Technical Program Manager, Hardware New Product Development (12-Month Contract)

RJI Search; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 92,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

RJI Search is partnering with an autonomous mobility company to hire a Technical Program Manager for hardware new product development. This is a 12-month on-site contract in Foster City, CA, with the possibility to go permanent.

You will own end-to-end hardware programs from concept through EVT/DVT/PVT to production ramp, coordinate hardware, software, firmware, and manufacturing teams, and collaborate with external contract manufacturers to meet milestones.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of hardware TPM/engineering PM experience.
• End-to-end hardware development from concept to production ramp.
• Automotive electronics or consumer electronics system experience.
• BS in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering (or related) with hardware background.
• Experience with outside contract manufacturers.
• Excellent communication and reporting to teams and leadership.
• Proficiency with Jira and Gantt charts.
• Able to work in fast development cycles on-site in Foster City, CA.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end hardware development programs from concept through EVT, DVT, and PVT to production ramp.
• Turn strategy into detailed roadmaps, schedules, deliverables, and execution plans.
• Coordinate hardware, software, firmware, safety, systems engineering, procurement, and vehicle teams.
• Partner with contract manufacturers on prototypes and production ramps; provide DFM/DFT feedback.
• Track progress, flag risks early, and drive mitigation plans with engineering teams and suppliers.
• Build standard reports and keep cross-functional teams and leadership updated on status.

Skills

Hardware TPM

End-to-end HW dev

Automotive electronics

Contract manufacturers

Communication skills

Jira & Gantt

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering

BS in Mechanical Engineering

MS in Electrical/Mechanical Eng

Tools

Jira

Gantt charts

Job description

Title: Technical Program Manager, Hardware New Product Development (12-Month Contract) with possibility to go perm

Location: Foster City, CA (On-site)

Pay: $80.60/hour (W2)

Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours/week

About the Opportunity

RJI Search is partnering with an innovative autonomous mobility company that is building a fleet of fully self-driving, on-demand vehicles. They're looking for a Technical Program Manager to lead next-generation autonomous vehicle hardware programs from early concept through production ramp. This is a 12-month on-site contract in Foster City, CA.

You'll join the Advanced Hardware Engineering team, which delivers the autonomy hardware, infotainment electronic control units, and electrical components for the company's future fleet. The pace is fast, the problems are challenging, and the impact is real. If you're great at bringing many teams together and influencing without formal authority, this role was made for you.

What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end hardware development programs, from concept and architecture through EVT, DVT, and PVT builds and into production ramp
• Turn company strategy and milestones into detailed roadmaps, schedules, deliverables, and execution plans
• Coordinate hardware, software, firmware, functional safety, systems engineering, procurement, and vehicle development teams so priorities, dependencies, and deliverables stay aligned
• Partner with external contract manufacturers on prototype and engineering builds, bring DFM and DFT feedback into the design, and prepare programs for production ramp
• Track progress, flag risks early, and drive mitigation plans to closure with engineering teams and contract manufacturers
• Build standard reports and keep cross-functional teams and leadership up to date on status, milestones, risks, and wins
• Set meeting agendas around key decisions to clear bottlenecks and keep timelines on track
• Work with engineering, finance, and strategy teams to support sound technical and business decisions

What You Bring

• 6+ years of hardware Technical Program Management or Engineering Program Management experience
• Proven end-to-end hardware development experience, taking products from concept through EVT/DVT/PVT to production ramp
• Strong preference for automotive or consumer electronics experience at the system or subsystem level
• BS in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience) with a strong hardware background
• Experience working with outside contract manufacturers through development builds and production ramp
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to report progress and risk clearly to teams and leadership
• Proficiency with program management tools such as Jira and Gantt charts
• Comfortable with rapid development cycles; flexible, calm, self-motivated, and proactive

Nice to Have

• Ownership of 2+ full program development cycles for a system with hardware and software integration
• MS in Electrical or Mechanical Engineering
• TPM experience during mass production (MP) and post-MP sustaining phases
• Strong references from senior leaders and engineers across functions

Please note: This is a W2 contract role. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. without visa sponsorship, and must be able to work on-site in Foster City, CA.