Technical Program Manager, Hardware

Karman•Ann Arbor, MI

4d•$125,000 - $160,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Karman is seeking a Technical Program Manager to support its hardware and on-device development teams. The role drives cross-functional initiatives and coordinates technical teams and business stakeholders to deliver complex projects aligned with strategic goals. The primary focus is physical product development, including hardware design, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing. The TPM owns the hardware development lifecycle from early concepts and prototyping through validation, manufacturing readiness, and production launch, partnering closely with the product team to ensure designs meet market specifications, customer requirements, and evolving product goals. The position is based onsite at Karman’s headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with flexibility for occasional remote work, and includes collaboration with remote teams across the country.

Requirements

At least 5 years of program or project management experience in a hardware-focused technical environment, or a combination of education and professional experience commensurate with this level.
Hands-on experience managing hardware development projects, including form-factor design, prototyping, EVT/DVT/PVT cycles, and manufacturing transitions.
Technical background in hardware engineering or product development, including experience with IoT and/or remote hardware devices with embedded software.
Ability to work with product teams to translate market requirements into hardware specifications.
Ability to apply and adapt agile methodologies to hardware development and rapid iteration.
Ability to manage multiple hardware programs simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
Exceptional communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to influence and lead cross-functional teams without direct authority.
Experience coordinating with operations and manufacturing teams to bring hardware products into production.
Proficiency with project management tools such as Jira, Trello, or Microsoft Project.
Willingness to travel up to 10% of the time.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical or business discipline.
Certifications such as PMP, CSM, or SAFe Agile.
Technical background or hands-on experience in software development or engineering.
Experience with consumer or industrial hardware form-factor development across multiple product generations.
Familiarity with supply chain management and contract manufacturer (CM) relationships.
Experience managing cloud-connected or large-scale IoT hardware deployments.
Familiarity with data analytics, machine learning, or AI-driven product initiatives.

Responsibilities

Define, implement, and optimize program management processes to improve cross-functional collaboration and delivery efficiency, particularly for hardware form-factor design, prototyping, and development.
Coordinate internal and external teams to manage risks involving component availability, form-factor feasibility, manufacturing defects, and physical testing.
Develop and monitor project plans, timelines, and performance metrics to align programs with organizational and market objectives.
Adapt and champion agile practices for hardware development to support rapid iteration and responsiveness to a changing market.
Work with engineering, product management, and operations to define technical requirements, priorities, and resource allocation across hardware programs.
Promote adoption of tools and frameworks that improve project tracking, stakeholder communication, and program delivery.
Track and report program metrics, including delivery timelines, prototype iteration cycles, priority shifts, resource utilization, and risk mitigation.
Facilitate communication and alignment across teams to identify and resolve bottlenecks, dependencies, and conflicts.
Own hardware development from concept and prototyping through validation, manufacturing readiness, and production launch.
Partner with product teams to ensure hardware designs meet market specifications, customer requirements, and product goals.