Staff Technical Program Manager, Driverless Highway Launch

Kodiak•Mountain View, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 and has become a leader in autonomous ground transportation committed to a safer and more efficient future for all. The company has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) powered technology stack purpose-built for commercial trucking and the public sector. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the southern United States using its autonomous technology. In 2024, Kodiak became the first known company to publicly announce delivering a driverless semi-truck to a customer. Kodiak is also leveraging its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. Kodiak is launching driverless operations on public highways by the end of year — and we need the TPM who gets us there. This is a high-stakes, high-visibility role with one north star: get the truck on the highway, without a driver, safely and on schedule. You'll partner with Systems Engineering, Safety and the Autonomy Teams to drive execution of our Functional Safety (FuSA) and SOTIF programs and the Safety Case that underpins them — keeping every workstream on track on the critical path to driverless highway deployment. You'll run the cross-functional program cadence, drive how we verify and document software, and push every workstream to move faster without cutting corners. You'll also find smarter ways to execute — including using AI tools wherever they give us an edge. Launch is the milestone, not the finish line. After we go driverless, the next chapter is expanding our Operational Design Domain — and you'll lead that too. This role demands someone who is deeply execution-driven, technically fluent in software, willing to learn safety standards, and energized by the challenge of building something with real impact.

Requirements

Experience: 5+ years in technical program management, with a track record of shipping safety-critical systems on deadline — not just tracking them
Background: Bachelor's or Master's in Automotive Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field
Safety-first, Execution-Second: You make the plan, set the dates, and hold people to them. You're comfortable with urgency and thrive when the stakes are high; however, you will help us hold the line if the conditions for launch are not safe enough — this is the most important thing
Software fluency: You understand how software is built, tested, and verified. You can speak credibly with engineers about SW architecture, verification methods, and what "done" means
Innovation orientation: You've used AI tools, automation, or novel approaches to get programs done faster. You look for leverage, not just headcount
Industry knowledge: Experience in autonomous vehicles, automotive, trucking, aerospace, medical devices, or any domain where software safety and reliability are non-negotiable
Program management toolkit: JIRA/Linear, Lucidchart, or equivalent — you know your tools and use them well
Communication: You can walk an engineer through a traceability gap and brief a CTO on launch readiness in the same afternoon

Nice To Haves

Safety standards: Familiarity with ISO 26262, UL 4600, or ISO 21448 (SOTIF) is a plus — but not a requirement. If you're a fast learner who can get up to speed quickly, we'll teach you what you need to know

Responsibilities

Drive to Driverless: ISO 26262 & ISO 21448 Execution
Manage and drive the critical path from safety goals to driverless highway launch
Partner with systems and software leads to adapt features and architecture to meet ISO 26262/ISO 21448 requirements on the path to driverless
Hold the team accountable: get date commitments and track execution weekly
Safety Case Ownership
Support the Safety team in building and maintaining the Safety Case — the structured argument that our system is acceptably safe for driverless highway operations
Ensure that the Safety Case stays current as the system evolves, capturing evidence from testing, validation, and hazard analysis
Own the connection between the Safety Case and every other safety artifact: goals, requirements, verification results, and release decisions
Make the Safety Case a living, useful document — not a shelf artifact
SW Verification & Documentation
Ensure the team follows the processes to check software, verify that it works, and document it for safety-critical driverless operations
Build rigor without bureaucracy — the process should accelerate launch, not slow it down
Innovation & Efficiency
Use AI tools and automation to move faster — assist engineers with requirements gap analysis, documentation, traceability tracking, reporting, wherever it helps
Identify and eliminate inefficiencies in the safety and compliance workflow; introduce tooling, templates, and dashboards that scale
Set the example for how a modern safety program runs
Stakeholder Communication & Leadership
Deliver crisp, regular updates to leadership — balancing technical depth with executive clarity
Identify risks proactively and resolve cross-team blockers before they become launch blockers

Benefits

Competitive compensation package including equity and annual bonuses
Excellent Medical, Dental, and Vision plans through Kaiser Permanente, Cigna, and MetLife (including a medical plan with infertility benefits)
MetLife Legal Services, Identity & Fraud Protection, Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Accident Insurance, & Critical Illness Insurance
Flexible PTO, 10 paid holidays, and generous parental leave policies
Our office is centrally located in Mountain View, CA
Office perks: dog-friendly, free catered lunch, a fully stocked kitchen, and free EV charging
Long Term Disability, Short Term Disability, Life Insurance
Wellbeing Benefits - Headspace through Cigna, Calm through Kaiser, One Medical, Gympass, Spring Health through Cigna, Rula (mental health navigation)
Fidelity 401(k)
Commuter, FSA, Dependent Care FSA, HSA
Various incentive programs (referral bonuses, patent bonuses, etc.)