About this opportunity
Ixana lists this Lead Technical Program Manager, Reference Platforms opportunity in west lafayette, Indiana. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
The Role:
We're hiring the person who makes Ixana's silicon tangible — the Lead TPM for Reference Platforms, owning complete customer-ready reference designs and dev kits from product definition and prototypes through validation, pilot manufacturing, release, and shipment.
Accountability spans chip boundary to reliable customer use: boards, sensors, firmware, SDKs, host software, mechanical systems, power, test infrastructure, documentation, supply chain, and manufacturing. This isn't schedule-tracking — you need system-level depth to spot integration risks, frame tradeoffs, drive decisions, and help engineering close hard issues. At Ixana, a demo isn't a release: a release is reproducible hardware, stable firmware/software, validated performance, complete developer docs, and a repeatable build/test process.
What You’ll Do
Own the integrated roadmap, requirements, milestones, critical path, resource dependencies, and release criteria across multiple concurrent programs
Translate product objectives and silicon capabilities into system-level requirements spanning electrical hardware, firmware, embedded software, mechanical design, applications, test, and operations
Coordinate silicon, board revisions, firmware, SDKs, sample apps, enclosures, accessories, documentation, and manufacturing builds into one executable plan
Define and run development gates (architecture closure, prototype builds, EVT/DVT/PVT or equivalent) per platform
Establish configuration and change control across hardware, firmware, software, SDKs, manufacturing files, and customer docs
Lead build readiness with suppliers/CMs — BOM readiness, component availability, DFM/DFT, assembly, programming, calibration, fixtures, end-of-line test, unit traceability
Own system verification and release criteria: functionality, power, performance, reliability, usability, interoperability, manufacturability
Drive cross-functional issue resolution with clear owners, root-cause plans, decision deadlines, and escalation paths
Ensure every release ships the full developer package: validated hardware, firmware, SDK/API, host tools, sample apps, schematics, BOM, build info, test results, release notes, known issues, troubleshooting
Partner with applications engineering and customer-facing teams on early feedback, demos, design-ins, and real-world platform readiness
Run concise program/exec reviews covering status, risks, decisions needed, schedule exposure, and recovery plans
Build a repeatable reference-platform process that scales Ixana's launches without adding unnecessary overhead
What We're Looking For
Preferred:
8+ years developing complex hardware/embedded systems, with substantial cross-functional program execution responsibility
Track record taking multiple hardware products from definition/prototype through validation, manufacturing introduction, and external shipment
Strong technical foundation in EE, computer engineering, embedded systems, systems engineering, test engineering, or related discipline
Able to read and reason through schematics, block diagrams, interface specs, power budgets, BOMs, validation data, manufacturing reports, and failure analyses
Experience coordinating hardware, firmware, software, mechanical, test, manufacturing, and supply-chain deliverables within one program
Direct NPI experience: prototype/pilot builds, DFM, DFT, contract manufacturers, suppliers, test fixtures, calibration, production-line validation
Experience with tightly coupled hardware/firmware products, not independent HW/SW schedules
Strong technical judgment on when issues need deeper investigation, a tradeoff, a process change, more resources, or escalation
Clear written/verbal communication with engineers, suppliers, customers, and senior leadership
Comfortable in early-stage environments — evolving requirements, constrained resources, building the operating system rather than inheriting one
Willing to travel to supplier, manufacturing, partner, and customer locations as needed
Most successful candidates will have started their careers in an engineering role before moving into technical program leadership
Required:
Experience in one or more of the following areas would be valuable -
Smart glasses, AR/VR systems, wearable cameras, or spatial-computing hardware
Smart rings, earbuds, watches, patches, or other highly constrained wearable products
Electrophysiology or biosensing products, including ECG, EMG, EEG, or EOG systems
Low-power wireless systems, sensors, battery-powered devices, or camera data pipelines
Semiconductor evaluation boards, developer kits, reference designs, SDKs, or applications engineering
Medical, consumer-electronics, robotics, automotive, or other multidisciplinary hardware programs
Test automation, data acquisition, Python-based validation, or manufacturing diagnostics
What Success Looks Like:
Within your first year -
Ixana operates from a single, credible, integrated roadmap across all reference designs and developer kits
Every program has clear requirements, named technical owners, defined release gates, decision deadlines, and measurable acceptance criteria
Reference platforms ship as complete, customer-ready products — not isolated engineering demos
Hardware, firmware, software, documentation, test, and supply-chain readiness converge at release, rather than being tracked as separate, disconnected efforts
Critical risks surface early, decisions get made fast, and engineering spends less time firefighting avoidable integration surprises
Ixana has a repeatable, scalable system for developing and releasing its next generation of reference platforms
Compensation & Benefits
Base Salary: $180,000 - $250,000 per annum ≈ $340k - $480k Bay Area equivalent after cost of living
Equity: Early-stage equity package
Cash Bonus: 8–30% performance-based bonus
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) retirement plan with company match
5 days/week in office with flexible work arrangements and generous PTO
Relocation support for qualified applicants
Professional development opportunities and conference attendance
Patent development and technology leadership opportunities
Immigration and work visa support (for those already in the U.S. on a valid work permit)
Why Join Us
Sits at the intersection of semiconductor innovation, wireless systems, wearables, biosensing, and physical AI
Unusually broad ownership — end-to-end accountability rather than a narrow slice of the program
Direct collaboration with engineering and company leadership to define what products built around a new communication platform should look like
The products you release will be the first way many developers, customers, and partners experience Wi-R
Keywords:
Technical Program Management, Hardware Development, NPI, Embedded Systems, Wearables, Hardware Validation, Manufacturing, Firmware, Wireless Systems, Reference Platforms, Supply Chain
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Worksite address
west lafayette, IN, 47907, US
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.