Principal Technical Program Manager, Hardware
San Francisco HQ · 12+ years experience · Full-time · Remote · Posted Sep 30, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 12+ years experience
- Employment
- Full-time
- Workplace
- Remote
- Location
- San Francisco HQ
About Hayden AI
- At Hayden AI, we are on a mission to harness the power of computer vision to transform the way transit systems and other government agencies address real-world challenges.
- From bus lane and bus stop enforcement to transportation optimization technologies and beyond, our innovative mobile perception system empowers our clients to accelerate transit, enhance street safety, and drive toward a sustainable future.
About the role
- The Principal Technical Program Manager will lead the development and execution of a portfolio of hardware programs.
- This role will collaborate with leaders across Hayden in highly ambiguous conditions to drive strategy into roadmaps and plans that deliver critical work on time and at high quality.
- They will set the standard for program excellence across the entire product lifecycle and drive systemic improvements across the company.
Responsibilities
- Strategic Execution: Drive end-to-end delivery of enterprise engineering programs, bridging executive business goals and technical execution.
- Edge AI & On-Vehicle Systems: Partner with Perception and Platform engineering to ensure hardware programs account for the full edge inference stack - thermal envelope, compute constraints, sensor integration, and field serviceability - so that AI system requirements drive hardware decisions from day one.
- Advanced R&D & Technology Incubation: Partner with engineering leadership to drive early-stage R&D efforts, including proof-of-concepts (PoCs) and the rigorous evaluation of next-generation components, shaping the N+1 and N+2 product roadmaps.
- Phase Gate & Milestone Governance: Define, implement, and rigorously enforce phase gate reviews and program milestones across the hardware lifecycle.
- Ensure cross-functional readiness, quality standards, and executive alignment before advancing products to subsequent development phases.
- NPI Lifecycle & Manufacturing: Drive the end-to-end New Product Introduction (NPI) process (EVT, DVT, PVT) and oversee vendor delivery to ensure a seamless transition from prototype to Mass Production (MP).
- Requirements & Scope Definition: Partner with Engineering and Growth to shape what gets built at the hardware level — translating field feedback, customer deployment constraints, and regulatory requirements into clear hardware requirements before design begins, and holding the line on scope when program objectives drift.
Requirements
- B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in an engineering discipline
- 12+ years in Hardware TPM or Engineering Program Management
- Led 5+ multi-disciplinary hardware products from 0-to-1 through production
- Deep knowledge of NPI lifecycle (EVT, DVT, PVT, MP), phase gate governance, and CM/supplier management
- Experience with hardware reliability, regulatory compliance (FCC, CE), and supply chain risk
- Strong technical foundation in embedded systems, hardware/software integration, or computer vision systems
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with on-vehicle, edge-deployed, or ruggedized hardware
- Background in autonomous systems, robotics, or AI/ML hardware programs
- Experience delivering technology to government or municipal clients
- Familiarity with DFX methodologies (DFA, DFI, DFS)
Skills
- Edge AI
- Embedded Systems
- Hardware/Software Integration
- Computer Vision
- NPI
- EVT
- DVT
- PVT
- Mass Production
- Supply Chain Risk
- Regulatory Compliance
- DFX
