Technical Program Manager, Robotic Data & Deliveries

Kindredventures; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Mecka AI is seeking a senior TPM to own the ego-data delivery program, coordinating Sales, Data Operations, Labeling, and Engineering to ship datasets that meet specs, volume, and timelines.

This hands-on role blends project leadership with scripting and tooling work, driving repeatable delivery and scalable processes for frontier AI labs in a fast-growing, early-stage environment.

Qualifications

• 2-5+ years as a TPM, Technical Program Lead, or Data/Delivery Operations lead in ML/AI or robotics.
• Hands-on data delivery experience: from internal pipelines to external customers at spec and on time.
• Proficiency with data querying and scripting to reshape/validate datasets (SQL, MongoDB, Python).
• Senior IC leadership: influence without direct reports and align cross-functional teams.
• Experience configuring workflow systems (Jira/Asana/Linear) and creating lightweight processes and reports.

Responsibilities

• End-to-End Delivery Program Ownership: lead the master delivery schedule across Sales, Data Ops, Labeling and Engineering to ship datasets meeting spec, volume, and timeline.
• Delivery Tooling & Automation: build scripts, QA checks, packaging and dashboards; partner with Engineering to harden into durable infrastructure.
• Dataset Quality & Standards: define standards for delivery-ready datasets, automation for validation, metadata and QA gates.
• Sales & Customer Delivery Partnership: translate customer requirements into concrete delivery plans and communicate scope/status to AI-lab accounts.
• Metrics & Reporting: create data-driven reports on time-to-delivery, volume, QA pass rates, rework, and SLA adherence.

Skills

Program Leadership

Data Delivery

SQL & Python

Senior IC Leadership

Workflow Tools

Customer Communication

Tools

Jira

Asana

Linear

Job description

About Mecka AI

Mecka AI is building the data infrastructure layer for robotics and embodied AI.
We design and operate global systems for data capture, data labeling, and hardware-enabled workflows used by leading AI labs and robotics companies to train and validate humanoid and embodied AI systems.
We work closely with frontier robotics teams to bridge real-world data, simulation, learning-based systems, and deployed hardware.

The Role

Own the program that turns Mecka’s ego-data pipeline into on-time, at-spec dataset deliveries to frontier AI labs. You will sit at the seam between our ego-data sales & delivery team and the engineering that produces the data — driving delivery execution against customer commitments while iteratively building the tooling, standards, and datasets that let us scale from bespoke drops to a repeatable delivery engine.

This is a hands-on, senior IC role. You will be equally comfortable running a delivery schedule with a demanding AI-lab customer, writing a script to reshape a dataset or query a pipeline, and defining the spec that makes the next delivery faster than the last.

What you will be doing:

• End-to-End Delivery Program Ownership: Act as the lead program owner for our highest-value ego-data deliveries. Drive cross-functional execution across Sales, Data Operations, Labeling, and Engineering to ship datasets that meet each customer’s spec, volume, and timeline - owning the master delivery schedule and holding contributors accountable to it.
• Delivery Tooling & Automation: Iterate on the tooling that packages, validates, and hands off ego datasets. Prototype and build - scripts, QA checks, packaging and manifest tooling, delivery dashboards - then partner with Engineering to harden what works into durable infrastructure. Every delivery should leave the pipeline faster and more automated than it found it.
• Dataset Quality & Standards: Define and enforce the standards that make an ego dataset 'delivery-ready' - completeness, metadata, taxonomy, formatting, and QA gates. Turn recurring delivery pain into reusable specs, checklists, and automated validation so quality is built in, not inspected in.
• Sales & Customer Delivery Partnership: Partner with the ego-data sales & delivery team to translate customer requirements into concrete delivery plans, and translate pipeline realities back into commitments sales can confidently make. Serve as a senior point of contact on delivery scope, status, and escalations for key AI-lab accounts.
• Metrics & Reporting: Build data-driven reporting for the delivery function - time-to-delivery, dataset volume and yield, QA pass rates, rework, and SLA adherence. Use fleet- and pipeline-level data to spot bottlenecks and quality trends before they threaten a delivery.

What you bring:

• 2-5+ years as a TPM, Technical Program/Product Lead, or Data/Delivery Operations lead - ideally in ML/AI data, robotics, or another domain shipping complex technical deliverables to sophisticated customers.
• Data Delivery Expertise: Hands-on experience taking large, complex datasets or technical deliverables from an internal pipeline to an external customer at spec and on time - with a real feel for data quality, QA, and the failure modes of a delivery pipeline.
• Hands-On Technical Acumen: Comfortable in the data yourself - querying databases (e.g., SQL, MongoDB), writing scripts (e.g., Python) to reshape, validate, or QA datasets, and prototyping tooling before handing it to Engineering to productionize. You can read a schema and a telemetry dashboard, not just a status report.
• Senior IC Leadership: Proven ability to lead by influence without direct reports - aligning sales, engineers, and operators around a single delivery schedule and holding them to it in a fast-moving, early-stage environment.
• Systems & Process Mastery: Skilled at configuring workflow and tracking systems (Jira, Asana, Linear, or similar) and building lightweight process and reporting that brings order to chaotic, high-growth scaling environments.
• Customer-Ready Communication: Able to represent Mecka credibly to technical AI-lab customers - clear on scope, status, and trade-offs - while keeping internal teams honest about what can actually ship.

A Note on Applying

Studies show women and candidates from underrepresented groups often only apply when they meet 100% of the listed qualifications, while others apply after meeting 60%.

Inclusive Hiring at Mecka

We are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive candidate experience. Should you require any accommodation whatsoever during the interview process, please inform us without any hesitation. Mecka is dedicated to ensuring equal treatment and opportunity in all phases of recruitment, selection, and employment, in compliance with employment law. We do not discriminate based on gender, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, or any other protected category. Mecka is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, fostering a culture of inclusivity and maintaining a work environment that is free from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

Mecka uses artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly to support administrative and efficiency-focused aspects of our recruitment process. This includes activities such as drafting job descriptions, generating interview questions, note-taking and recordings, and supporting sourcing and scheduling workflows. All candidate evaluations, interviews, and hiring decisions are made by members of the Mecka team. While AI tools may assist with screening and assessment, they do not replace human judgment in selection decisions. Our use of AI is intended to streamline routine tasks, improve consistency, and enhance the overall candidate experience. We are committed to upholding principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability in all hiring activities. Mecka regularly reviews its recruitment practices to mitigate bias and to ensure alignment with applicable laws and evolving best practices.