Program Manager

Sr. Program Manager, Change GovernanceLocation: Onsite — Foster City, CA. Local travel to Hayward, CA and Kato, CA required. Up to 20% out-of-station travel.Zoox is seeking a Program Manager, Change Governance to own the end-to-end orchestration of product changes as they move from tentative engineering approval through cross-functional review to implementation on the production line. This role sits at the center of a multidisciplinary process, ensuring every change is tracked, properly vetted, and executed with full governance and traceability at each stage.Key ResponsibilitiesServe as the single point of accountability for tracking a change from tentative Engineering approval through to production-line implementation.Coordinate cross-functional review and sign-off across the teams involved in evaluating and implementing a change (Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Purchasing, Supply Chain, Logistics, and other stakeholders as applicable) — working through functional representatives and connecting directly with senior stakeholders when needed.Own and maintain the governance framework/checklist that defines required approvals, documentation, and gate criteria at each stage of the change lifecycle.Drive change requests through each governance gate, proactively identifying blockers, following up with stakeholders, and escalating risks or delays to leadership.Understand and manage how a change cascades through multi-tier supply chain dependencies (e.g., a component-level change rippling into a supplier qualification or launch-readiness submission).Maintain accurate, audit-ready records of change status, approvals, and decisions in relevant change management/ERP/PLM systems.Facilitate or participate in change review board (CRB) meetings — preparing agendas, materials, and status updates.Partner with production-line teams across sites to plan and confirm implementation readiness (timing, resourcing, build sequencing, documentation, training as needed).Build and maintain reporting/dashboards on change pipeline health and status for leadership, pulling and reconciling data across multiple Excel/Google Sheets sources.Write scripts (e.g., Python, Apps Script, VBA) as needed to automate recurring data retrieval and reporting from spreadsheet-based data sources.Continuously identify opportunities to streamline or improve the change governance process.Required Qualifications (Must-Have)Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, Manufacturing Engineering, or a closely related engineering discipline8+ years of program management experience with a core background in physical/hardware product development — managing BOMs, component qualification, hardware validation cycles, manufacturing and physical supply chains.Multi-tier automotive supply chain fluency — direct experience managing or escalating through OEM ? Tier1 ? Tier2/3 dependencies.Cross-functional program ownership without direct authority — demonstrated accountability spanning engineering, purchasing, supply chain, and manufacturing simultaneously.Automotive program lifecycle experience — hands-on with gate-driven development (APQP, PPAP, SOP milestones); understands cost/schedule implications of late changes across long program timelines.Advanced proficiency in Excel/Google Sheets (pivot tables, complex formulas, data reconciliation across sources); comfortable writing scripts to automate data retrieval and reporting.Experience with at least one change management, PLM, or ERP tool (e.g., SAP, Windchill, or similar).Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to synthesize complex, multi-functional program status for senior stakeholders and drive decisions under ambiguity.Willing and able to travel locally between Foster City, Hayward, and Kato on a regular basis, with occasional out-of-station travel.Preferred Qualifications (Should-Have)Advanced degree (M.S./MBA) in Engineering or a related technical field.ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 certification (highly desired).Experience with PLM or CAD tools (highly favorable, not mandatory).Supplier nomination and re-sourcing experience — worked alongside purchasing on sourcing decisions, dual-sourcing strategy, and supplier development.Manufacturing launch exposure — line readiness, build sequencing around constraints, launch risk management, run-at-rate/capacity verification.