Technical Program Manager – Vehicle System Integration
Overview
Lead the cross-functional execution behind a vehicle’s functional architecture as a Technical Program Manager supporting a Systems Engineering team. This role serves as the operational engine and technical coordinator responsible for translating high-level product definitions into safe, traceable, and technically sound system-level implementations.
You will partner with Systems Architects, Safety Specialists, Validation, Industrial Design, Product, Electrical and Software teams, Manufacturing, and other engineering stakeholders to drive requirements through validation. From managing System Technical Specification (STS) maturity and System Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (SFMEA) workflows to coordinating engineering changes and test asset configurations, you will help ensure complex vehicle systems remain aligned with program milestones and engineering objectives.
Required Skills and Qualifications
- 5+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager or Systems Engineer in an aerospace, autonomous vehicle, or advanced automotive environment.
- Proven success driving complex, cross-functional programs from requirements definition through validation.
- Practical knowledge of the systems engineering V-model lifecycle, fail-operational architectures, and requirements management frameworks.
- Experience managing safety workflows, including:
- System Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (SFMEA)
- Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA)
- Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
- ISO 26262 and/or MIL-STD-882 compliance processes
- Strong background in vehicle electrical/electronic system design, electrical integration, or complex hardware/software interfaces.
- Experience with project, change, and configuration management tools such as JIRA or Smartsheet.
- Experience with requirements management tools and processes such as Jama, Polarion, or DOORS.
- Ability to facilitate technical and non-technical discussions with highly specialized teams, including hardware, software, safety, and manufacturing.
- Demonstrated ability to build consensus and drive accountability without direct authority.
- Strong risk identification, issue resolution, organizational, and prioritization skills.
- Ability to thrive in rapid design cycles and remain flexible and highly organized amid uncertainty.
- Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills.
Nice-to-Have Skills
- Experience developing automotive systems in body or motion domains, such as:
- Braking
- Steering
- Suspension
- Body controllers
- Experience coordinating system-level Engineering Change Requests (ECRs).
- Experience developing dependency matrices across product development, styling and packaging, safety, vehicle systems, vehicle integration, and validation teams.
- Experience defining or tracking test asset configurations and mapping requirements to validation environments.
- Experience creating program health metrics related to requirement stability, SFMEA action-item closure, verification progress, and engineering maturity.
Preferred Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Mechatronics Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
- 5+ years of relevant experience in technical program management or systems engineering within aerospace, autonomous vehicles, or advanced automotive development.
Other Requirements
- Work arrangement: Onsite in Foster City, California.
- Engagement: W2 only.
- Duration: 6 months.
- Start: ASAP.
- Ability to coordinate effectively across multiple technical and business functions and maintain execution against demanding vehicle program milestones.
