Senior Technical Program Manager (Robotics)

TL;DR

Senior Technical Program Manager (Robotics): Driving manufacturing process maturity and operational performance with an accent on lean manufacturing and the Zoox Production System. Focus on scaling production from low-volume to high-rate manufacturing and establishing scalable governance and metrics.

Location: On-site in Hayward, CA or Foster City, CA

Company

Zoox is an autonomous vehicle company developing safe, robotic mobility solutions.

What you will do

• Lead Operational Excellence initiatives across Manufacturing Operations to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
• Analyze manufacturing processes to identify variability, waste, bottlenecks, and opportunities for standardization.
• Deploy and sustain the Zoox Production System (ZPS) using Standard Work, 5S, and Lean Processes.
• Facilitate Value Stream Mapping (VSM), Kaizen events, and operational audits to implement sustainable improvements.
• Establish operational standards, performance metrics, and governance mechanisms for scalable operations.
• Support strategic planning and organizational readiness through Zoox Quarterly Planning (ZQP).

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing operations, operational excellence, or program management.
• Deep knowledge of Lean Manufacturing (VSM, Kaizen, Standard Work, 5S) and structured problem-solving.
• Proven ability to use data to drive decisions and measure business impact.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills to influence across multiple organizational levels.

Nice to have

• Experience with production ramp-ups in automotive, aerospace, or robotics environments.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Experience with MES, ERP, or data visualization tools like Tableau, Power BI, and Grafana.
• MBA or Master's degree in a relevant technical or business field.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to work on cutting-edge autonomous vehicle technology.
• Collaborative environment partnering with cross-functional engineering and operations teams.
• Commitment to diversity and inclusive perspectives in innovation.