Sr. Staff Technical Program Manager

Socket.dev; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

RSUs equity

Retirement savings

Paid time off

Family planning

Job summary

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies seeks a seasoned Technical Program Manager to drive the RVT development for the Rivian R2 Robotaxi program. You will align Rivian, Uber, and RVT teams, define program scope, and manage cross-domain planning to deliver a cohesive solution.

This role requires 8+ years of TPM experience, strong communication, and a track record of resolving complex tradeoffs across hardware, software, and partner workstreams.

Qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• 8+ years of progressive Technical or Engineering Program Management experience with multiple stakeholders.
• Proven experience driving content definition, planning, and prioritization across boundaries.
• Demonstrated ability to act as a technical arbiter in complex, high-stakes environments.
• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and influencing skills with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the central alignment point between Rivian, Uber, and RVT teams for program deliverables.
• Define and maintain program content in partnership with Product teams to reflect priorities.
• Own end-to-end planning: sequencing, milestones, dependencies across domains.
• Drive prioritization and build consensus while making clear, defensible calls.
• Act as technical arbiter on cross-domain tradeoffs and escalation when needed.
• Mentor other TPMs on stakeholder management and prioritization.

Skills

Stakeholder alignment

Cross-functional leadership

Technical arbitration

Program management

Communication

Education

BS or MS in CS or ECE

Tools

Jira

PM tools

Job description

About Us

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is a joint venture between two industry leaders with a clear vision for automotive’s next chapter. From operating systems to zonal controllers to cloud and connectivity solutions, we’re addressing the challenges of electric vehicles through technology that will set the standards for software-defined vehicles around the world.

The road to the future is uncharted. By combining our expertise across connectivity, AI, security and more, we’ll map a new way forward. Working together, we’ll create a future that’s more connected, more intelligent, more sustainable for everyone.

Role Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced Technical Program Manager to drive the RVT development for the Rivian R2 Robotaxi program. This role sits at the center of a complex, multi-party ecosystem — Rivian engineering, External partners, and internal RVT teams — and is accountable for bringing that ecosystem together to deliver a cohesive solution. You will own content definition, planning, prioritization, and technical arbitration across all stakeholders, ensuring the program moves forward as one coordinated effort. This is a highly cross-functional, high-visibility role for someone who thrives on aligning diverse stakeholders around hard tradeoffs and driving those decisions through to execution.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the central point of alignment between Rivian, Uber, and RVT teams, translating each party's requirements and constraints into a program plan and set of deliverables for the RVT team




• Define and maintain program content — features, scope, and requirements — in close partnership with Product teams, ensuring the roadmap reflects both Rivian's platform priorities and Uber's operational and commercial needs




• Own end-to-end program planning: sequencing, milestones, and dependencies across software, hardware, and partner workstreams




• Drive prioritization across competing stakeholder demands, building consensus where possible and making clear, defensible calls where it isn't




• Act as technical arbiter on cross-domain tradeoffs, resolving conflicts between Rivian and Uber requirements, engineering constraints, and program timelines




• Cultivate deep working relationships across Rivian, Uber, and RVT organizations to enable fast, informed decision-making at every level




• Identify and resolve misalignment early — surfacing conflicting assumptions or priorities between partners before they become schedule or quality risks




• Deliver clear, concise updates on program status, key decisions, and open risks to program leadership, Uber counterparts, and executive stakeholders




• Proactively identify systemic risks to the program's plan or partner alignment, and drive mitigation or escalation as needed




• Lead continuous improvement of the cross-functional planning and prioritization process itself, making stakeholder alignment more efficient over time




• Mentor other Technical Program Managers on stakeholder management, prioritization frameworks, and technical arbitration best practices

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related technical field




• 8+ years of progressive Technical or Engineering Program Management experience, with a strong track record of aligning multiple external and internal stakeholders on complex, technical programs




• Proven experience driving content definition, planning, and prioritization across organizational boundaries — including with external partners or customers




• Demonstrated ability to act as a technical arbiter: evaluating tradeoffs, resolving conflicting requirements, and driving decisions in ambiguous, high-stakes environments




• Exceptional communication, collaboration, and influencing skills, with a proven ability to align and motivate diverse cross-functional teams and senior stakeholders, including external partner organizations




• Deep, practical mastery of both Agile and Waterfall methodologies, with advanced proficiency in Jira and other program management tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing joint programs with an external commercial or platform partner (e.g., ride-hail, fleet, or mobility partners)




• Experience in autonomous vehicle, robotaxi, or ADAS program management




• Experience in the automotive industry




• Previous experience as a systems, software or hardware product development engineer

Total Rewards

We build the exceptional — and we believe the people doing that work should be rewarded accordingly. In addition to a competitive base salary, full-time positions may be is eligible to participate in our annual company performance bonus program.

Payments are discretionary and not guaranteed; actual amounts depend on company results and the terms of the plan in effect, and require active employment at the time of payout. This role is also eligible for equity in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), subject to board approval and the terms of our equity incentive plans, including applicable vesting requirements.

In addition to our compensation programs, we invest in our people with a comprehensive benefits package designed to support the health, wellbeing, and financial future for full-time employees — including health coverage, retirement savings, time off, and family planning programs. Offerings vary by country. Learn more about our global benefit programs.

Equal Opportunity

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information or characteristics, physical or mental disability, marital/domestic partner status, age, military/veteran status, medical condition or any other characteristic protected by law. We are also committed to ensuring compliance with all applicable fair employment practice laws regarding citizenship and immigration status.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies is committed to ensuring that our hiring process is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you have a disability or limitation, such as those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, that requires accommodations to assist you in the search and application process, please email us at [e-mail].

Candidate Data Privacy

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies” may collect, use and disclose your personal information or personal data (within the meaning of the applicable data protection laws) when you apply for employment and/or participate in our recruitment processes (“Candidate Personal Data”). This data includes contact, demographic, communications, educational, professional, employment, social media/website, network/device, recruiting system usage/interaction, security and preference information. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may use your Candidate Personal Data for the purposes of (i) tracking interactions with our recruiting system; (ii) carrying out, analyzing and improving our application and recruitment process, including assessing you and your application and conducting employment, background and reference checks; (iii) establishing an employment relationship or entering into an employment contract with you; (iv) complying with our legal, regulatory and corporate governance obligations; (v) record keeping; (vi) ensuring network and information security and preventing fraud; and (vii) as otherwise required or permitted by applicable law.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may share your Candidate Personal Data with (i) internal personnel who have a need to know such information in order to perform their duties, including individuals on our People Team, Finance, Legal, and the team(s) with the position(s) for which you are applying; (ii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies affiliates; and (iii) Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies’ service providers, including providers of background checks, staffing services, and cloud services.

Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies may transfer or store internationally your Candidate Personal Data, including to or in the United States, Canada, and the European Union and in the cloud, and this data may be subject to the laws and accessible to the courts, law enforcement and national security authorities of such jurisdictions.

Please see our Candidate Data Privacy Notice (English)and Candidate Data Privacy Notice (Serbian) for more information.

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Please note this job posting represents an open, active vacancy. Additionally, we are not currently accepting applications from third party application services.