Senior Technical Program Manager - NPI (Test & Diagnostics)

Front Door Defense; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 186,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

Zoox is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager - NPI to orchestrate test and diagnostics development for new product introductions. You will drive the NPI schedule across hardware and software changes on the manufacturing line in Foster City, coordinating with test, manufacturing, software, vehicle engineering, and supply chain teams.

The role requires building schedules, identifying risks, and leading cross-functional teams to ensure readiness for production, with a focus on delivering

Qualifications

• BS or MS in engineering (electrical/electronics, computer hardware, software, or related fields)
• 8+ years of industry experience in a similar role spanning project management and engineering.
• Experience driving complex projects in a cross-functional environment with competing priorities.
• Excellent communication skills across diverse audiences (senior management, engineers) using written and verbal methods as appropriate.
• Strong expertise in common tools for project management – Jira, Google Suite (spreadsheets, slides), planning tools such as Gantt charts

Responsibilities

• Own the roadmap for NPI on the manufacturing line with cross-functional leadership to plan cut-ins for software and hardware changes.
• Define, drive, and develop KPIs for introducing hardware and software changes to the Zoox robotaxi on the manufacturing line.
• Establish timelines and drive deliverables cross-functionally to minimize impact to manufacturing operations.
• Coordinate with hardware and software engineering, logistics and supply chain, manufacturing operations, and test teams to source, validate, and plan cut-ins to the line.
• Highlight risks and clearly communicate to stakeholders, and continuously evaluate schedule impact.
• Own planning for demand and retrofit planning, including trials and validation schedules

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Jira

Google Suite

Gantt charts

Education

BS in Engineering

Tools

Jira

Google Suite

Gantt charts

Job description

Senior Technical Program Manager - NPI (Test & Diagnostics)

Develop and drive the NPI schedule for manufacturing line changes across hardware and software

Location: Foster City, California

Compensation: $186,000 - $223,000 USD per year

About The Role

Technical Program Manager

Zoox is looking for a technical program manager to support our test development efforts to respond to new product introduction (NPI). In this role, you will work cross-functionally across test, manufacturing, software, vehicle engineering, and our supply chain procurement team. You will take on the role of a driver and organizer to ensure production intent changes are validated and ensure readiness for the manufacturing line. You will develop project schedules, identify risks, and drive internal and external teams to meet deliverables.

The test and diagnostics engineering (TDE) team is responsible for test solutions from 'chip' to 'car' to 'care'. Our product responsibilities range from the sensor stack, control boards, compute units, to the autonomous platform. This role is focused on ensuring our test solutions are ready for production across all these phases and product lifecycles.

Zoox is a fast-paced environment, and we expect our TPMs to seamlessly switch between the technical and project management aspects of this role.

Responsibilities

• Own the roadmap for NPI on the manufacturing line. This will need close work with the cross-functional leadership teams to plan and organize cut-ins for software and hardware changes slated for the Zoox robotaxi for NPI.
• Define, drive, and develop key KPIs for introducing hardware and software changes to the Zoox robotaxi on the manufacturing line.
• Establish timelines and drive deliverables cross-functionally to minimize impact to manufacturing operations.
• Coordinate with hardware and software engineering, logistics and supply chain, manufacturing operations, and the test team to source, validate, and plan cut-ins to the line.
• Highlight risks and clearly communicate to stakeholders, and continuously evaluate schedule impact.
• Own the planning for demand and retrofit planning, incorporating a schedule for trials and validation.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in engineering (electrical/electronics, computer hardware, software, or related fields)
• 8+ years of industry experience in a similar role spanning project management and engineering. This role requires technical expertise in conjunction with strong project management skills.
• Experience driving complex projects in a cross-functional environment with competing priorities.
• Excellent communication skills across diverse audiences (senior management, engineers) using written and verbal methods as appropriate.
• Strong expertise in common tools for project management – Jira, Google Suite (spreadsheets, slides), planning tools such as Gantt charts

Bonus Qualifications

• Previous experience in a similar NPI role in electronics or automotive manufacturing.
• Aptitude for learning new skills and technologies, for example, using AI to automate and simplify KPI calculations and reporting.
• Ability to distill complex technical information into clear messages for the audience
• Track record of managing complex projects at other autonomous vehicle companies.
• Familiarity with data analysis – knowledge of programming (Python or similar) and data analysis/extraction (SQL, Looker) are definite pluses.

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is $186,000 - $223,000 annually. The compensation package also includes Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. A sign‑on bonus may be offered. Benefits include health insurance, long‑term care insurance, disability insurance, life insurance, paid time off, and other benefits.