Technical Program Manager [AQ-20700]

Aquent; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Aquent is partnering with a pioneering organization to shape the future of transportation. You will lead end-to-end, multi-team engineering initiatives, working closely with senior leadership to influence strategic roadmaps and resource decisions.

This role emphasizes autonomous technologies, AI-driven decision making, and complex delivery across platforms and infrastructure. We seek a proven technical program manager capable of navigating ambiguity in fast-moving environments, translating

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management.
• Experience managing multi-team software programs across the full SDLC.
• Strong technical foundation for architectural discussions and trade-offs.
• Experience using AI tools to support analysis and decisions.
• Understanding of agentic AI models and chatbot-based systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end program management for large-scale, multi-team initiatives from strategy to delivery.
• Partner with VP- and Director-level leaders to influence roadmaps and priorities.
• Define and improve program management frameworks across the organization.
• Manage dependencies across engineering teams, partners, and competing priorities.
• Anticipate and manage technical risks, escalations, and delivery challenges.
• Communicate with executive audiences, translating technical details into business impact.
• Contribute to architecture, technical scoping, and feasibility discussions.
• Leverage AI tools to support decision-making and design evaluation.

Skills

Program management

SDLC leadership

Technical leadership

Executive communication

Process improvement

AI tooling

AI agents

Architectural input

Cloud infrastructure

Education

PMP certification

PgMP certification

Agile / Scrum

Tools

Kafka

Protobuf

AWS

API Gateway

Job description

Aquent is thrilled to partner with a pioneering organization that is at the forefront of shaping the future of transportation. This visionary company is redefining mobility through advanced software, robust infrastructure, seamless connectivity, and cutting-edge AI-driven systems. This is an unparalleled opportunity to join a team where your contributions will directly influence the development and deployment of revolutionary autonomous technology, making a tangible impact on the world.

Are you a visionary leader ready to tackle highly complex engineering initiatives that span diverse teams, advanced technologies, and critical business priorities? This pivotal role empowers you to operate with a high degree of autonomy, setting new standards for program execution across the organization. You will be a trusted partner to senior engineering and product leadership, driving strategic initiatives that will define the next generation of intelligent systems. This is your chance to shine if you possess deep technical intuition, exceptional organizational influence, and a proven ability to deliver large-scale engineering programs in complex, fast-moving environments. If you’re passionate about pushing the boundaries of autonomous technology and making a profound impact on the future of mobility, we invite you to join this incredible journey.

What You Will Do

• Lead end-to-end program management for large-scale, multi-team engineering initiatives, from strategy and technical planning through execution and delivery.
• Partner closely with VP- and Director-level engineering and product leaders to influence roadmaps, resourcing decisions, sequencing, and organizational priorities.
• Define and continuously improve program management frameworks, processes, and best practices across the engineering organization.
• Drive alignment across complex dependencies involving multiple engineering teams, external partners, and competing priorities.
• Anticipate and proactively manage technical risks, escalations, trade-offs, and delivery challenges at both the program and portfolio level.
• Communicate clearly with executive audiences, translating technical complexity into business impact and strategic recommendations.
• Actively participate in architecture, system design, and technical scoping discussions, providing informed input on feasibility, sequencing, dependencies, and delivery risk.
• Leverage AI tools to support technical decision-making, program execution, and evaluation of design or code changes.

What You Bring

• 7+ years of experience in technical program management, with a strong track record of delivering complex, organization-wide engineering programs.
• Deep experience managing multi-team software programs across the full SDLC, including platform, infrastructure, distributed systems, or product initiatives.
• Strong technical foundation with the ability to engage credibly in architectural discussions, understand system design trade-offs, and assess technical risk.
• Exceptional communication and executive presence, with demonstrated success influencing without direct authority.
• Experience building, scaling, or improving program management processes, frameworks, and tooling.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, create clarity, and make sound decisions in fast-paced, technically complex environments.
• Experience using AI tools to support technical analysis, design evaluation, or code-related decision-making.
• Understanding of agentic AI models, AI agents, and chatbot-based systems, including experience supporting or executing programs involving these technologies.
• Technical knowledge across areas including:
  • Wireless Technologies: 4G/5G, Multi-WAN load balancing
  • Networking: UDP/TCP, NAT traversal, network security, mTLS
  • Data & Distributed Systems: Kafka / KafkaJS, Protobuf serialization
  • Cloud Infrastructure: AWS, API Gateway, and related cloud services

Stand Out With

• Experience within a software organization supporting infrastructure, platform, networking, connectivity, or product engineering.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure and distributed systems architecture.
• PMP, PgMP, Agile, or Scrum certification.
• Previous experience as a software engineer or in another hands-on technical role.
• Strong problem-solving, troubleshooting, and debugging skills.