Senior Technical Program Manager, Issue Management
Zoox
IT, Operations
Foster City, CA, USA
Posted on Sep 17, 2025
The Program Management Office (PMO) at Zoox is responsible for driving cross-functional program planning and execution at the highest level. We partner with leaders from across the company in vehicle development, system design, software engineering, manufacturing, fleet operations, and business functions to develop and deliver major corporate milestones on the path to launch and beyond.
Our program managers contribute to the end-to-end success of technical, integrated product milestones involving both of our vehicle platforms - the Toyota Highlander test fleet and Zoox’s purpose-built robotaxi. PMO has teams focusing on AI & Autonomy, Robot Platform Development, Testing & Performance, and Service/Product readiness. All roles are deeply cross-functional, collaborative, and interdisciplinary.
The Senior Program Manager, Process & Tools in PMO will work closely with the PMO leadership team and cross-functional partners to drive the quarterly planning effort. The person in the role will define planning deliverables and provide guidance on planning scope, identifying interdependencies across teams and top program risks to ensure the execution of the Zoox roadmap and delivery of critical milestones. This role has high visibility within the senior executive team at Zoox.
In this role, you will:
- Drive company quarterly planning effort including getting leadership buy-in, defining planning deliverables with other functional program managers, and providing guidance and ongoing education on planning scope as well as interdependency and risk tracking
- Support the effort to build and scale Zoox-wide processes and tools to support the planning effort while maintaining a strong technical understanding of our vehicle platforms, software lifecycle, safety release process, and test operations.
- Drive issue management efforts to resolution, coordinating cross-functional teams to diagnose root causes, implement solutions, and develop preventive measures to minimize future occurrences
- Develop and maintain standard reports to provide concise and effective communications to key stakeholders on program status, issues/risks, dependencies, and accomplishments
- Comfortable leading in a gray space and enabling teams to deliver tangible results
- Propose key decisions working cross-functionally across engineering, operations, finance, and strategy and other teams to reach the right conclusions
- Define KPIs and other methods to measure metrics that best translate progress towards goals
- Interface with stakeholders and leadership and exercise judgment and discretion to develop solutions to remove obstacles and redefine approaches.
Requirements
- BS or MS degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience
- 8+ years of experience in engineering, program management, or management consulting with a focus on process rollouts and product launches
- Success in driving complex SW/HW integration processes and optimizations, and leading complex cross-functional programs end to end
- Proficient in tools or processes required to manage complex projects (i.e. Gantt charts, risk matrices, Smartsheet, JIRA, issue and ticket management, etc.)
- Excellent written, presentation and verbal communication skills are a must, ability to create visualizations of KPIs and program risks
Bonus Requirements
- PMP or equivalent
- Experience with autonomous vehicles, test platforms, simulation, and/or automotive or aerospace processes is highly desired
- Experience with developing and scaling strategy, processes, plans, procedures, reporting and handling escalations
- Strong references that highlight your ability to build strong working relationships with senior leaders, program managers, and engineers across functions and departments
- Experience using AI tools to improve process efficiency
About Zoox
Zoox is developing the first ground-up, fully autonomous vehicle fleet and the supporting ecosystem required to bring this technology to market. Sitting at the intersection of robotics, machine learning, and design, Zoox aims to provide the next generation of mobility-as-a-service in urban environments. We’re looking for top talent that shares our passion and wants to be part of a fast-moving and highly execution-oriented team.
Accommodations
If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process please reach out to accommodations@zoox.com or your assigned recruiter.
A Final Note:
You do not need to match every listed expectation to apply for this position. Here at Zoox, we know that diverse perspectives foster the innovation we need to be successful, and we are committed to building a team that encompasses a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and skills.