Program Manager III

About the Role

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cross-functional robotics programs, ensuring development, testing, and deployment success.
• Manage university partnerships and contracts in robotics research areas.
• Oversee vendor contracts, procurement, and operations for hardware and software.
• Track KPIs, manage risks, and coordinate between engineering teams and vendors.
• Implement program goals, roadmaps, and success metrics in collaboration with engineering, product, and operations teams.
• Develop and maintain detailed timelines, milestones, and delivery schedules.
• Drive cross-functional coordination across hardware, embedded systems, AI, and field teams.
• Create Purchase Orders, Purchase requests, onboard vendors and contract workers.
• Serve as the primary liaison between engineering, product, QA, manufacturing, operations, and executive stakeholders.
• Communicate effectively with researchers, contract workers, and other stakeholders.
• Track and facilitate development across teams.
• Recruit, hire, and manage contract workers with robotics and data collection experience.
• Identify, evaluate, and onboard vendors and suppliers for hardware and software components.
• Draft, negotiate, and manage vendor contracts, SLAs, and delivery terms.
• Coordinate with legal and finance teams for procurement and budget tracking.
• Identify and procure equipment for data collection, including robots, sensors, and software.
• Collaborate with supply chain and operations teams for timely procurement and inventory management.
• Facilitate setup of a robotics lab, ensuring safety and compliance.
• Support operations readiness for pilot programs and production ramp-up.
• Develop and track operations KPIs such as lead times, fulfillment rates, and unit economics.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks across technical and operational domains.
• Manage interdependencies between engineering teams and external vendors.
• Plan for contingencies related to supply chain disruptions, delays, or regulatory changes.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience as PM, TPM, or Operations Manager.
• Experience in Program Planning & Execution within complex technical environments.
• Ability to implement program goals, roadmaps, and success metrics.
• Experience developing detailed timelines, milestones, and delivery schedules.
• Strong cross-functional coordination skills across hardware, embedded systems, AI, and field teams.
• Experience managing vendor contracts, negotiations, and procurement processes.
• Ability to manage equipment procurement, lab setup, and operations management.
• Experience in stakeholder management and effective communication with technical and non-technical teams.
• Ability to identify and mitigate risks and manage dependencies.

Nice to Have

• Previous experience in Big-Tech companies.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in relevant roles such as PM, TPM, or Operations Manager.

Benefits & Perks

• Position's starting pay is $65.00/hr.
• Information on benefits, equal opportunity employment, and location-specific notices available via provided links.