Staff Technical Program Manager, NPI at Agility Robotics

Hybrid- Salem, OR or Fremont, CAFull-timeOperationsPosted 10 days ago

About the Role

<div class="content-intro">Agility’s commercially deployed humanoids operate alongside teams in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and distribution centers—tackling physically demanding and repetitive tasks while enabling workers to focus on higher-value work. With industry-leading safety standards and years of proven deployment data, we're pioneering a new era of automation that enhances human potential.</div><h1>About the Role</h1> Agility Robotics is building humanoid robots at scale — and the rigor of how we develop them matters as much as the technology itself. As Senior Technical Program Manager, NPI, you will shape company-level investments by owning the end-to-end governance of how Agility takes hardware from concept through production: defining and facilitating the Product Development Process (PDP), ensuring cross-functional teams understand their role in it, driving requirements discipline at every phase, and making sure gate reviews happen on evidence, not momentum. Reporting to the Senior Director of Program Management, you will operate within the Operations PM team as the primary owner of NPI program governance. This role is right for someone who has walked into a live, complex hardware program, built situational awareness fast, and started driving outcomes within weeks. You will need to earn credibility with engineers, hold teams accountable to deliverables, and be recognized as the face of the program. <h1>About the Work</h1> <h2>NPI Process Development & Phase Gate Governance</h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Prepare and lead gate readiness assessments for leadership. These are data driven conclusions on whether the program is ready to proceed.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Champion continuous improvement of the process itself. Drive lessons learned at each phase gate and feed them back into the process.</li> </ul> <h2>Requirements Definition & Cross-Functional Alignment</h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Ensure requirements are defined, documented, and validated before programs advance through phase gates.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Translate business and operational needs into structured requirements that program teams and technical leads can act on without coming back for clarification.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Drive DFx requirements into the design process at the right phase.</li> </ul> <h2>Schedule & Risk Management</h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Own and maintain the integrated program schedule across active development programs.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Own the risk register: identification, structured assessment, response planning, and active monitoring. Know which risks are heating up before leadership asks.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Drive formal change control — evaluate schedule and scope impact before changes are accepted and maintain full traceability.</li> </ul> <h2>Stakeholder Communication & Influence</h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Serve as the primary voice on PDP status, phase gate readiness, and program risk to leadership.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Represent PDP governance in cross-functional program reviews and leadership forums.</li> </ul> <h2>Process Maturity & Standards</h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Partner with Engineering and Operations leadership to ensure the NPI process is treated as a functional requirement of the business.</li> </ul> <h2>About You</h2> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience. Advanced Degree preferred.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">You are comfortable owning work across different program types. NPI governance is your primary domain, but you can pick up an operational program.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">You work well and influence at all levels of the organization—from peers to VPs.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">You operate autonomously. You can absorb a complex, in-flight program environment, build your own situational awareness, and start driving outcomes from day 1.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">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.</li> </ul> <h1>Bonus Points</h1> <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Experience with humanoid robotics, autonomous systems, or other complex multi-disciplinary hardware-software-firmware programs.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Deep understanding of high-tech discrete manufacturing from the supply planning process to final assembly, test and pack out.  Knowledge of supplier readiness and supplier management represents a significant advantage.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Industrial Engineering, fabrication and assembly process knowledge and electromechanical systems integration are a plus.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Familiarity with PLM tools (Arena, Windchill, or equivalent) and its role in BOM and Configuration Change Control  across development phases.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Experience in capacity planning, yield management, and cost optimization.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">PMP or PgMP certification, or equivalent demonstrated program management rigor.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Experience standing up or significantly maturing a PDP or NPI process in a high growth environment.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Experience using the Atlassian suite or equivalent tools for program tracking, project management, collaboration and documentation at scale.</li> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">Ability to travel up to 35%, may include international supplier visits.</li> </ul> Location <ul> <li style="font-size: 10pt;">This is a hybrid position based out of our Salem or Fremont office.</li> </ul> The final salary offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on several factors that may include but are not limited to: market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. This range may change based on geographical location and may be modified in the future.<div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">Anticipated Salary Range</div><div class="pay-range">$166,000—$259,000 USD</div></div></div><div class="content-conclusion">In addition to base pay, our competitive total rewards package consists of the following for full-time employees: <ul> <li>401(k) Plan: Includes a 6% company match.</li> <li>Equity: Company stock options.</li> <li>Insurance Coverage: 100% company-paid medical, dental, vision, and short/long-term disability insurance for employees.</li> <li>Benefit Start Date: Eligible for benefits on your first day of employment.</li> <li>Well-Being Support: Employee Assistance Program (EAP).</li> <li>Time Off: <ul> <li>Exempt Employees: Flexible, unlimited PTO and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown.</li> <li>Non-Exempt Employees: 10 vacation days, paid sick leave, and 12 company holidays, including a winter shutdown, annually.</li> </ul> </li> <li>On-Site Perks: Catered lunches four times a week and a variety of healthy snacks and refreshments at our Salem and Pittsburgh locations.</li> <li>Parental Leave: Generous paid parental leave programs.</li> <li>Work Environment: A culture that supports flexible work arrangements.</li> <li>Growth Opportunities: Professional development and tuition reimbursement programs.</li> <li>Relocation Assistance: Provided for eligible roles.</li> <li>Annual Discretionary Bonus: Provided for eligible roles.</li> </ul> All of our roles are U.S.-based. Applicants must have current authorization to work in the United States. Agility Robotics is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal employment opportunities and prohibits unlawful discriminatory practices, including harassment. Therefore, it is the policy of Agility Robotics to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Agility Robotics prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.   Agility Robotics does not accept unsolicited referrals from third-party recruiting agencies.  We prioritize direct applicants and encourage all qualified candidates to apply directly through our careers page.  If you are represented by a third party, your application may not be considered.  To ensure full consideration, please apply directly.   Apply Now: <a href="https://grnh.se/b444bbd04us" target="_blank">https://grnh.se/b444bbd04us</a></div>

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