Senior/Staff Technical Program Manager, Kodiak Robotics
Driverless Highway Launch
$160-220k
+ Equity and annual bonuses
More information about location
Office located in Mountain View, CA
Self-driving technology for long-haul trucks
Be an early applicant
Self-driving technology for long-haul trucks
201-500 employees
Be an early applicant
$160-220k
+ Equity and annual bonuses
More information about location
Office located in Mountain View, CA
201-500 employees
Company mission
To carry freight forward - so people, partners, and the planet thrive.
Role
Who you are
- This role demands someone who is deeply execution-driven, technically fluent in software, willing to learn safety standards, and energized by the challenge of building something with real impact
- Experience: 5+ years in technical program management, with a track record of shipping safety-critical systems on deadline — not just tracking them
- Background: Bachelor's or Master's in Automotive Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or related field
- Safety-first, Execution-Second: You make the plan, set the dates, and hold people to them. You're comfortable with urgency and thrive when the stakes are high; however, you will help us hold the line if the conditions for launch are not safe enough — this is the most important thing
- Software fluency: You understand how software is built, tested, and verified. You can speak credibly with engineers about SW architecture, verification methods, and what "done" means
- Innovation orientation: You've used AI tools, automation, or novel approaches to get programs done faster. You look for leverage, not just headcount
- Industry knowledge: Experience in autonomous vehicles, automotive, trucking, aerospace, medical devices, or any domain where software safety and reliability are non-negotiable
- Safety standards: Familiarity with ISO 26262, UL 4600, or ISO 21448 (SOTIF) is a plus — but not a requirement. If you're a fast learner who can get up to speed quickly, we'll teach you what you need to know
- Program management toolkit: JIRA/Linear, Lucidchart, or equivalent — you know your tools and use them well
- Communication: You can walk an engineer through a traceability gap and brief a CTO on launch readiness in the same afternoon
What the job involves
- Kodiak is launching driverless operations on public highways by the end of year — and we need the TPM who gets us there
- This is a high-stakes, high-visibility role with one north star: get the truck on the highway, without a driver, safely and on schedule. You'll partner with Systems Engineering, Safety and the Autonomy Teams to drive execution of our Functional Safety (FuSA) and SOTIF programs and the Safety Case that underpins them — keeping every workstream on track on the critical path to driverless highway deployment
- You'll run the cross-functional program cadence, drive how we verify and document software, and push every workstream to move faster without cutting corners. You'll also find smarter ways to execute — including using AI tools wherever they give us an edge
- Launch is the milestone, not the finish line. After we go driverless, the next chapter is expanding our Operational Design Domain — and you'll lead that too
- Manage and drive the critical path from safety goals to driverless highway launch
- Partner with systems and software leads to adapt features and architecture to meet ISO 26262/ISO 21448 requirements on the path to driverless
- Hold the team accountable: get date commitments and track execution weekly
- Support the Safety team in building and maintaining the Safety Case — the structured argument that our system is acceptably safe for driverless highway operations
- Ensure that the Safety Case stays current as the system evolves, capturing evidence from testing, validation, and hazard analysis
- Own the connection between the Safety Case and every other safety artifact: goals, requirements, verification results, and release decisions
- Make the Safety Case a living, useful document — not a shelf artifact
- Ensure the team follows the processes to check software, verify that it works, and document it for safety-critical driverless operations
- Build rigor without bureaucracy — the process should accelerate launch, not slow it down
- Use AI tools and automation to move faster — assist engineers with requirements gap analysis, documentation, traceability tracking, reporting, wherever it helps
- Identify and eliminate inefficiencies in the safety and compliance workflow; introduce tooling, templates, and dashboards that scale
- Set the example for how a modern safety program runs
- Deliver crisp, regular updates to leadership — balancing technical depth with executive clarity
- Identify risks proactively and resolve cross-team blockers before they become launch blockers
Our take
Global supply chains rely on frictionless long-haul trucking freight networks, but the repetitive and stationary nature of the job has resulted in a lack of willing drivers. Whilst this has been partially resolved through the introduction of self-driving trucks, such systems are notoriously difficult to maintain which ultimately leads to significant downtime.
Kodiak Robotics develops self-driving technology for long-haul trucks, providing wing mirrors built with sensors called Kodiak SensorPods. These sensors provide the technology necessary for the trucks to be driven safely and autonomously and have been designed to be replaced or serviced rapidly to minimize downtime.
odiak Robotics has taken a unique approach by recognizing the high-maintenance nature of existing self-driving systems, innovating upon this through its easily replaceable SensorPods. Through this approach and several successful rounds of funding, the company aims to fill empty truck driving positions with safer AI drivers.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
21% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Sep 2023
$75m
CONVERTIBLE
Nov 2021
$125m
SERIES B
Total funding: $240m
Company benefits
- Remote-friendly work environment
- 401k
- Generous PTO policy
- Life insurance
- Assortment of medical (PPO/HMO/HDHP), dental, vision, and FSA plans
- Family-friendly company events
- Dog-friendly office
- Employee-driven fitness classes
- Beautiful, renovated facilities in Mountain View, CA and Lancaster, TX
- Free EV charging
- Trivia and board game nights
Company HQ
Mountain View, CA
Leadership
Don Burnette
(CEO & Founder)Experience as Co-founder of Otto. Software Technical Lead at Uber from 2016 to 2018.
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