Staff Technical Program Manager - Stord Labs

Stord is seeking a highly technical, execution driven Senior/Staff Technical Program Manager (TPM) to join Stord Labs. Stord Labs is a 10,000 square foot micro fulfillment facility dedicated to testing and advancing artificial intelligence, robotics, and next generation operational technologies in real world fulfillment environments. Most technical program management roles in logistics technology focus on coordinating timelines and dependencies. This role goes deeper. As a Senior/Staff TPM for Stord Labs, you will own the operational backbone of the innovation program, driving initiatives from initial hypothesis and technical evaluation through physical lab testing, validation, and ultimately scaled network deployment. You will operate at the intersection of robotics, AI, engineering, operations, and business strategy, coordinating across robotics and technology vendors, frontier AI partners, academic institutions, Stord's internal product and engineering teams, and executive leadership. You will establish the structure, technical rigor, and cross functional alignment needed to move promising ideas forward while ensuring solutions are properly validated before they reach the broader network. If you are a technically fluent program leader who thrives in ambiguous, 0 to 1 environments and wants to help define what fulfillment can become, not simply manage what it is today, this is the role for you. What You'll Do: Cross Functional Orchestration and Governance • Experiment Lifecycle Management: Own the end to end testing pipeline. Ensure every experiment begins with a clearly defined hypothesis, success criteria, and measurement framework. Establish clear decision points for advancing, iterating, or discontinuing unsuccessful trials. • Cross Functional Collaboration: Serve as the primary bridge between the core innovation team and enterprise stakeholders. Drive alignment, resource planning, and execution across Product, Engineering, Operations, and the warehouse associates executing physical fulfillment workflows. Ensure strong connectivity between the lab environment and live production facilities. • Leadership Alignment: Facilitate decision making between Operations and Product leadership when determining whether validated technologies are ready to move from the lab into live production pilots. Strategic Partner Management and Prioritization • Initiative Prioritization: Own the testing roadmap across multiple innovation tracks. Balance resources and technical evaluations across external hardware vendors, internal product and software initiatives, and emerging technologies such as agentic AI and humanoid robotics. • AI and Academic Partnerships: Coordinate technical and operational collaboration with frontier AI organizations, technology providers, and academic institutions such as Georgia Tech to test and deploy AI driven logistics solutions. • Systems Integration: Coordinate testing across third party automation vendors, internal systems, human operators, and Stord's Warehouse Management System (WMS) and Order Management System (OMS). Network Scaling and External Visibility • Pilot Execution: Support pilot site implementations and establish a closed loop feedback process between lab testing and production environments. Identify gaps, translate learnings back into the lab, and support subsequent rollout efforts. • Scaling Playbooks: Develop and manage documentation, operating procedures, and rollout plans for validated workflows such as multi pass picking, co mingled inventory strategies, and predictive replenishment. Ensure successful translation from the lab into enterprise distribution centers. • Customer and Marketing Coordination: Partner with the Marketing organization to plan and execute quarterly demonstration days that showcase emerging technologies and operational workflows to customers and strategic partners. • Co Funded Pilots: Coordinate specialized, co funded pilot programs where specific customer challenges are evaluated within the lab before progressing to production. Basic Qualifications: • Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or a related technical field. • Experience: 8+ years of experience in Technical Program Management, Engineering Management, or complex project management, with demonstrated experience integrating hardware and software systems. • Domain Expertise: Strong background in supply chain technology, warehouse automation, robotics integration, fulfillment operations, or related environments. • Vendor Management: Proven experience managing complex RFPs, vendor evaluation frameworks, and strategic technical partnerships. • Execution Methodologies: Deep understanding of agile development, sprint planning, and managing cross functional dependencies across hardware, software, and operational teams. Bonus Points: • Innovation Ecosystems: Experience managing programs within an R&D lab, innovation center, advanced manufacturing technology environment, or similar setting. • Advanced Data Systems: Familiarity with data science project lifecycles, including digital twin simulation, predictive modeling, and AI driven forecasting. Required Travel: • 25 to 35% travel to support suppliers, lab activities, pilot deployments, and production rollouts.