Technical Program Manager

Overview Placement Type: Temporary Salary: $79.78-88.64 Hourly up to $88.64/hr Start Date: Oct 13, 2026 Duration: 6 months 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.