Technical Program Manager (212657)

Aquent; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent is partnering with a pioneering autonomous-technology company to hire a Senior Hardware Technical Program Manager in California. This hardware-focused role leads cross-functional hardware programs including sensors, mechanical, electrical, firmware, safety, validation, and operations, coordinating with suppliers globally.

You will drive hardware schedules, manage risks, and ensure milestones from development to delivery are met, while maintaining budgets and executive updates.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or equivalent hands-on hardware experience.
• 8+ years total professional experience.
• 5+ years leading technical or engineering programs involving physical hardware products.
• 3+ years hands-on hardware product development before or alongside program management responsibilities.
• Ownership of complex, cross-functional hardware programs from development through testing, validation, and delivery.
• Experience coordinating external suppliers for engineered hardware components.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally.
• Strong understanding of hardware-development lifecycles, engineering dependencies, risk management, and design validation.
• Ability to influence engineering teams and suppliers without direct authority.
• Excellent program planning, documentation, executive communication, and stakeholder-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Translate milestones into detailed hardware development roadmaps, schedules, dependencies, and deliverables.
• Own and maintain the integrated program plan from development through validation and delivery.
• Coordinate with mechanical, electrical, firmware, systems, safety, validation, product, and operations teams.
• Serve as the primary program contact for international suppliers developing sensor-cleaning hardware components.
• Track supplier adherence to requirements, prototype builds, validation plans, and delivery schedules.
• Drive cross-functional alignment around design maturity, requirements, testing, validation, risks, and launch readiness.
• Identify technical and program risks, establish mitigation plans, assign owners, and drive resolution.
• Lead core team meetings, document decisions, and ensure action items are completed.
• Maintain program documentation and deliver updates covering status, milestones, dependencies, risks, decisions, and accomplishments.
• Partner with program leadership to maintain financial plans, forecasts, and budgets.
• Develop recommendations for complex technical and program decisions with input from engineering teams and suppliers.
• Support issue tracking, quarterly planning, ticket hygiene, KPIs, and continuous improvement across hardware engineering.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Program management

Hardware knowledge

Risk management

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering

Tools

Polarion

Jira

Smartsheet

Lucidchart

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Job description

Aquent is partnering with a pioneering autonomous-technology company seeking a Senior Hardware Technical Program Manager to support the development and delivery of vehicle sensor-cleaning systems.

This is a hardware-focused engineering program role, not a software, IT, data-operations, or general business program management position. The ideal candidate began their career in mechanical, electrical, electromechanical, or hardware product engineering and later transitioned into technical program management.

You will lead complex, cross-functional hardware programs involving engineering, firmware, systems, safety, validation, product, operations, and external suppliers. You will be responsible for driving hardware development schedules, managing technical dependencies and risks, and ensuring sensor-cleaning components meet engineering and validation milestones.

Responsibilities

• Translate corporate and engineering milestones into detailed hardware-development roadmaps, schedules, dependencies, and deliverables.
• Own and maintain the integrated program plan from early development through validation and delivery.
• Coordinate closely with mechanical, electrical, firmware, systems, safety, validation, product, and operations teams.
• Serve as the primary program contact for international suppliers developing sensor-cleaning and electromechanical hardware components.
• Track supplier adherence to technical requirements, prototype builds, development milestones, validation plans, and delivery schedules.
• Drive cross-functional alignment around design maturity, requirements, testing, validation, risks, and launch readiness.
• Identify technical and program risks early, establish mitigation plans, assign owners, and drive issues through resolution.
• Lead core team meetings, establish agendas, document decisions, and ensure action items are completed.
• Maintain program documentation and deliver concise updates covering status, milestones, dependencies, risks, decisions, and accomplishments.
• Partner with program leadership to maintain financial plans, forecasts, and program budgets.
• Develop recommendations for complex technical and program decisions by gathering input from engineering teams and suppliers.
• Support issue tracking, quarterly planning, ticket hygiene, KPIs, and continuous improvement across the broader hardware engineering organization.

Must-Have Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Systems Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline—or equivalent hands‑on hardware engineering experience.
• At least 8 years of total professional experience.
• At least 5 years leading technical or engineering programs involving physical hardware products.
• At least 3 years of hands‑on engineering experience in hardware product development before or alongside program management responsibilities.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex, cross-functional hardware programs from development through testing, validation, and delivery.
• Experience managing external suppliers responsible for engineered hardware components.
• Experience coordinating technical requirements, prototypes, design changes, validation activities, development schedules, and supplier deliverables.
• Ability and willingness to travel internationally as required.
• Strong understanding of hardware-development lifecycles, engineering dependencies, technical risk management, and design validation.
• Ability to influence engineering teams and suppliers without direct authority.
• Excellent program planning, documentation, executive communication, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple technical workstreams in a fast-moving and ambiguous engineering environment.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience in autonomous vehicles, automotive, aerospace, robotics, industrial equipment, or another safety-critical hardware environment.
• Experience developing sensor systems, sensor-cleaning systems, fluid-delivery systems, or electromechanical assemblies.
• Hardware experience involving electronics, pumps, valves, tubing, nozzles, pneumatics, hydraulics, or fluid systems.
• Experience with hardware design reviews, requirements management, verification and validation, prototype builds, and production readiness.
• Experience using Polarion, Jira, Smartsheet, Lucidchart, Google Workspace, or Microsoft Office.
• PMP certification or equivalent program-management certification.