Senior/Staff Technical Program Manager - Simulation
Zoox
IT, Operations
Foster City, CA, USA
Posted on Apr 3, 2025
Zoox has embarked on a highly ambitious journey to develop a full-stack autonomous mobility solution for our cities. As a technical program manager, you will work cross-functionally with engineering leaders across software, hardware, vehicle engineering, and product to drive our corporate strategy into tactical and detailed road maps that facilitate effective execution at each stage of our growth curve. You will work with each engineering team to develop project schedules, identify milestones, flag risks, estimate budgets, and clearly communicate ongoing progress.
This role is focused on managing Simulation programs and working cross-functionally with partner teams across the organization. Simulation is essential for Zoox to rapidly iterate on our driving software and hardware, and to validate our safety before we drive in the real world. We create virtual worlds to challenge our robots, from real world data, entirely novel scenarios, or a combination of both. Our simulations need to run at a huge scale to cover everything that might happen, and to help prove our driving to be safe.
In this role, you will:
- Partner with engineering managers in the respective Simulation teams to translate the top-down corporate strategy and milestones into detailed product roadmaps, timelines, and deliverables
- Drive cross-functional teams across Simulation to build and execute on solutions for improving our simulations.
- Drive cross-functional programs with Simulation customer teams.
- Highlight potential risks and proactively build out risk-mitigating actions
- Build and deliver executive presentations on program status, issues/risks, and accomplishments
Qualifications
- BS or MS degree in computer science, engineering or equivalent job experience
- At least 8 years of experience in engineering, program management, or management consulting
- Experience developing real-time software in fields such as simulation, robotics, automotive, aviation, game development, traffic simulation, etc.
- Strong track record of managing complex cross-functional projects
- Deep familiarity with software development processes & proficiency in tools or processes required to manage complex projects (i.e. Gantt charts, risk matrix, Smartsheet, JIRA, etc.)
- Strong references that highlight your ability to build strong working relationships with senior leaders and engineers across functions and departments
- An ability to keep the big picture in focus and to provide clear, well-structured, and concise communications tailored to each appropriate audience.
Bonus Qualifications
- Experience in simulation for autonomy, robotics, or aerospace system validation: Experience (5+ years) managing simulation programs with a solid understanding of simulation as a technical domain. Familiarity with large scale simulation on cloud compute resources, simulation of agent behavior, sensor simulation, vehicle dynamics, synthetic data generation, simulation results tooling.
Compensation and Benefits
There are three major components to compensation for this position: salary, Amazon Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights. The salary will range from $203,000 to $273,000. A sign-on bonus may be part of a compensation package. Compensation will vary based on geographic location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.
Zoox also offers a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off (e.g. sick leave, vacation, bereavement), unpaid time off, Zoox Stock Appreciation Rights, Amazon RSUs, health insurance, long-term care insurance, long-term and short-term disability insurance, and life insurance.