Senior Hardware NPI & Production Launch Lead

Whoop

Boston (MA)

On-site

USD 150,000 - 195,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity package

Relocation support

Job summary

WHOOP, a Boston-based company, is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager (NPI) to lead manufacturing development and launch execution for new hardware programs. You will own the manufacturing and operations NPI workstream from concept through production ramp, collaborating with Engineering, Operations, and contract manufacturers to ensure readiness and high-quality delivery.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with consumer electronics programs through EVT to ramp, can drive

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, or a related technical field.
5+ years of experience in technical program management, manufacturing development, hardware engineering, or a related field.
Experience owning at least one complete hardware product development cycle from prototype through mass production launch, including EVT, DVT, PVT, and production ramp.
Proven ability to independently lead manufacturing programs with cross-functional engineering teams and external manufacturing partners.
Experience working directly with overseas manufacturing partners, particularly in Asia, within consumer electronics or other high-volume hardware industries.
Strong understanding of manufacturing processes including SMT, mechanical assembly, test, validation, and pack-out.
Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, prioritize effectively, and drive decisions across engineering and operations teams.
Excellent communication and organizational skills, with the ability to tailor messaging for technical teams and leadership audiences.
Proficiency with Excel, Jira, Confluence, Gantt/scheduling tools, Google Workspace, and PLM systems (Arena preferred).
Willingness to travel internationally up to 25% to support supplier builds, validation activities, and production launches.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end manufacturing program execution for a hardware product from early development through mass production launch, serving as the primary manufacturing program lead.
Lead manufacturing readiness across EVT, DVT, PVT, pre-production, and production ramp, ensuring milestones are achieved on schedule and with high quality.
Develop and maintain integrated program plans, build schedules, critical paths, risk registers, issue trackers, and validation milestones across internal teams and manufacturing partners.
Drive manufacturing process development, documentation, optimization, and validation in partnership with Manufacturing Engineering, Test Engineering, Quality, and Operations.
Coordinate build planning and execution, including build objectives, factory readiness, equipment deployment, process validation, test integration, issue resolution, post-build closure, and exit criteria for each build phase.
Drive ramp readiness by ensuring yield, throughput, capacity, staffing, equipment, process documentation, and operational handoff criteria are understood, tracked, and achieved before mass production.
Establish and drive the manufacturing NPI operating cadence during critical program phases, including build readiness reviews, cross-functional issue reviews, leadership updates, timely decisions, and accountability across a focused cross-functional team.
Identify program risks early and drive cross-functional issue resolution with clear ownership, root cause analysis, corrective actions, escalation paths, and recovery plans while balancing schedule, quality, cost, and manufacturing readiness.
Communicate clear program status, key decisions, risks, and recovery plans to engineering, operations, and leadership stakeholders.
Build strong working relationships with contract manufacturers and suppliers to ensure successful execution of manufacturing activities and production readiness.
Contribute to improving manufacturing program management processes, documentation, and tools to enable more scalable and predictable NPI execution.