Senior Technical Program Manager - Software & Controls (Robotic Platform)

Bright Machines • San Francisco, CA

1d

About The Position

As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you will lead the development of core robotics and hardware capabilities within Bright Machines’ next-generation manufacturing platform, bringing AI-enabled, software-defined automation to data center infrastructure manufacturing.
You will drive the development of complex electromechanical systems that integrate robotics, perception, controls, and ML into scalable, production-ready platforms. Operating at the system level, you’ll align hardware, software, and manufacturing teams to accelerate time from silicon to revenue, delivering faster ramps, higher yield, and more predictable performance in real-world production environments.
This role sits at the intersection of robotics, AI, and advanced manufacturing, defining how intelligent infrastructure is built and scaled.

Requirements

• BS or MS in Computer Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 5+ years leading complex software and/or controls programs in robotics, automation, or intelligent systems.
• Strong systems-level understanding of:
• Robotics software stacks
• Real-time controls and motion systems
• Machine vision and perception pipelines
• ML-enabled quality systems
• Hardware/software integration
• Release and deployment management
• Experience delivering production-grade robotics or automation software — not just prototypes.
• Demonstrated success driving cross-functional alignment across robotics, firmware, hardware, and cloud teams.
• Ability to translate architectural trade-offs into executable program plans.
• Experience operating in fast-paced, high-growth environments with strong engineering cultures.

Nice To Haves

• Experience building modular, software-defined automation platforms.
• Exposure to ML/AI systems deployed in real-time production environments.
• Experience supporting customer deployments and resolving field integration issues.
• Background in robotics startups or advanced mobility/automation companies in the Bay Area.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end execution of software and controls programs that power Bright Machines’ next-generation manufacturing platform. Integrate robotics, perception, motion control, and AI-driven quality systems into scalable, production-ready solutions.
• Partner with robotics software, controls, perception/ML, hardware, cloud, and manufacturing teams to deliver tightly integrated, high-performance systems.
• Drive program planning for major platform releases, define scope, system requirements, integration milestones, validation strategy, and deployment readiness.
• Operate at the intersection of software and physical systems. Identify dependencies across motion planning, real-time controls, machine vision, ML pipelines, embedded systems, and hardware interfaces. Surface and mitigate integration risks early.
• Lead execution across: Controls architecture and design milestones, Robotics software releases, Perception and ML integration, Hardware-software interface validation, System-level testing and reliability validation
• Release management and deployment readiness
• Provide clear visibility into program health, including technical risks, integration bottlenecks, performance trade-offs, and schedule alignment.
• Deliver high-quality releases on time with production-grade reliability. Escalate issues quickly, drive decisions, and maintain momentum in fast-moving environments.
• Help build scalable program frameworks that support modular platform growth, faster customer deployments, and continuous software-driven improvement.
• Bring structure and urgency without creating unnecessary process overhead.
• Travel: Up to 25%, primarily during late-stage builds, supplier work, and customer validation phases.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level