Senior Staff Technical Program Manager - Body, Closures & Chassis

Socket.dev; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoox in Foster City, CA, seeks a Senior Staff Technical Program Manager for Body, Closures & Chassis to guide the vehicle program from concept through production across BIW, doors, and chassis domains. You will bridge milestones with execution, balancing performance, cost, quality, and manufacturability while coordinating internal teams and external partners to ensure cohesive engineering solutions.

The role requires deep automotive engineering experience, travel flexibility, and a proven track

Qualifications

• 12+ years automotive engineering experience in Body/Closures/Chassis.
• Proven ability to manage cross-functional programs and external suppliers.
• Experience with NPI from concept to production.
• Expert in design reviews, DFMEAs, and risk mitigation.

Responsibilities

• Lead the program and technical direction for Body, Closures, and Chassis across internal and supplier teams.
• Oversee BOM integrity, approve critical build processes, and drive cost/quality initiatives.
• Identify program progress, risks, and mitigation plans across the organization.
• Lead root-cause analysis and tracking of build/design issues impacting performance and production readiness.
• Influence system designs to optimize performance, cost, quality, and manufacturability via top-level reviews and validation.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Root-cause analysis

NPI experience

System design reviews

Education

BS/MS Mechanical/Automotive Engineering

Tools

CATIA V5/V6

PLM/BOM management

FMEA/FTA

JIRA/Confluence

Polarion

Job description

As a Senior Staff Technical Program Manager for Body, Closures & Chassis, you will serve as the Program Lead for our Body, Closures & Chassis Systems. You will provide the overarching technical direction and leadership required to guide the vehicle program from concept through production across Body, Closures, and Chassis domains.

In this position, you will bridge the gap between high-level program milestones and deep technical execution. You are responsible for balancing performance attributes, cost, quality, and manufacturability while coordinating engineering execution across our internal team and external partners.

In this role, you will:

• Serve as the program and technical lead for the vehicle program across Body (BIW, structures), Closures (doors, mechanisms, glazing), and Chassis (suspension, subframes, tires, wheels, by-wire systems), collaborating with internal engineers and external supplier design teams to ensure cohesive engineering execution.
• Oversee BOM integrity, approve critical build processes, and drive quality and cost engineering initiatives throughout the supply chain for your major assemblies.
  Develop program schedules and partner with suppliers, quality, procurement, service, manufacturing, and engineering teams to drive complex open issues to closure and ensure on-time delivery.
• Identify and communicate program progress, engineering challenges, and technical risks while proactively developing and leading strategic mitigation plans across the organization.
• Lead the root-cause analysis and tracking of critical build and design issues impacting vehicle performance, quality, and production readiness to drive long-term engineering solutions.
• Influence system designs to optimize performance, cost, quality, manufacturability, and serviceability by leading top-level design reviews, DFMEAs, validation programs, and manufacturing mock-builds.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Engineer, or a related technical discipline
• 12+ years of deep automotive engineering experience, with focus on Body, Closures or Chassis design and project management.
• Proficiency with advanced automotive engineering tools and methodologies, including CATIA V5/V6, PLM/BOM management, FMEA/FTA, and structured root-cause analysis (8D, Fishbone), and project management tools (e.g., JIRA, Confluence, Polarion, Gantt charts, ERP, PLM, ALM).
• Experience designing for attributes such as crash, NVH, reliability, strength, and corrosion.
• A proven track record of managing complex cross-functional projects and delivering components via external design suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• End-to-end New Product Introduction (NPI) experience.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills across all levels, from peers and suppliers to manufacturing and executive management.
• Ability to travel globally as required.

Bonus Qualifications

• Familiarity with hardware/firmware product development and vehicle CAN/Firmware.

Base Salary Range

There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. A sign-on bonus may be offered as part of the compensation package. The listed range applies only to the base salary. Compensation will vary based on geographic location and level. Leveling, as well as positioning within a level, is determined by a range of factors, including, but not limited to, a candidate's relevant years of experience, domain knowledge, and interview performance. The salary range listed in this posting is representative of the range of levels Zoox is considering for this position.

Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits, including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.