Staff Technical Program Manager, NPI & Operations

Agility Robotics•Salem, OR

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

Agility Robotics is building humanoid robots at scale, and the rigor of how they develop them matters as much as the technology itself. As Senior Technical Program Manager, NPI, you will shape company-level investments by owning the end-to-end governance of how Agility takes hardware from concept through production. This includes defining and facilitating the Product Development Process (PDP), ensuring cross-functional teams understand their role, driving requirements discipline, and making sure gate reviews are based on evidence. Reporting to the Senior Director of Program Management, you will operate within the Operations PM team as the primary owner of NPI program governance. This role is ideal for someone who can quickly build situational awareness in a complex hardware program and start driving outcomes within weeks. You will need to earn credibility with engineers, hold teams accountable to deliverables, and be recognized as the face of the program.

Requirements

10 - 12 years of direct hands-on experience working in a cross-functional Technical Program Management role launching complex integrated hardware/software products in the automotive, robotics, consumer electronics, or aerospace industries.
Significant experience managing hardware product development programs across phase gates, EVT/DVT/PVT cycles, manufacturing readiness, and cross-functional execution, with a track record of shipped programs.
Experience owning a phase gate process, understanding good entry/exit criteria, credible evidence packages, and conducting effective gate reviews.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience.
Comfortable owning work across different program types, including NPI governance and operational programs.
Ability to work well and influence at all levels of the organization, from peers to VPs.
Ability to operate autonomously, build situational awareness in complex, in-flight programs, and drive outcomes from day 1.
Ability to influence without authority and hold cross-functional teams accountable to process in environments without direct control, building credibility.
Clear and precise communication skills in writing, reviews, and executive forums, with the ability to adjust framing based on the audience and decision needs.
Direct experience in hardware-focused environments: robotics, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or complex consumer electronics.
Understanding of how physical products are built and what makes development programs succeed or fail.

Nice To Haves

Experience with humanoid robotics, autonomous systems, or other complex multi-disciplinary hardware-software-firmware programs.
Deep understanding of high-tech discrete manufacturing from supply planning to final assembly, test, and pack out.
Knowledge of supplier readiness and supplier management.
Industrial Engineering, fabrication and assembly process knowledge, and electromechanical systems integration.
Familiarity with PLM tools (Arena, Windchill, or equivalent) and their role in BOM and Configuration Change Control.
Experience in capacity planning, yield management, and cost optimization.
PMP or PgMP certification, or equivalent demonstrated program management rigor.
Experience standing up or significantly maturing a PDP or NPI process in a high growth environment.
Experience using the Atlassian suite or equivalent tools for program tracking, project management, collaboration, and documentation at scale.
Ability to travel up to 35%, potentially including international supplier visits.

Responsibilities

Design and own the New Product Implementation Process (NPI Process) for Agility, including phase gate structure, entry/exit criteria, readiness reviews, and decision records.
Prepare and lead gate readiness assessments for leadership, providing data-driven conclusions on program readiness.
Define and enforce governance cadence across programs, including execution reviews, risk reviews, executive briefings, and rapid-resolution forums.
Distill complex program updates into simple, clear stories for Executive Leadership Team (ELT) updates.
Maintain a decision log for all material phase gate decisions, documenting what was decided, who decided it, alternatives considered, and supporting evidence.
Champion continuous improvement of the NPI process by driving lessons learned at each phase gate and feeding them back into the process.
Ensure requirements are defined, documented, and validated before programs advance through phase gates.
Work with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and other teams to identify and resolve requirement gaps early.
Translate business and operational needs into structured requirements for program teams and technical leads.
Drive DFx (Design for X) requirements into the design process at the appropriate phase.
Own and maintain the integrated program schedule across active development programs.
Own the risk register, including identification, structured assessment, response planning, and active monitoring.
Drive formal change control, evaluating schedule and scope impact before changes are accepted and maintaining full traceability.
Serve as the primary voice on PDP status, phase gate readiness, and program risk to leadership.
Establish a unified assessment and executive-level update representing the program's state of health.
Identify and highlight critical dependencies across multiple activities that impact program trajectory.
Represent PDP governance in cross-functional program reviews and leadership forums.
Identify gaps in NPI ramp process understanding and application across teams and drive interventions (training, documentation, tooling, governance changes).
Execute to a Fit-for-Purpose plan ensuring cross-functional orchestration and rigorous execution.
Build and maintain the program management playbook for the NPI ramp process, including templates, gate checklists, risk frameworks, and decision tools.
Partner with Engineering and Operations leadership to ensure the NPI process is treated as a functional requirement of the business.

Benefits

401(k) Plan with a 6% company match
Company stock options
100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, and short/long-term disability insurance for employees
Benefits eligible on the first day of employment
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Flexible, unlimited PTO for Exempt Employees
12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown
10 vacation days, paid sick leave, and 12 company holidays for Non-Exempt Employees
Catered lunches four times a week
Variety of healthy snacks and refreshments
Generous paid parental leave programs
Professional development programs
Tuition reimbursement programs
Relocation assistance for eligible roles
Annual discretionary bonus for eligible roles