Senior Technical Program Manager — QA & Validation (Systems & Tooling)

DrivemodeMountain View, CA

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Overview

Schedule

Alternate-schedule

Full-time

Career level

Director

Remote

Hybrid remote

Benefits

Health Insurance

Paid Vacation

Job Description

Our Mission:

Driving technology always feels old. Not by a little bit. We believe vehicles can be a thousand times smarter, safer, and more connected to the world around us, and our mission is to see it happen. In 2019, we joined forces with Honda as their first startup acquisition, and now we’re expanding our vision into building the future of electric vehicles (BEV) for millions of people around the world.

Why Drivemode:

Join Drivemode for an exciting startup environment and a vibrant culture that combines impactful work, competitive compensation, and excellent benefits. By becoming a part of our team, you'll contribute to a crucial mission that revolutionizes the way people engage with vehicles, addressing both business needs and the world's environmental challenges. This presents an exceptional opportunity to be at the forefront of innovation and drive Honda's success in the EV market.

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Technical Program Manager — QA & Validation to design and operate the systems that define quality, validation, and release readiness across Honda’s next-generation connected vehicle platform.

This role sits at the intersection of Engineering, QA, Product, Design, and tooling, and is ideal for someone who believes that quality is a system to be engineered—not a phase to be managed.

This is a hands-on, highly technical TPM role with real ownership of systems, tooling, and validation strategy. You will build and operate the Quality Management System (QMS) that ensures traceability, measurable quality signals, and clear readiness criteria across all teams.

You are expected to solve problems through systems, tooling, and code, not just coordination.

This role works in close partnership with Delivery TPMs:

You define truth, validation, and readiness
They drive feature delivery

What you do

Design and implement a scalable Quality Management System (QMS) in collaboration with Engineering, QA, Product, and Design, ensuring end-to-end traceability from requirements to release
Own and configure the validation toolchain (Jira, Jama, TestRail), including workflows, structures, automations, and reporting, ensuring systems reflect real execution state
Build automation and integrations using code (Python, APIs, scripting) to connect systems, eliminate manual work, and enable real-time quality and readiness insights
Define and enforce validation readiness criteria and release gates based on measurable quality signals, ensuring teams are prepared before release commitments
Drive system-level validation by aligning testing with real-world behavior across mobile, backend, APIs, and vehicle systems
Lead bug triage and bug review processes, ensuring clear ownership, prioritization, and timely resolution across teams
Proactively identify risks and gaps in requirements, test coverage, environments, and dependencies, and drive mitigation before they impact validation or release
Ensure high data integrity across Jira, Jama, and TestRail by enforcing clarity, consistency, and accuracy in tracking systems
Challenge and align cross-functional teams when inputs are incomplete or unclear, ensuring validation is based on testable and reliable requirements
Lead vehicle integration and validation efforts with minimal supervision, troubleshooting issues across system layers as needed

What we are looking for

7+ years of experience in Technical Program Management, QA/Validation, Systems Engineering, or similar roles
BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent technical field

Deep experience configuring Jira (workflows, automations, JQL, reporting)
Experience with ALM tools such as Jama Connect (or similar)
Experience with test management tools such as TestRail or others
Proven ability to build or scale QA/QMS or validation systems

Hands-on experience writing code (Python, scripting, APIs, etc.)
Experience building integrations across systems (e.g., Jira Jama TestRail)
Ability to automate workflows, reporting, and data pipelines

Strong understanding of backend systems, APIs, and distributed systems
Familiarity with mobile (frontend) constraints and behavior
Ability to reason across system boundaries and debug complex issues

Experience driving validation across multiple teams
Ability to enforce accountability and challenge unclear inputs
Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders

Standard working hours are Monday through Friday. To support collaboration with our Japan-based teams, core hours are 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM PT from Monday through Thursday. The team works in-office on Mondays and Tuesdays. Thursdays and Fridays offer more flexibility, particularly in the evenings, while remaining full working days

Nice to Have:

Experience in automotive, IoT, or connected-device ecosystems
Familiarity with ASPICE or ISO 21434
Background as SDET, QA Automation Engineer, or Systems Engineer
Japanese language proficiency is nice to have, but not required

This is the position's total compensation package including the company's bonus structure. This position also comes with full benefits. Actual compensation packages are based on a wide array of factors unique to each candidate, including but not limited to demonstrated skill set, years and depth of relevant experience, and some role-dependent factors. We welcome direct conversations with each candidate about compensation in all of our initial calls.

EEOC Statement

Drivemode is proud of a very diverse team with employees coming from 5 continents/20 countries as of today. Diversity in our workplace has played an important part in our success; we recognize each employee’s unique background, knowledge, experiences, ideas, and viewpoints which are all critical in developing a product that has the greatest impacts on drivers all over the world.

Drivemode provides equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or any other characteristics that make you unique.

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FAQs About Senior Technical Program Manager — QA & Validation (Systems & Tooling) Jobs at Drivemode

What is the work location for this position at Drivemode?

This job at Drivemode is located in Mountain View, CA, according to the details provided by the employer. Some roles may also include multiple work locations depending on the requirement.

What pay range can candidates expect for this role at Drivemode?

Employer has not shared pay details for this role.

What employment applies to this position at Drivemode?

Drivemode lists this position under the following employment categories:

Alternate-schedule
Full-time

What experience level is required for this role at Drivemode?

Drivemode is looking for a candidate with "Director" experience level.

What benefits are offered by Drivemode for this role?

Drivemode offers following benefits: Health Insurance and Paid Vacation for this position. Actual benefits may vary depending on the employer's policies and employment terms.

What is the process to apply for this position at Drivemode?

You can apply for this role at Drivemode either through Sonara's automated application system, which helps you submit applications 10X faster with minimal effort, or by applying manually using the direct link on the job page.