Principal/Staff Technical Program Manager, Engineering

Simbe Robotics • San Francisco Bay Area, CA

1d

About The Position

Simbe is hiring a Technical Program Manager to coordinate complex programs for Tally, its autonomous shelf-scanning robot. Tally combines a ROS-based robotics platform with edge and cloud AI/computer vision, a cloud data platform, and retailer-facing reporting systems. The role connects hardware, on-robot software, AI models, cloud systems, and retail-facing products across multiple hardware generations and product lines.

The person in this role owns cross-functional delivery for high-stakes programs, including new Tally generation launches, fleet-wide software and hardware migrations, and large retail rollouts with firm external dates. They establish integration checkpoints, clarify completion criteria and ownership, surface and manage technical risks, and lead deployment readiness through the handoff from engineering to a live, stable store deployment. They drive execution across teams without owning the technical roadmap or making architecture decisions, and build only the processes and cadence needed to reduce delivery friction.

Within the first 30 days, the Technical Program Manager is expected to build a dependency graph for the two highest-priority programs, document risks to the nearest hard external date, and establish a lightweight cross-functional review cadence. The role offers a base salary of $165,000–$230,000 per year. Total compensation may also include equity and other benefits; plan details are provided to candidates who receive an offer.

Requirements

• Hands-on experience personally building, integrating, or debugging a complex product spanning physical hardware and robotics software.
• Depth in at least one of hardware/robotics software (ROS or comparable middleware) or cloud/data platforms, and real fluency across the other domains.
• Ability to drive discussions and execution among engineers who do not report to you.
• Track record delivering programs where hardware or software delays have real-world consequences, such as customer sites, deployed fleets, or fixed external dates.

Responsibilities

• Own cross-functional schedules for major programs, including new Tally generation launches, fleet-wide software and hardware migrations, and large retail rollouts with hard external dates.
• Define integration checkpoints across hardware and ROS, edge computer-vision model deployment, cloud-side model updates and data pipelines, and backend reporting for retailers.
• For each integration checkpoint, define completion criteria, ownership, and responses to schedule slips.
• Own end-to-end deployment readiness and the handoff from engineering to field deployment, ensuring programs are live and stable in stores.
• Map dependencies, establish a cross-functional review cadence, and maintain a technically defensible list of top risks for leadership.
• Build a dependency graph spanning hardware, embedded software, cloud/data platform, and AI/computer vision for the two highest-priority programs during the first 30 days.
• Identify and document risks to the nearest hard external date with sufficient detail for engineering leads to validate.
• Establish a lightweight cross-functional review cadence using substantive inputs from each function.
• Guide cross-functional decisions and shape estimates through technical insight and collaborative problem-solving.
• Build systems and cadence that reduce reliance on a small number of people going above and beyond, without adding unnecessary process.

Benefits

• Equity compensation may be included in the total compensation package.
• A full range of medical, financial, and other benefits may be available; details are provided if an employee receives an offer.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed