About this Head of Hardware TPM role at Kodiak
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.
Head of Hardware Technical Program Management
About the Role
We're looking for a Head of Hardware TPM to lead program management across our hardware organization, spanning sensor systems, compute, electrical/mechanical integration, and vehicle-level hardware platforms. You'll own the end-to-end execution rigor that gets hardware from concept through validation to fleet deployment, and you'll lead a team of 3 TPMs covering these programs. This is a leadership role reporting directly to the Director of Program, with high visibility across Engineering, Operations, and executive leadership.
What You'll Do
- Own the hardware program roadmap: schedules, milestones, dependencies, and risk tracking across concurrent hardware programs (sensors, compute, harnessing, vehicle integration, etc.)
- Lead and grow a team of 3 TPMs, setting standards for program rigor, reporting, and cross-functional communication, and developing them as they take on increasing scope
- Partner closely with Hardware Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Operations, and Safety/Compliance to de-risk programs before they become fire drills
- Drive design reviews, gate reviews, and change management processes (ECOs/ECRs) to keep programs moving without sacrificing quality
- Own escalation paths: identify blockers early, drive resolution, and know when to pull in leadership
- Create and maintain program-level visibility for executives: status reporting, risk registers, and roadmap health
- Set the strategic direction for hardware program management processes, tooling, and metrics org-wide (e.g., PLM systems, release processes)
- Represent hardware program status in cross-functional, executive, and customer-facing settings as needed
- Act as a key partner to hardware engineering leadership on org design, resourcing, and prioritization tradeoffs
What We're Looking For
- 10+ years in technical program management, with deep experience in hardware (mechanical, electrical, or systems-level), robotics, automotive, aerospace, or similar hardware-intensive industries strongly preferred
- 4+ years managing TPMs or program managers directly, with experience developing senior ICs
- Deep familiarity with hardware development lifecycles: DFM/DFA, EVT/DVT/PVT-style validation gates, ECO/PLM processes
- Proven track record shipping complex hardware systems on schedule at scale, with a bias toward identifying and killing risk early
- Excellent executive communication: able to distill complex, multi-workstream programs into clear risk/status narratives for leadership
- Comfortable owning ambiguous, high-stakes problems with no clean home
- Bonus: experience with autonomous vehicle systems, sensor hardware (lidar/radar/camera), or safety-critical hardware development
Why This Role Matters
Hardware programs are the backbone of getting real vehicles into the real world. This role will set the direction for how hardware program management scales as the org grows, balancing speed, quality, and risk across a widening portfolio of programs.
The pay range listed below reflects the base salary in our SF/Silicon Valley location, across several internal levels. Actual starting pay will be based on job-related factors including: work location, experience, relevant training, education, skill level and performance during interview. Total compensation at Kodiak includes base pay, equity, bonus and a competitive benefits package
