Technical Program Manager

BurnBot; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity – stock options

Health, dental, and vision

Flexible PTO

Job summary

BurnBot is seeking a Senior Technical Program Manager to own hardware programs end-to-end, from concept through build and field deployment. You will lead cross-functional efforts across mechanical, electrical, autonomy, manufacturing, and field operations, ensuring plans align with field needs and burn windows.

You will own build readiness, manage long-lead items, and drive risk reduction with clear, fact-based communication to leadership and technicians in the shop and on-site in South San

Qualifications

• 6+ years of technical program management on hardware programs that shipped.
• Fluency with BOMs, supply chain, build phases, test campaigns, and change control.
• The ability to challenge an estimate and be right often enough to earn it.
• Excellent written communication — you write the update people actually read.
• Comfort in the shop and on a field site, not just in meetings.
• B.S. in an engineering discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

• Program plans and schedules across mechanical, electrical, autonomy, manufacturing, and field operations.
• Build readiness: BOMs, long-lead items, supplier commitments, and floor-ready material.
• Identify and drive down risk; surface slips early.
• Change control — ECOs, configuration management, and fleet ownership.
• Clear communication for engineering, leadership, and field teams.
• Deployment coordination with operations to position machines and spares.

Skills

TPM on hardware

Engineering degree

BOMs & supply chain

Written communication

Shop/field presence

6+ yrs TPM

Education

B.S. in engineering

Tools

PLM software

ERP tooling

Job description

• Location: 340 Shaw Rd, South San Francisco, CA, 94080, United States
• Base Pay: $150,000.00 - $200,000.00 / Year
• Employee Type: Exempt (FT)

About BurnBot

Wildfire has stopped being a season. BurnBot builds the machines that get ahead of it — remotely operated systems that apply and contain prescribed fire, and platforms that clear heavy fuel on terrain that isn’t safe for crews.

Our fleet is at work today for PG&E, CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service, Caltrans, fire districts, and tribal nations across California, Oregon, and Washington — treating land at up to 40x the pace of conventional methods. We’re roboticists, engineers, and career fire practitioners. Hardware we design in South San Francisco is in the dirt within weeks, and the people who designed it are usually standing next to it.

THE ROLE

We build machines that have to be in the field during a burn window that doesn’t move. That makes schedule a real engineering constraint, not a spreadsheet exercise.

You’ll own our hardware programs end to end — from concept through build, test, and fielded fleet — and be the person who knows what’s actually blocking, not what the status slide says.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

• Program plans and schedules across mechanical, electrical, autonomy, manufacturing, and field operations

• Build readiness: BOMs, long-lead items, supplier commitments, and the material that has to be on the floor before a build starts

• Risk. Find it early, quantify it, and drive it down. Surfacing a slip in week two is worth more than heroics in week twelve.

• Change control — ECOs, configuration management, and knowing what’s actually on each machine in the fleet

• Communication. One clear source of truth for engineering, leadership, and the field team.

• Deployment coordination with operations, so machines and spares show up where the crews need them

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

• 6+ years of technical program management on hardware programs that actually shipped

• Fluency with the mechanics: BOMs, supply chain, build phases, test campaigns, and change control

• The technical depth to challenge an estimate and be right often enough to earn it

• Excellent written communication — you write the update people actually read

• Comfort in the shop and on a field site, not just in meetings

• B.S. in an engineering discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience

NICE TO HAVE

• Robotics, heavy equipment, or off-highway vehicle programs

• Low-volume, high-mix manufacturing

• Field service or fleet operations experience

• PLM and ERP tooling in a growing company

• You’ve been an engineer before you were a TPM

HOW WE WORK

• Based onsite in South San Francisco — design, build, and test all happen in one building, and being near the machines is most of the point

• Flexible within that. You own your calendar: work the hours where you’re sharpest, and go remote on heads-down days.

• Expect a few days a month in the field across California, Oregon, and Washington. Watching your work run on a live burn is the best part of the job.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

Base salary: $150,000 – $200,000 — final offers reflect experience and demonstrated scope.

• Equity — Incentive Stock Options

• Health, dental, and vision

• Flexible paid time off

Burnbot is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including but not limited to, pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with one or more disabilities, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [phone] x 1010 or [e-mail].