Technical Program Manager

XWING; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 118,700 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Joby Aviation in San Carlos seeks a Technical Program Manager to lead and support battery-system projects through final testing and FAA certification. You will interface with design, manufacturing, systems, test, and operations to define scope, identify risks, and keep schedules on track in a fast-paced setting.

The role requires strong leadership, excellent communication, and hands-on experience guiding hardware development through milestones, with prioritization across programs to drive

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or a relevant field.
• 3+ years of experience in an engineering environment with responsibility for project development, scope definition, change evaluation, or new product introduction.
• Experience guiding new hardware designs through required development milestones.
• Proficiency in project management tools: MS Project, OmniPlan, SmartSheet, Confluence, and JIRA.
• Strong written and verbal communication with excellent organizational skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams in project scope, planning, and execution toward aircraft type certification and manufacturing introduction.
• Coordinate design and manufacturing feedback cycles to ensure manufacturing readiness.
• Own team schedules, identify critical paths, quantify changes, and propose recoveries.
• Drive prioritization across shared resources and programs; support company-level decisions with if-analysis.
• Manage changes in requirements, design, processes, and testing; assess impact and ensure clear communication.
• Foster open communication and continuous improvement; translate risks into actionable problem statements and solutions.
• Leverage experience to understand requirements, risks, and validation strategy; ensure design reviews and DFx-related assessments are conducted.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional leadership

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

Microsoft Project

OmniPlan

SmartSheet

Confluence

JIRA

Job description

Technical Program Manager

Job Locations: US-CA-San Carlos

Company Overview

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we’re now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

Joby Aviation is seeking a passionate Technical Program Manager to lead and support projects and initiatives for our battery system, helping to drive them through our final test and certification phase. You will be immersed in an engineering environment, interfacing directly with design, manufacturing, systems, test, and company operations to lead scope definition, risk identification, and mitigation strategies, ensuring schedule and objectives are met and exceeded. This role will operate in a fast-paced, demanding, and rewarding environment where you will be expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy while contributing to the development of processes and tools that improve the organization's productivity and efficiency.

The position will be based at our San Carlos location with occasional travel to Marina and Santa Cruz sites as needed.

Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional teams in project scope definition, development planning, and project execution toward aircraft type certification and manufacturing introduction.
• Drive collaborative problem-solving while managing new product introduction into manufacturing. This includes coordinating the design and manufacturing feedback cycle and ensuring proper manufacturing readiness.
• Own your project team’s schedule for conformity and qualification; establish the basis of estimation, identify the critical path and constraints, determine the effect of changes to the schedule, identify creative ways to recover, and recommend workarounds for problem areas.
• Drive prioritization across shared resources and programs, using "if-analysis" effectively to assess and support company-level decision‑making.
• Manage changes, including but not limited to: requirements, design, manufacturing processes, operation, and testing; assess the change impact, evaluate and handle the approval process with the program, and ensure clear communication from the team to the company level.
• Champion a culture of open communication and continuous improvement across teams; lead and collaborate with stakeholders to turn lessons learned or identified risks into clear, logical problem statements, then drive solutions and improvement plans to the team and the company at large. Optimize efficiency and develop initiative leadership.
• Leverage past experiences to understand requirements, technical risk, and validation strategy; provide valuable insights and mentorship in the development and execution of the project; ensure design reviews, and assessments from DFx, system safety, and other processes are effectively conducted.

Required

• Bachelor's in engineering or relevant field.
• 3+ years of experience in an engineering environment with responsibility for project development, scope definition, change evaluation, or new product introduction.
• Experience guiding new hardware designs through required development milestones.
• Expertise in project management tools such as Microsoft Project, OmniPlan, SmartSheet, Confluence, and JIRA.
• Proficiency in common workplace software: Word, spreadsheet, presentation software, etc.
• Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to details.
• Demonstrated experience in the simultaneous management of multiple high-paced engineering projects.
• Strong communication skills, both oral and written.

Desired

• Advanced degree, MS in engineering or MBA.
• Experience introducing new designs into a manufacturing environment.
• Exposure to battery, electric powertrain or similar development.

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $118,700 - $185,000/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer