About the Role:
We are seeking a Hardware Production Program Manager to own the end-to-end production planning, qualification, and lifecycle of our cutting-edge aerial sensors and robotic drone payloads.
In this role, you will bridge the gap between complex hardware design and flawless operational execution. You will run the programs behind New Product Introduction (NPI), repeat production builds, and sustain engineering support for our existing fleet - driving schedules, procurement, and cross-team coordination. If you are a natural problem solver who thrives in a fast-paced robotics environment and loves turning complex engineering prototypes into reliable, scalable products, we want to hear from you.
Responsibilities:
Production Program Management & NPI:
- Own the hardware build ecosystem: Create and manage comprehensive NPI and repeat build timelines, ensuring procurement, staffing, tooling, and documentation are set up for success.
- Balance the fleet: Align closely with Operations to understand hardware demand and field repair needs. Partner with the technicians and their functional leads to sequence work across new builds, repairs, and fleet movements.
- Procurement ownership: Manage procurement pipelines and BOMs, and execute procurement with vendors for a majority of sourced components.
- Production leadership: Hire and develop staffing required to meet production and sustainment volumes. Develop and leverage external vendors for production when commercially reasonable.
- Schedule and risk ownership: Maintain the single source of truth for build status, dependencies, and risk. Escalate early and clearly when timelines are threatened.
Sustaining Engineering & Cross-Functional Coordination:
- Technical conduit: Act as the primary technical bridge across engineering and operations teams to accelerate debugging and issue resolution.
- Field support: Coordinate troubleshooting of complex issues occurring in the field; ensure clear ownership is assigned and root-cause resolutions are documented.
- Process scaling: Scope and implement critical process improvements for part tracking, unit history, and issue tracking as our hardware scales.
- System Performance Management: Track issues across hardware fleet under support to identify common issues and develop solutions to implement in the field to reduce excessive costs and improve system performance.
- Blocker mitigation: Anticipate production or field blockers early and implement creative, agile engineering solutions to keep timelines on track.
Qualifications:.
- Experience: 5+ years in engineering, product development, hardware program management, or hardware manufacturing, with a strong preference for complex robotic, aerospace, or drone platforms.
- Program leadership: Proven track record driving hardware programs to completion through influence rather than direct authority - coordinating technicians, engineers, and vendors toward a shared schedule.
- Technical breadth: A deep understanding of electro-mechanical assemblies, aerial sensors, and payload integration, allowing you to assess field issues and dive deep into root-cause analysis when required.
- Execution & agility: The ability to ruthlessly prioritize competing demands, manage tight timelines with many moving pieces, and creatively fill operational gaps.
- Process-driven mindset: Proven track record of developing tools, documentation (SOPs), or processes to improve build efficiency and consistency.
- Communication: Exceptional, concise communication skills with the ability to translate highly technical issues into clear updates for cross-functional stakeholders.
- Ability to travel: Support a distributed engineering team and worldwide operations. Travel up to 10% of time may be required.
- AI proficiency: A track record of leveraging AI to solve operational challenges, balanced with the discernment to recognize its limitations. You proactively deploy your own technical toolkit to drive results.
What Would Make You Stand Out:
- Experience with PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) and ERP systems for tracking hardware changes and inventory.
- Experience with manufacturing testers (electrical, mechanical, reliability) to qualify built systems or subassemblies.
- Experience managing contract manufacturers or outsourced build partners.
What's Included:
- Feel great about your work as you join a leading mission-driven intelligent aerial imaging company - our goal is to accelerate the global transition to renewable energy and sustainable infrastructure, and you personally will play a large part in making this happen!
- Hybrid work setting: 2 days/week in our Mountain View office (days are flexible), and other days are 100% remote
- Competitive salary, bonus and eligibility for stock options
- Your choice of multiple medical insurance plans, including options with an HSA and 100% coverage of the premium for yourself and your dependents
- 100% paid dental and vision insurance
- Unlimited PTO: We mean it when we say we prioritize work-life balance and mental health
- Autonomy and upward mobility
- Diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture: a place where your voice matters
This role has a base salary range of $110,000 - $120,000 USD, plus a target annual bonus and eligibility for stock options. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, skills, and location within the USA.
