Senior Technical Program Manager (Contract)

Drivemode; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 124,000 - 207,000; Full time

Job summary

Drivemode is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager, Program Intelligence to lead a critical transformation initiative across Product, Engineering, QA, Architecture, and TPM/PMO. The contractor will build an operating intelligence layer that connects requirements, changes, validation, and outcomes to measure program economics and KPIs.

The engagement is a six-month contractor role with potential extension or consideration for a full-time opportunity based on performance and business needs.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in technical program management or related roles.
• Strong fluency with backend systems, APIs, and cross-system dependencies.
• Ability to translate business intent into technical plans and measurable outcomes.
• Experience building internal tools, automation, dashboards, or analytical workflows.
• Applied AI/agent experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Establish scalable requirements governance and traceability.
• Design a Change Request operating model with end-to-end lifecycle.
• Evolve the internal Program Intelligence Platform.
• Develop AI-enabled tools and analytics workflows.
• Improve program visibility into APIs, services, and data flows.
• Measure impact of churn, rework, and delivery variance.

Skills

Backend systems

APIs

Mobile integration

Cross-system deps

AI/Agent experience

Job description

About Drivemode

Drivemode is a California-based division of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. We are a small, passionate team of software product innovators helping Honda Automotive be competitive in the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle market. We build application experiences for mobile devices. Are you passionate about creating next-generation delightful digital experiences for automotive? Maybe you have worked at some notable automotive companies in this capacity? Would you like to work on new products and product categories at Honda and help Honda invent the future of automotive? Then we would like to hear from you!

Why Drivemode

Join Drivemode for an exciting startup environment and a vibrant culture that combines impactful work, competitive compensation, and excellent benefits. By becoming a part of our team, you'll contribute to a crucial mission that revolutionizes the way people engage with vehicles, addressing both business needs and the world's environmental challenges. This presents an exceptional opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and drive Honda's success in the Automotive market.

About This Role

Drivemode is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager, Program Intelligence to lead a critical transformation initiative focused on how complex programs are understood, governed, measured, and improved. This is not a traditional program-coordination role. The Contractor will work across Product, Engineering, QA, Architecture, and TPM/PMO to establish durable systems that connect requirements, scope changes, technical execution, validation, program economics, and business outcomes.

The mission: build the operating intelligence layer that helps Drivemode answer, feature by feature and program by program: What are we building? Why? What changed? What systems are affected? What did the change cost in capacity or schedule? How was it implemented and validated? What risk remains? What outcome did the investment produce?

This is an initial six-month contractor engagement. Based on business need, demonstrated performance, and measurable outcomes, Drivemode may consider a mutually agreed extension of up to six additional months. If exceptional results are demonstrated and key outcomes are achieved ahead of or by the end of the engagement, Drivemode may also separately consider the individual for a full-time opportunity. Neither an extension nor employment is guaranteed; any future engagement would be subject to separate approvals and agreement.

Responsibilities

• Requirements Governance & End-to-End Traceability
  • Design and establish a scalable requirements-governance model covering ownership, baseline, lifecycle, versioning, approval, and change history
  • Create clear relationships among business, product, system, technical, implementation, and validation artifacts
• Change Request Management & Impact Intelligence
  • Design and establish a structured Change Request (CR) operating model covering intake, classification, analysis, decision, approval, and closure
  • Connect each material CR to affected requirements, features, services, APIs, dependencies, implementation scope, validation scope, and committed milestones
• Internal Program Intelligence Platform
  • Help define and evolve Drivemode’s internal Program Intelligence Platform from a traceability/reporting capability into a program-intelligence and decision-support system
  • Connect approved data across requirements, Change Requests, Jira, source control, validation systems, release information, program milestones, quality signals, and outcome metrics
• AI-Enabled Program Intelligence & Automation
  • Design and build purpose-built AI-enabled tools, agents, and analytical workflows that operate on approved program data and integrate with Drivemode’s internal systems
  • Go beyond general-purpose AI assistants for writing or summarization; use AI as an engineering capability for program intelligence
• Technical Interface & Dependency Traceability
  • Improve program-level visibility into APIs, services, mobile/backend interfaces, data flows, and external-system dependencies for priority GCA scope
  • Connect technical interfaces and dependencies to requirements, Change Requests, and implementation scope
• Program Economics, KPIs & Decision Support
  • Develop practical mechanisms for understanding where engineering and QA capacity is being consumed at the feature or initiative level
  • Measure or estimate the impact of requirement churn, Change Requests, rework, defects, delivery variance, and scope growth

What We Are Looking For

• 8+ years of relevant experience spanning technical program management, technical product management, solution architecture, software engineering, platform programs, or similar work
• Strong technical fluency in backend/distributed systems, APIs, mobile/backend integration, and cross-system dependencies
• Demonstrated ability to translate business or product intent into technical structures, execution plans, interfaces, and measurable outcomes
• Hands-on experience building internal tools, automation, dashboards, or analytical systems using APIs and program data
• Applied AI/agent experience is strongly preferred, especially building integrated workflows or services rather than only using general-purpose assistants
• Strong systems thinking: ability to connect requirements, technical execution, validation, delivery, and business impact
• Excellent judgment and communication across Product, Engineering, QA, Architecture, TPM/PMO, and senior leadership
• Comfort operating autonomously in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment and leaving behind durable systems

EEOC Statement

Drivemode is proud of a very diverse team with employees coming from 5 continents/20 countries as of today. Diversity in our workplace has played an important part in our success; we recognize each employee’s unique background, knowledge, experiences, ideas, and viewpoints which are all critical in developing a product that has the greatest impacts on drivers all over the world.

Drivemode provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other characteristics that make you unique.

This is the position's hourly pay. Actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to demonstrated skill set, years and depth of relevant experience, and some role-dependent factors. We welcome direct conversations with each candidate about compensation in all of our initial calls.