Principal Technical Program Manager

Found Industries•Cambridge, MA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Found Industries is seeking a strategic, hands-on Principal Technical Program Manager to lead cross-functional teams delivering energy platforms and critical metal extraction systems. The role drives execution across the product development lifecycle to support on-time delivery, product quality, target costs, and effective resource allocation. The position is based onsite in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and reports to the Vice President of Operations. The Principal Technical Program Manager leads complex hardware programs from concept through deployment, managing schedules, program-related budgets and resource plans, design-control deliverables, risks, milestones, actions, and stakeholder communications. The role works closely with R&D, Engineering, Operations, functional leaders, engineers, executives, and commercial and government customers. It also supports follow-on business capture by representing the technical portfolio and serving as the voice of the customer. The position is expected to foster accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and strong quality, safety, delivery, and cost outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a STEM or related technical field.
Passion for hardware development and relationship building.
At least 10 years of experience in technical project management, systems engineering, or related project management or systems engineering in a relevant industry.
Experience leading or executing projects involving systems at any stage from TRL 3 to TRL 8.
Strong organization and attention to detail.
Experience developing materials and readouts for regular monthly and quarterly program reviews.
Experience developing and maintaining schedules using Microsoft Project or a similar tool.
Excellent communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience in a fast-paced hardware startup, pilot plant scale-up, or technology licensing environment.
Understanding of government contract structure and reporting.

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional R&D, Engineering, and Operations teams in delivering new product initiatives from concept to deployment.
Own and manage detailed project schedules.
Partner with functional leaders on program budgets and resource plans to support timely delivery.
Ensure design-control deliverables are completed in accordance with SOPs and regulatory standards.
Collaborate with engineers and C-suite leaders to align technical execution with business goals.
Identify and mitigate program risks, escalate issues, and drive resolution across stakeholder groups.
Interface with commercial and government customers and represent the technical aspects of the Found Industries portfolio.
Serve as the voice of the customer for follow-on business capture efforts and activities.
Prepare and provide regular written and verbal project updates, presentations, dashboards, and executive summaries for stakeholders and leadership.
Build team ownership and commitment to project and business plans; define program milestones, deliverables, and resource requirements.
Assess program health, identify opportunities for program change, and implement and manage changes or interventions to achieve timely outputs.
Manage program actions and deliverables proactively and hold team members and functional managers accountable for completion.
Conduct cross-functional team meetings, create agendas, and publish minutes and action items to support accountability and milestone achievement.
Manage performance issues and conflicts within project teams, resolving them in alignment with functional management.
Provide input to functional leaders on team-member performance and functional management support.
Foster a collaborative culture of continuous improvement and teamwork focused on quality, safety, delivery, and cost.
Build collaborative relationships across all levels to improve outcomes and timely program execution.