Senior Technical Program Manager

Job Summary

The Program Management Office (PMO) supports some of the company's most complex, cross-functional decisions and programs. The team partners with leaders across vehicle development, system design, software engineering, manufacturing, fleet operations, and business functions to develop and deliver major corporate milestones on the path to launch and beyond. The PMO focuses on translating complexity into meaningful actions and high-quality, timely decisions through clear thinking, problem-solving, improved operational measures, and effective influence and negotiation with cross-functional stakeholders. This role will support major product and service milestones in a fast-paced environment focused on delivering novel and safe mobility solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the execution of a ZR company product/service milestone, including establishing a milestone execution test strategy and feature lock in collaboration with partner functional teams such as systems engineering, vehicle engineering, software development, and manufacturing operations.
• Define KPIs and other methods to measure milestone success metrics that effectively translate progress toward business goals.
• Drive appropriate buyoffs on milestone success metrics through executive decision forums.
• Provide concise and effective communications to key stakeholders, including functional engineering management, engineering leadership, and executive leadership.
• Present ZR program status, issues, risks, and accomplishments through company tracking and decision-making forums, including ZR-specific and company-wide program reviews, senior leadership reviews, and executive reviews.
• Maintain a strong understanding of one or more relevant areas, including vehicle platforms, software lifecycle, safety clearance processes, and test operations.
• Collaborate with software, hardware, systems engineering, and operations teams to identify and burn down issues.
• Flag issues to ensure appropriate handoff to the responsible team.
• Ensure issues blocking a ZR release receive the appropriate level of organizational attention.
• Drive cross-functional alignment and accountability throughout milestone execution.
• Support program planning, validation, testing, issue resolution, and release readiness activities.

Required Qualifications

• BS or MS degree in an engineering discipline, or equivalent engineering experience in lieu of an engineering degree.
• At least 8 years of experience in engineering or program management with a focus on product launches and/or validation and testing.
• Proven track record of managing complex cross-functional projects.
• Experience with automotive or aerospace processes, or experience with test platforms, simulation, autonomous vehicles, or verification and validation (V&V) disciplines.
• Proficiency with tools and processes required to manage complex projects, such as Gantt charts, risk matrices, Smartsheet, JIRA, or similar tools.
• Ability to communicate concisely and effectively at the senior executive level of the organization.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration, problem-solving, organizational, and program management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent.
• Experience with autonomous vehicles, test platforms, simulation, and/or automotive or aerospace processes.
• Experience developing and scaling strategies, processes, plans, procedures, and reporting.
• Experience handling escalations and driving resolution of complex program issues.