Senior/Staff TPM - Hardware

Rhoda; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Rhoda AI is hiring a Senior/Staff TPM for hardware who will own the end-to-end hardware program lifecycle, from integration through EVT/DVT and early customer deployment. You will collaborate with mechanical, electronics, firmware, AI, and manufacturing teams to ensure on-time, high-quality builds.

The role demands deep technical leadership, risk awareness, and the ability to drive complex programs in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years hardware program mgmt in robotics or electromechanical systems
• Proven ownership of EVT/DVT/PVT cycles
• Strong understanding of actuator architectures, embedded systems, and safety-rated motion control

Responsibilities

• Own IMS and drive EVT to DVT readiness
• Coordinate system integration milestones and align hardware freeze with AI/controls needs
• Manage long-lead items, tooling, and DFM with manufacturers
• Maintain risk register and elevate blockers with fast decisions
• Lead weekly cross-functional reviews across mechanical, electronics, firmware, controls, and supply chain

Skills

Hardware program mgmt

EVT/DVT ownership

System integration

Risk management

Cross-functional leadership

Job description

At Rhoda AI, we're building the next generation of generalist intelligent robots. We own the full robotics stack from high-performance hardware and robot systems to the infrastructure and state-of-the-art foundation world models that control our robots. Our robots are designed to be generalists capable of operating in complex, real-world environments and handling long-tail edge cases, made possible by our cutting edge research and end-to-end system design. We've raised over $450M and are investing aggressively in model research, infrastructure, hardware development, and manufacturing scale-up to make generalist robotics a reality.

As Senior/Staff TPM for Hardware, you own the cross-functional execution of our robot hardware programs, from system integration through EVT/DVT validation, low-volume builds, and early customer deployment. You sit at the intersection of mechanical, electronics, firmware, controls, AI, and manufacturing, driving each hardware generation from integration to build-ready and scaling toward the next.

This is a deeply technical leadership role. You are expected to engage substantively with mechanical, electronics, firmware, and controls engineers, understand design tradeoffs, surface risk early, and hold the program to a high bar of engineering quality, decision velocity, and schedule integrity.

Responsibilities:

Program Execution

• Own the hardware integrated master schedule (IMS) and drive EVT to DVT gate readiness.
• Coordinate system integration milestones and ensure alignment between hardware freeze dates and AI/controls needs.
• Track long-lead items and tooling readiness across all subsystems.

Hardware Integration

• Align actuator development and coordinate torque sensor validation and calibration plans.
• Ensure EtherCAT network readiness and manage compute integration (edge inference platform).
• Align camera and sensor selection and validation; track safety architecture validation (ISO 13849, IEC 61508 considerations).

Manufacturing & NPI

• Coordinate DFM workshops with shortlisted contract manufacturers.
• Manage EVT/DVT builds with a low-volume NPI partner and drive ECO cadence.
• Track tooling, fixtures, and test infrastructure readiness; ensure supply chain risk mitigation and dual sourcing where applicable.

Risk & Decision Velocity

• Maintain an active risk register (RPN-based prioritization) and elevate critical blockers with low decision latency.
• Structure cross-functional resolution sessions and drive root-cause closure with clear accountability.

Cross-functional Ownership

• Run weekly cross-functional execution reviews across mechanical, electronics, firmware, controls, and supply chain.
• Define clear entry/exit criteria for EVT and DVT.
• Coordinate test infrastructure needs (actuator rigs, dyno requirements, endurance testing).
• Align certification workstreams (CE, UL, and regional requirements) for target deployment markets.
• Drive readiness for low-volume build targets.

What You'll Bring:

Required:

• 8+ years of experience in hardware program management in robotics, EV, aerospace, or complex electromechanical systems.
• Demonstrated ownership of EVT/DVT/PVT cycles.
• Strong understanding of actuator architectures, embedded systems integration, safety-rated motion control, and multi-axis robotic systems.
• Experience managing contract manufacturers through NPI and low-volume ramp.
• Proven ability to operate in low-structure startup environments.
• Ability to synthesize technical risk into executive-level clarity.

Nice to Have

• Experience with humanoid or high-DoF robotic systems.
• Familiarity with EtherCAT-based distributed architectures.
• Familiarity with SIL2/SIL3 functional safety concepts.
• Experience with real-time systems.
• Experience scaling hardware from prototype to mid-volume production.

Why This Role:

• Own the execution of Rhoda's robot hardware from EVT through DVT and into early customer deployment: a rare opportunity to shape how a new robotics platform gets built.
• Direct access to executive leadership and a clear path to program leadership as the hardware roadmap scales.
• Be the connective tissue across every discipline building the robot: hardware, firmware, controls, AI, and manufacturing.