Head of Hardware TPM

Kodiak•Mountain View, CA

13d•$195,000 - $260,000

About The Position

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. is seeking a Head of Hardware TPM to lead program management across its hardware organization. This role will oversee sensor systems, compute, electrical/mechanical integration, and vehicle-level hardware platforms. The individual will be responsible for the end-to-end execution from concept through validation to fleet deployment and will lead a team of 3 TPMs. This is a leadership position reporting to the Director of Program, with significant visibility across Engineering, Operations, and executive leadership.

Requirements

10+ years in technical program management, with deep experience in hardware (mechanical, electrical, or systems-level), robotics, automotive, aerospace, or similar hardware-intensive industries strongly preferred
4+ years managing TPMs or program managers directly, with experience developing senior ICs
Deep familiarity with hardware development lifecycles: DFM/DFA, EVT/DVT/PVT-style validation gates, ECO/PLM processes
Proven track record shipping complex hardware systems on schedule at scale, with a bias toward identifying and killing risk early
Excellent executive communication: able to distill complex, multi-workstream programs into clear risk/status narratives for leadership
Comfortable owning ambiguous, high-stakes problems with no clean home

Nice To Haves

experience with autonomous vehicle systems, sensor hardware (lidar/radar/camera), or safety-critical hardware development

Responsibilities

Own the hardware program roadmap: schedules, milestones, dependencies, and risk tracking across concurrent hardware programs (sensors, compute, harnessing, vehicle integration, etc.)
Lead and grow a team of 3 TPMs, setting standards for program rigor, reporting, and cross-functional communication, and developing them as they take on increasing scope
Partner closely with Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations, and Safety/Compliance to de-risk programs before they become fire drills
Drive design reviews, gate reviews, and change management processes (ECOs/ECRs) to keep programs moving without sacrificing quality
Own escalation paths: identify blockers early, drive resolution, and know when to pull in leadership
Create and maintain program-level visibility for executives: status reporting, risk registers, and roadmap health
Set the strategic direction for hardware program management processes, tooling, and metrics org-wide (e.g., PLM systems, release processes)
Represent hardware program status in cross-functional, executive, and customer-facing settings as needed
Act as a key partner to hardware engineering leadership on org design, resourcing, and prioritization tradeoffs