Program Manager Jobs 2026 (Now Hiring) – Smart Auto Apply

The Role

We're looking for a Senior Staff Technical Program Manager to serve as the operational and strategic backbone of Mind Robotics' core platform development. This is a founding program management role — the connective tissue between our hardware, software, and data collection teams as we scale from prototype to fleet deployment.

You will own the integrated master plan for our robotics platform: the full-stack convergence of dexterous hardware, real-time control systems, and the data flywheel that trains our models. You are not a timeline tracker. You are a systems thinker who can hold the big picture, identify dependencies before they become blockers, and push every team to deliver against a shared roadmap. This role is the difference between hardware and software operating in parallel — and operating as one.

You will work directly with our founder and functional leads. You will make this company move faster.

What You'll Do

Cross-Functional Program Leadership

• Own the integrated master program plan across hardware, software, and data collection — maintaining a single source of truth for milestones, dependencies, and critical path items.

• Identify and surface cross-functional risks before they become schedule-critical blockers; drive resolution with urgency and clarity.

• Serve as the primary connective layer between the hardware engineering, software/ML, and data operations teams — ensuring no workstream operates in isolation.

• Lead structured program reviews that keep leadership and teams aligned on priorities, trade-offs, and resource requirements.

Hardware Program Management

• Manage the complexity of our electromechanical system: part-level ownership, supplier lead times, sourcing strategies, and DVT/EVT iteration cycles.

• Build and maintain a rigorous parts and supplier tracking system — ensuring every component on the critical path has an owner, a plan, and a fallback.

• Partner closely with the hardware lead to translate design decisions into program-level implications across the full stack.

• Proactively model the downstream impact of hardware iteration loops on software readiness and data collection timelines.

Hardware-Software Integration

• Own the integration checkpoints where hardware and software must converge — defining the criteria, the owners, and the escalation path when they don't.

• Ensure software feature development is sequenced against hardware availability; prevent decoupled roadmaps from creating surprise dependencies.

• Drive alignment on platform commitments — gripper design, sensing modalities, actuation systems — so that data collection and model training are never blocked by an unresolved hardware decision.

Roadmap & Milestone Execution

• Translate high-level product goals into a detailed, dependency-mapped roadmap with clear ownership at every stage.

• Define and track the program milestones that matter: hardware readiness gates, data collection launch criteria, model deployment checkpoints, and fleet scale targets.

• Hold the team accountable to commitments without creating bureaucratic drag — this is a role about velocity, not process for its own sake.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in technical program management, with significant experience owning hardware-software integrated systems at a senior IC level.

• Proven track record managing complex electromechanical programs through full development cycles — from early prototype through production or scaled deployment.

• Deep instincts around hardware lead times, supplier management, and the downstream program implications of physical iteration cycles.

• Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, automotive (EV/software-defined vehicle), semiconductor systems, or adjacent deep tech hardware industries.

• Exceptional cross-functional operator: known for bringing clarity to ambiguous programs, not adding process overhead.

• Strong technical foundation — comfortable engaging directly with mechanical, electrical, and software engineers at a level of depth that earns credibility.

• Startup builder mentality: you create structure from ambiguity, own outcomes end-to-end, and move with urgency.

• Experience scaling hardware systems from 0 to meaningful fleet deployment is a strong plus.