Hardware Operations Program Manager

Emporia Energy•Littleton, CO

1d•$130,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Emporia is a leading technology company revolutionizing home energy by providing affordable, integrated solutions that empower homeowners to optimize energy usage to reduce costs and carbon footprint. Emporia’s Home Energy Management Platform is a powerful software system that connects their Vue Home Energy Monitor, Level 2 EV Charger, Smart Plugs, Home Battery, and third-party thermostats and appliances. By automating energy use through real-time monitoring and scheduling, the platform optimizes consumption, reduces costs, and simplifies home energy management—all within one intuitive app. With over 400,000 U.S. homes running Emporia’s energy management and EV charging hardware, we are now launching a national Third-Party Owned (TPO) home battery Virtual Power Plant — placing industrial-rated home batteries in residential homes to deliver power redundancy, utility cost savings, and grid peak demand services. By reducing energy waste and saving customers money, we’re helping create a healthier planet and a brighter future. For more information, visit emporiaenergy.com.

Requirements

BS or higher in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing & Operations Engineering, or equivalent experience.
Proven track record of supply chain optimization, strategic sourcing, and managing complex vendor relationships in a high-growth environment.
5+ years of experience in Operations/Program Management roles in the consumer electronics industry, having personally owned a product end-to-end — from initial concept through mass production and eventual sunsetting/EOL — with on-site factory experience.
Experience working with overseas ODM/JDM contract manufacturers and suppliers at scale; experience with partners in India is a plus.
Familiarity with consumer electronics manufacturing processes and phase-gate development (EVT, DVT, PVT).
Self-motivated, with strong problem-solving skills and a track record of driving issues to resolution.
Strong cross-functional relationship-building skills across technical and non-technical teams.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical issues clearly to an executive audience.
Versed in project planning tools such as Smartsheet; familiar with Jira and Confluence for issue tracking and project summaries.
Familiar with PLM systems for BOM and ECO/MCO management, such as Arena.
Ability to travel internationally to contract manufacturing partners and suppliers, up to approximately 25% of the time.
AI-native working style: comfortable using AI tools to accelerate product research, ingest and synthesize data across multiple platforms and systems, and draft requirements and documentation.

Nice To Haves

Experience with partners in India is a plus.

Responsibilities

Spearhead and influence cross-functional coordination and communication between Engineering, Product Management, Supply Chain, Quality, and Manufacturing to drive overall system readiness through each product lifecycle phase.
Own operational readiness for new production: plan and execute production validation builds (EVT/DVT/PVT), mass-production readiness and sign-off, and the transition to scaling and sustaining high-volume production.
Manage the overall capacity plan, including coordination of equipment, fixtures, and materials for ramp.
Drive solutions and schedule to problems: develop clear problem statements, project requirements, milestone schedules, and documentation to support decision-making and facilitate implementation.
Develop, optimize, track, and communicate integrated program schedules, effectively managing dependencies and handoffs.
Identify technical and operational risks across the program and drive mitigation strategies directly with critical stakeholders.
Drive global supply chain resilience and continuity by identifying potential bottlenecks and implementing proactive risk management strategies across the tier-1 and tier-2 supplier base.
Lead strategic sourcing initiatives and commercial negotiations with contract manufacturers and component suppliers to optimize total cost of ownership and ensure favorable terms.
Own the relationship with overseas contract manufacturers to execute the production plan against sales demand, ensuring on-time delivery and high-quality output.
Coordinate and support ongoing manufacturing production activities, including process improvements, cost-reduction opportunities, and second-source qualification.
Work closely with Engineering to guide development, validation, and implementation of product refreshes or redesigns.
Support the PLM-based change process (ECO, Deviation, MCO, and similar changes) and ensure all changes are properly implemented at contract manufacturing and supplier partners.
Partner with the Product team on end-of-life (EOL) planning and transitions for existing products, with the goal of eliminating excess materials at EOL.
Be proactive, pay attention to the details, and enable teams across different functions to make smart, timely decisions; stay on top of many moving pieces without letting anything drop.
Create reports from company systems (Google Workspace and similar tools) and provide reporting as needed.