Senior Engineering Program Manager

D-Wave•New Haven, CT

31d•$105,000 - $157,000•Onsite

About The Position

The company is seeking a hands-on, execution-focused Senior Engineering Program Manager (EPM) to drive operational efficiency and process rigor across our engineering teams. In this role, you will bridge the gap between high-level project goals and daily execution. Your primary focus will be optimizing our execution frameworks, managing the product life cycle (PLC), enforcing configuration management, and tracking critical operational cycles. This is a heavily tactical, high-impact role for an independent operator who thrives on building efficient workflows, eliminating bottlenecks, and productizing complex technical systems without needing a script to follow.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or equivalent practical experience
4 plus years of experience as an Engineering Program Manager or Technical Project Manager in a complex hardware/software engineering environment (e.g., semiconductors, aerospace, deep tech, or advanced test systems)
2 plus years of experience as an Engineer in a complex hardware/software engineering environment (e.g., semiconductors, aerospace, deep tech, or advanced test systems)
Proven ability to estimate effort, build and manage detailed project plans, and deliver programs on time while balancing technical risk and operational constraints
Strong judgment in ambiguous environments, with the ability to independently research issues, evaluate options, and recommend sound solutions
Demonstrated success working cross-functionally, removing roadblocks, and influencing stakeholders without formal authority
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including technical documentation, operational reports, and executive presentations
Strong organizational skills with sharp attention to detail and a systems-level mindset
Deep experience with project tracking and documentation tools (such as Jira, Confluence, MS Project, or Smartsheet) with the ability to customize workflows, build automated rules, and construct custom reporting dashboards from scratch
Proven experience managing product lifecycles, Bill of Materials (BOMs), change orders (ECOs), and document control systems
Strong background dealing with physical systems, hardware integration, or operational facilities
A track record of operating independently; You are someone who identifies a broken process, designs the solution, wins team buy-in, and rolls it out with minimal supervision

Responsibilities

Partner with engineering leads to build and execute project plans.
Implement metrics and KPIs to monitor project health, track progress, and ensure predictable delivery timelines.
Own the schedule and progress tracking for critical, repetitive technical operations (including system cooldown and testing cycles).
Proactively identify friction points in the "cooldown-to-cooldown" loop, clear technical or operational roadblocks, and implement process fixes to minimize downtime.
Partner with engineering leads to design, implement, and iterate on engineering workflows to improve team velocity.
Optimize our project management tooling (including Jira, Confluence, or equivalent frameworks) by designing functional workflows, automation rules, clean analytics, and leadership dashboards.
Coordinate the PLC process from development to productization.
Establish and enforce robust configuration management practices to ensure system integrity, documentation, and change control are executed flawlessly.
Partner with engineering leads to transition complex, R&D-heavy systems into stable, scalable, and reproducible products.
Act as the central point of alignment across hardware, software, and operations teams.
Provide clear visibility on project status, risks, and dependencies through technical documentation, reports, and executive presentations—ensuring stakeholders are informed without creating administrative burden for engineers.