Full Job Description
Workplace: On-site, Monday-Thursday. REMOTE on Friday.
Location: Palo Alto, CA
We are hiring a Technical Program Manager to own smartphone projection certification and the Android framework scope that sits underneath it. The primary objective is to get the platform certified: driving Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through pre-certification and certification on schedule, and owning the relationship with Apple and Google through that process.
Alongside certification, you will run program management for the Android framework work that projection depends on, covering framework and service layer changes, HAL and vehicle integration, and the defect flow between our organization, the Tier 1, and the third party lab. Certification timelines are tight and largely outside our control, so the job is as much about sequencing and early escalation as it is about tracking.
This role is a fit for a TPM who can hold a technical conversation with an Android framework engineer in the morning and a compliance conversation with Apple or Google in the afternoon. Deep hands-on expertise is less important than communication, bridge-building and the ability to ramp quickly.
Responsibilities
Projection certification
• Own the certification program plan for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto across wired and wireless configurations, from application through pre-certification, certification and approval
• Manage the relationship with Apple and Google as strategic partners, coordinating submissions, reviews, test schedules and approval gates
• Coordinate with the third party lab conducting certification testing, including scheduling, bench readiness and test result submission
• Drive pre-certification validation and non-compliance resolution, sequencing fixes against the certification window rather than the normal release cadence
• Track certification requirements against the platform build, maintaining a clear view of which gaps are open, who owns them and when they close
• Manage the coexistence and interoperability scope between CarPlay, Android Auto and our own projection and infotainment experience
Android framework and platform program management
• Create program timing plans for the Android framework and projection work based on available resources and required features for the software teams
• Work with cross-functional teams to evaluate, develop and clarify requirements, then decompose them into consumable work tasks for developers and testers
• Drive multiple technical projects across vehicle software domains, helping to set priorities for engineering
• Prioritize and drive software defects to closure to meet certification and software release timing, leading triage where next steps on open issues are identified and assigned
• Identify risks in development, assess program impact, and work with engineering managers to mitigate them
• Communicate program status, progress and risks to stakeholders, escalating decisions needed to the heads of PMO
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science or a related technical field
• 5+ years of technical program management on software products, including ownership of a delivery schedule gated by an external party
• Exposure to smartphone projection, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, sufficient to ramp quickly and engage credibly with Apple and Google on certification. Deep expertise is not required
• Demonstrated experience managing a certification, compliance or approval process with an external partner or accredited lab, under a fixed timeline
• Experience decomposing requirements into work tasks and running defect triage across the organization, supplier and lab boundaries
• Demonstrated history of communicating with engineering managers on technical topics and driving decisions to closure
• Strong written and verbal communication, comfortable escalating to director and PMO level with a recommendation rather than a status
Preferred Qualifications
• Automotive infotainment experience. Consumer electronics and other adjacent domains are acceptable where projection exposure is present
• Familiarity with the technical implementation of projection and connectivity features in a vehicle: USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Bluetooth profiles, voice, navigation and phone integration
• Working knowledge of Android Automotive OS and AOSP: Android framework and service layers, car framework, HAL and HIDL, and the Android build system
• Understanding of Apple MFi licensing and CarPlay compliance testing, and of Google's certification requirements including CDD compliance and the xTS suites such as CTS, CTS Verifier, VTS and ATS
• Experience working with third party labs and OEM certification workflows
• Familiarity with projection debugging and log analysis at a level sufficient to follow an issue, for example adb and system logs
• Understanding of QNX or Linux cockpit platforms and hypervisor-based architectures, since projection sits on top of them
• Vehicle program cadence experience: bench and vehicle build phases, software release trains, and launch readiness gates
• Tooling: Jira, Confluence, Jama for requirements tracking, Git-based workflows, and program reporting or dashboard tools
Salary Range
• $140,000 - 155,000
• The actual salary offered is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, location, the candidate's combination of job-related knowledge, qualifications, skills, education, training, and experience
