Staff Technical Program Manager (IIX)

Cariad, Inc.•Mountain View, CA

15h•Hybrid

About The Position

We are CARIAD, an automotive software development team with the Volkswagen Group. Our mission is to make the automotive experience safer, more sustainable, more comfortable, more digital, and more fun. To achieve that we are building the leading tech stack for the automotive industry and creating a unified software platform for over 10 million new vehicles per year. We’re looking for talented, digital minds like you to help us create code that moves the world. Together with you, we’ll build outstanding digital experiences and products for all Volkswagen Group brands that will transform mobility. Join us as we shape the future of the car and everyone around it. Role Summary: The Staff Technical Program Manager is an individual contributor responsible for driving execution of one or more complex, cross-functional technical programs within a global portfolio. This role partners closely with engineering, product, integration, security, validation, and external stakeholders to align scope, manage dependencies, and ensure readiness for key milestones. The Staff TPM brings structure to ambiguous problems, builds durable delivery plans, proactively manages risk, and communicates status and tradeoffs clearly. The role may mentor peers through best-practice sharing on specific programs but primarily focuses on hands-on program ownership and predictable delivery.

Requirements

Strong cross-functional leadership with a track record of delivering complex programs with multiple stakeholders
Analytical and structured problem-solving; able to translate ambiguity into clear plans and measurable outcomes
Clear, concise communication (written, verbal, and executive-ready status updates)
Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills; able to drive alignment without direct authority
Comfortable operating in fast-paced, global environments across time zones and cultures
Proactive ownership mindset: anticipates risks, removes blockers, and drives accountability
Proven experience planning and executing global, cross-company technical programs across complex, multi-brand stakeholder ecosystems
Demonstrated ability to contribute to improving execution models in technology-driven environments without reliance on heavy governance structures
Strong fundamentals in program planning and execution techniques (e.g., dependency mapping, critical path analysis, risk and issue management)
Ability to synthesize complex program health, risks, and trade-offs into clear dashboards, KPIs, and executive-level summaries to influence decisions
Fluency in Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery methodologies, with judgment on when and how to apply each based on program need.
Experience with program tooling (e.g., Jira/Confluence, Smartsheet/MS Project, reporting dashboards)
8+ years of experience delivering complex technical programs (software and/or hardware-software)
3+ years in a program management office (PMO) or leadership capacity
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Product Management or related field

Nice To Haves

PMP, PgMP, SAFe, or other program management certifications.
Experience in automotive, mobility, or consumer software/hardware industries.
Experience building operational frameworks, escalation paths, and delivery processes at scale.
Proven success working across a parent company or alliance structure.
International work experience (especially across U.S. and Europe), with cultural fluency and excellent communication skills.
Master’s degree in Business Administration or Engineering Management

Responsibilities

Drives day-to-day coordination across engineering, product, hardware, software, security, and integration teams to ensure delivery accountability
Track progress against plan of record, ensuring clear ownership and timely closure of action items
Maintain logs and proactively identify delivery risks, technical gaps, and cross-team dependencies
Drive mitigation plans, tradeoff discussions, and escalation paths; unblock teams and align on decisions
Manage change control and scope adjustments with clear impact analysis (schedule/quality/resources)
Defines and drives clear program objectives and priorities aligned with organizational and vehicle program goals
Translate technical, organizational, and dependency complexity into clear delivery plans for senior and executive stakeholders
Owns program-level planning inputs related to scope, sequencing, milestones, and resource needs in collaboration with functional leaders
Identifies and manages cross-functional interdependencies, proactively addressing risks that may impact delivery or strategic outcomes
Coordinate readiness for major milestones (e.g., platform releases, integration events, validation gates)
Partner with integration/release and validation teams on entry/exit criteria, defect triage signals, and stabilization plans
Ensure teams are prepared for reviews with clear artifacts (plans, metrics, open issues, decision asks)
Provide program heath reporting: status, risks, trends, and recommended actions for stakeholders
Documents best practices and operating standards to enable consistent execution at scale Documents program practices/lessons learned and shares with TPM community
Uses advanced analytical judgment to evaluate outcomes, identify systemic issues, and drive improvements across the TPM organization