Software Program Manager

Owl Labs•Boston, MA

5d•$130,000 - $150,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Owl Labs is seeking a Software Program Manager to lead complex software programs from discovery and planning through development, validation, launch, and ongoing support. The role works across Software Engineering, Firmware, Hardware, Quality Assurance, Product Management, Operations, and external partners to deliver high-quality products on schedule and within scope. The position owns end-to-end program planning and coordinates software development and Agile processes, while aligning schedules across hardware, firmware, cloud, and application development. It also oversees Jira configuration and reporting, cross-functional communication, risk management, release validation, certification submissions, and factory handoffs. The role is hybrid; Owl Labs is based in Boston, Massachusetts, and has a workforce that is over 40% remote.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Business, or a related field.
At least 5 years of software project or program management experience delivering complex technology products.
Advanced hands-on experience configuring and managing Jira and related collaboration tools.
Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional engineering teams and maintaining accountability without direct authority.
In-depth understanding of Agile/Scrum methodologies, Waterfall, or hybrid release frameworks.
Strong organizational and planning skills, including the ability to manage multiple initiatives, dependencies, and priorities.
A data-driven approach to tracking progress, identifying risks, and improving delivery predictability.
Clear communication and facilitation skills to align technical teams, external partners, and leadership.
Ability to establish accountability, resolve competing priorities, and keep complex programs moving forward.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PMI-ACP, Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), or Jira Administrator certification.
Experience with embedded software, firmware, and connected hardware devices.
Experience managing hardware/software co-development, stage-gate processes, or New Product Introduction (NPI) workflows.
Technical background in software development or systems engineering.

Responsibilities

Own program planning, including scope, integrated schedules, milestones, dependencies, and deliverables across multiple software development initiatives.
Align software schedules with hardware, firmware, cloud, and application development milestones, including EVT, DVT, PVT, Alpha, Beta, Code Freeze, Certification, and Launch.
Coordinate the Agile software development lifecycle, including sprint planning and backlog refinement, and partner with Product Management and Engineering leadership to maintain prioritized backlogs.
Track team velocity, capacity, blocked work, and release readiness to maintain a predictable delivery cadence.
Configure and maintain Jira project structures, workflows, epics, components, labels, and releases as the Jira subject matter expert.
Build Jira dashboards and Structure views to monitor burndown and burnup, velocity, cycle time, release progress, defect trends, and schedule risk.
Coordinate communication across Software Engineering, QA, Operations, Manufacturing, and third-party partners or labs.
Facilitate decisions and align priorities when technical, scheduling, or resource conflicts arise.
Communicate program health, critical blockers, root-cause assessments, and mitigation options to leadership and key stakeholders.
Identify dependencies, technical risks, thermal and hardware/software integration issues, and critical-path blockers.
Coordinate release validation, efforts to reduce QA regressions, partner or platform certification submissions, and factory handoffs.