About this opportunity
Skill lists this Technical Program Manager opportunity in foster city, California. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Overview
Placement Type:
Temporary
Salary:
$ Hourly
Start Date:
Oct 6, 2026
Duration:
6 Months
Aquent is partnering with a pioneering company that is revolutionizing transportation through cutting-edge autonomous technology. This innovative leader is shaping the future of mobility by developing next-generation autonomous systems that prioritize performance, reliability, and safety. Join a team at the forefront of innovation, where your expertise will directly contribute to bringing groundbreaking autonomous vehicles to life.
Are you ready to lead the charge in bringing groundbreaking autonomous vehicles to life? This pivotal role offers an unparalleled opportunity to drive innovation from concept to production, bridging the critical gap between hardware and software in advanced autonomous systems. You will directly influence the performance, reliability, and safety of next-generation autonomous systems by owning the end-to-end program management for embedded firmware development across multiple vehicle systems. This is your chance to be instrumental in ensuring critical components like sensor and perception hardware, compute-platform BSPs, bootloaders, and infotainment ECUs are brought to fruition, navigating the entire product lifecycle from initial requirements to successful production release and ongoing sustaining efforts.
Key Responsibilities
Own end-to-end program management for embedded firmware development across multiple vehicle systems.
Build and drive comprehensive firmware release plans, including feature freeze, code complete, integration, validation, and final sign-off.
Synchronize firmware deliverables seamlessly with hardware build events, including EVT, DVT, and PVT.
Coordinate complex dependencies across hardware, firmware, software, systems engineering, functional safety, validation, manufacturing, procurement, and vehicle development teams.
Ensure bootloaders, drivers, diagnostics, and test firmware are meticulously prepared and ready for hardware bring-up.
Lead critical manufacturing firmware activities, including factory flashing, provisioning, secure-key injection, end-of-line testing, version control, and contract manufacturer coordination.
Manage release strategy, defect triage, defect burn-down, rigorous change control, and ensure production readiness.
Proactively identify program risks early and drive robust mitigation plans to successful completion.
Provide clear, concise updates to engineering teams, cross-functional partners, and senior leadership, fostering transparency and alignment.
Establish structured processes and reporting methods that significantly improve execution across fast-moving and ambitious programs.
Required Qualifications
6+ years of Technical Program Management or Engineering Program Management experience specifically supporting firmware or embedded software programs.
Demonstrated experience successfully taking embedded products from initial requirements through bring-up, validation, and production release.
Direct experience managing firmware in a manufacturing environment, including factory flashing, provisioning, end-of-line testing, and firmware version control through a contract manufacturer.
Proven experience owning embedded software release management and defect triage, including branching strategy, code freezes, release criteria, and sign-off processes.
Strong experience coordinating highly interdependent hardware, firmware, software, functional safety, validation, and systems engineering teams.
Background in automotive, consumer electronics, or similarly complex hardware products is strongly preferred.
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline-or equivalent relevant experience.
Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Jira, Confluence, and Gantt-based program planning.
Familiarity with Git-based development workflows and continuous integration systems.
Excellent communication, organization, risk management, and stakeholder-influence skills.
Ability to remain highly effective and adaptable during rapid development cycles and periods of ambiguity.
Preferred Qualifications
In-depth knowledge of SoC or MCU bring-up, bootloaders, secure boot, Linux BSPs, and device drivers.
Familiarity with sensor interfaces such as MIPI/CSI, SerDes, Ethernet, SPI, and I2C.
Experience with time synchronization, diagnostics, OTA or field updates, and robust firmware change control processes.
Experience managing silicon, sensor, or module vendors against demanding BSP and SDK delivery schedules.
Experience leading at least two complete product-development cycles involving tightly integrated hardware, firmware, and software.
Experience supporting mass production and post-production sustaining programs.
Autonomous vehicle, automotive, aerospace, or advanced test-platform experience.
PMP certification or an advanced engineering degree.
This is an excellent opportunity for a firmware-focused individual who thrives on influencing without formal authority, expertly managing highly interconnected technical dependencies, and bringing essential structure to ambitious engineering programs that are shaping the future of mobility.
Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.