Head of Hardware TPM

Kodiak Robotics · Mountain View · 1 week ago

Seniority: C level
Category: Hardware
Experience: 4+ years
Visa sponsorship: Yes
Salary: USD 195,000 – 260,000 / year

Leads hardware technical program management at Kodiak Robotics, an autonomous trucking company — owning schedules, risk, and cross-functional execution for sensor, compute, and vehicle-integration hardware from concept through validation to fleet deployment. Centers on hardware development lifecycles (EVT/DVT/PVT, ECO/PLM) and managing a team of 3 TPMs.

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

California Pay Range

$195,000—$260,000 USD

At Kodiak, we strive to build a diverse community working towards our common company goals in a safe and collaborative environment where harassment of any kind is strictly prohibited. Kodiak is committed to equal opportunity employment regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law.

In alignment with its business operations, Kodiak adheres to all relevant statutes, regulations, and administrative prerequisites. Accordingly, roles that carry more sensitive requirements may be limited to candidates that can satisfy additional scrutiny and eligibility for such positions may hinge on verification of a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status. Should the position require, and Kodiak determines that a candidate’s residence, U.S. person status, and/or citizenship status necessitate an export license, bar the candidate from the position, or otherwise fall under national security-related restrictions, Kodiak will consider the candidate for alternative positions unaffected by such restrictions, under terms and conditions set forth at Kodiak’s sole discretion, or, as an alternative, opt not to proceed with the candidate’s application. If applicable, Kodiak may provide visa sponsorship for eligible candidates.

We use a third-party AI tool (Endorsed) to assist in the initial screening of applications. As part of the evaluation process, we provide Endorsed with job requirements and candidate-submitted applications. Final hiring decisions are made by our human recruitment team, and no automated system makes the ultimate decision regarding hiring. Certain features of the platform may qualify it as an Automated Employment Decision Tool (AEDT) under applicable regulations. We began using Endorsed on January 1, 2026. You can review the independent bias audit report covering our use of Endorsed [here](). By submitting your application, you acknowledge that your application may be processed by AI systems as part of the screening and selection process. If you have any questions or would like to request a separate review of your application, please contact [email protected] with "Separate Review Request" in the email subject line.

Head of Hardware TPM

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