Staff Technical Program Manager, NPI – Operations

Agility Robotics

Staff Technical Program Manager leading New Product Implementation governance at Agility Robotics. Managing cross-functional processes from concept through production in hardware development.

Posted 6/1/2026full-timeSalem • California, Oregon • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $166,000 - $259,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and own the New Product Implementation Process that is right for Agility — from phase gate structure and entry/exit criteria through readiness reviews and formal decision records.
Prepare and lead gate readiness assessments for leadership. These are data driven conclusions on whether the program is ready to proceed.
Define and enforce governance cadence across programs: regular execution reviews, risk reviews, executive briefings, and rapid-resolution forums when issues escalate. Distill updates into a simple story for Executive Leadership Team (ELT) updates.
Maintain a decision log for every material phase gate decision — what was decided, who decided it, what alternatives were considered, and what evidence supported the call.
Champion continuous improvement of the process itself. Drive lessons learned at each phase gate and feed them back into the process.
Ensure requirements are defined, documented, and validated before programs advance through phase gates.
Work with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and other teams as needed to surface and resolve requirement gaps early, before they become schedule or quality problems.
Translate business and operational needs into structured requirements that program teams and technical leads can act on without coming back for clarification.
Drive DFx requirements into the design process at the right phase.
Own and maintain the integrated program schedule across active development programs.
Own the risk register: identification, structured assessment, response planning, and active monitoring. Know which risks are heating up before leadership asks.
Drive formal change control — evaluate schedule and scope impact before changes are accepted and maintain full traceability.
Serve as the primary voice on PDP status, phase gate readiness, and program risk to leadership.
Establish a unified assessment and executive level update representing the state of health of the program. Identify and highlight critical dependencies across multiple activities that have material impact to program trajectory and attainment.
Represent PDP governance in cross-functional program reviews and leadership forums.
Identify gaps in how the NPI ramp process is understood and applied across teams and drive targeted interventions — training, documentation, tooling, or governance changes — to close them. Execute to a Fit-for-Purpose plan that ensures cross functional orchestration as well coincident with rigorous execution.
Build and maintain the program management playbook for the NPI ramp process at Agility: templates, gate checklists, risk frameworks, and decision tools that the organization can rely on.
Partner with Engineering and Operations leadership to ensure the NPI process is treated as a functional requirement of the business.

Requirements

What you’ll need

10 - 12 years of direct hands on experience working in a cross functional Technical Program Management role launching complex integrated hardware/software products in the automotive, robotics, consumer electronics, or aerospace industries
You have significant experience managing hardware product development programs — across phase gates, EVT/DVT/PVT cycles, manufacturing readiness, and cross-functional execution — and can demonstrate a track record of programs that shipped.
You have owned a phase gate process, not just participated in one. You know what good entry/exit criteria look like, what a credible evidence package requires, and how to hold a gate review that delivers results.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience. Advanced Degree preferred.
You are comfortable owning work across different program types. NPI governance is your primary domain, but you can pick up an operational program.
You work well and influence at all levels of the organization—from peers to VPs.
You operate autonomously. You can absorb a complex, in-flight program environment, build your own situational awareness, and start driving outcomes from day 1.
You influence without authority. You have held cross-functional teams accountable to process in environments where you had no direct control over their work, and you know how to do it in a way that builds credibility rather than burning it.
You communicate clearly and precisely — in writing, in reviews, and in executive forums — and you adjust your framing based on who is in the room and what decision they need to make.
You have direct experience in hardware-focused environments: robotics, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, defense, or complex consumer electronics. You understand how physical products are built and what makes development programs succeed or fail.

Benefits

Comp & perks

401(k) Plan: Includes a 6% company match.
Equity: Company stock options.
Insurance Coverage: 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, and short/long-term disability insurance for employees.
Benefit Start Date: Eligible for benefits on your first day of employment.
Well-Being Support: Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
Time Off:
Exempt Employees: Flexible, unlimited PTO and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown.
Non-Exempt Employees: 10 vacation days, paid sick leave, and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown, annually.
On-Site Perks: Catered lunches four times a week and a variety of healthy snacks and refreshments at our Salem and Pittsburgh locations.
Parental Leave: Generous paid parental leave programs.
Work Environment: A culture that supports flexible work arrangements.
Growth Opportunities: Professional development and tuition reimbursement programs.
Relocation Assistance: Provided for eligible roles.
Annual Discretionary Bonus: Provided for eligible roles.

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Hard Skills & Tools

Technical Program ManagementPhase Gate ProcessEVT/DVT/PVT CyclesRisk ManagementRequirements DefinitionChange ControlContinuous ImprovementDecision MakingProgram SchedulingGovernance Cadence

Soft Skills

Influencing without authorityClear communicationCross-functional collaborationAutonomous operationSituational awarenessLeadershipProblem-solvingTraining and documentationStakeholder engagementAdaptability

Certifications

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer ScienceBachelor’s Degree in Mechanical EngineeringBachelor’s Degree in Electrical EngineeringAdvanced Degree (preferred)