ensure reliable deployments across multiple site locations, including Foster City onsite three days per week. This role focuses on live-ops readiness and risk mitigation.

Qualifications

• Experience managing complex technical programs involving IT infrastructure, data infrastructure, networking, or site operations.
• Demonstrated success leading infrastructure deployments, site activations, or operational-readiness programs.
• Strong understanding of network connectivity, infrastructure dependencies, troubleshooting, and service reliability.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams across engineering, IT, operations, facilities, security, and external vendors.
• Proven ability to build and manage program schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, and escalation plans.
• Experience holding providers and vendors accountable to delivery schedules.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including translating technical issues for non-technical audiences.
• Ability to operate in fast-moving, ambiguous, mission-critical environments.
• Ability to work onsite in Foster City three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional programs supporting IT, network, and data infrastructure deployments across sites.
• Translate site-operational needs into technical requirements, plans, milestones, owners, and delivery schedules.
• Coordinate site planning, infrastructure installation, testing, activation, and readiness activities.
• Partner with IT, infrastructure, engineering, operations, security, facilities, and external providers to keep deployments on schedule.
• Support mission-critical mapping, testing, and validation programs for autonomous operations.
• Develop site-planning frameworks to evaluate locations and determine infrastructure requirements.
• Identify risks early and drive mitigation and recovery plans to completion.
• Support post-deployment site operations, including training, documentation, and handoffs.
• Lead root-cause investigations into network or site-reliability issues.
• Coordinate with telecom providers and vendors to accelerate installation and meet SLAs.
• Collaborate with Information Security to ensure data security, privacy, and compliance.
• Create dashboards, status reports, risk summaries, and executive communications.
• Capture lessons learned and update infrastructure and site-design standards.

Skills

IT Infrastructure

Data Infrastructure

Networking

Vendor Management

Program Management

Cross-functional Teams

Site Operations

Communication Skills

Risk Management

On-site Leadership

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Smartsheet

Microsoft Project

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

We are hiring a highly capable and forward-thinking Program Manager – Operations Infrastructure to support a pioneering autonomous-mobility organization preparing to scale its fleet operations.

This role will lead programs focused on deploying IT, network, and data infrastructure across operational sites. These locations support critical fleet functions such as vehicle charging, data offload, maintenance, repair, testing, and autonomous-vehicle missions.

The ideal candidate can translate operational requirements into technical execution plans, coordinate numerous dependencies, hold vendors accountable, and ensure infrastructure is reliable and ready for live operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional programs supporting the deployment of IT, network, and data infrastructure across operational sites.
• Translate site-operational needs into technical requirements, program plans, milestones, owners, and delivery schedules.
• Coordinate site planning, infrastructure installation, testing, activation, and operational-readiness activities.
• Partner with IT, infrastructure, engineering, operations, security, facilities, and external providers to resolve dependencies and keep deployments on schedule.
• Support mission-critical mapping, testing, and validation programs associated with autonomous operations.
• Develop repeatable site-planning frameworks that help stakeholders evaluate locations and determine infrastructure requirements.
• Identify technical and operational risks early and drive mitigation and recovery plans through completion.
• Support site operations teams after deployment, including training, documentation, escalation processes, and infrastructure handoffs.
• Lead root-cause investigations involving localized network connectivity, infrastructure performance, or site-reliability issues.
• Partner directly with telecommunications providers and other vendors to accelerate installation timelines and ensure service-level commitments are met.
• Coordinate with Information Security teams to ensure site and third-party data complies with security, privacy, and data-protection requirements.
• Create clear program dashboards, status reports, risk summaries, and executive-ready communications.
• Capture lessons learned from existing sites and incorporate them into future infrastructure and site-design standards.

Required Qualifications

• Experience managing complex technical programs involving IT infrastructure, data infrastructure, networking, telecommunications, or site operations.
• Demonstrated success leading infrastructure deployments, site activations, systems implementations, or operational-readiness programs.
• Strong understanding of network connectivity, infrastructure dependencies, technical troubleshooting, and service reliability.
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams across engineering, IT, operations, facilities, security, and external vendors.
• Proven ability to build and manage program schedules, milestones, dependencies, risks, and escalation plans.
• Experience holding telecommunications providers, infrastructure vendors, or implementation partners accountable to delivery schedules.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical issues for operational and executive audiences.
• Ability to operate effectively in fast-moving, ambiguous, and mission-critical environments.
• Ability to consistently work onsite in Foster City three days per week.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with multi-site infrastructure deployments or large-scale site-launch programs.
• Background in autonomous vehicles, fleet operations, transportation, robotics, logistics, data centers, NOCs, command centers, or other real-time operational environments.
• Experience supporting connectivity troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, incident management, or operational resilience.
• Familiarity with data-security, privacy, and third-party compliance requirements.
• Experience developing site-readiness frameworks, deployment playbooks, SOPs, training materials, or operational handoff processes.
• Proficiency with tools such as Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet, Microsoft Project, Excel, PowerPoint, or similar program-management platforms.

This is an opportunity to shape the infrastructure foundation supporting the next generation of autonomous fleet operations.