Technical Program Manager - Release Management at zoox

<div>As a Technical Program Manager (TPM) for Release Management at Zoox, you will serve as the primary orchestrator of the software and systems delivery engine for our autonomous vehicle platform. Sitting at the intersection of Engineering, QA, Operations, and the PMO, you will govern the release lifecycle of a complex system integrating sensors, vehicle hardware, and remote software. You are an autonomous, systems-oriented professional who can uphold rigorous execution standards while partnering with Engineering Managers to improve the health and velocity of Zoox driverless release programs.</div> In this role, you will: • Operationalize Health & Program Monitoring: Track the technical health of individual releases while also monitoring the Release Management Program's health. You will analyze process velocity, deployment frequency, and failure rates to drive continuous program improvements. • Uphold Execution Standards: Hold release owners accountable for the timeliness, quality, and reliability of all deliverables. You will ensure contributions meet established technical benchmarks and milestones before proceeding. • Weekly Planning & Prioritization: Partner with Release Management Engineering Managers to facilitate weekly planning and prioritization. You will help balance high-priority "on-call" release support with long-term enablement projects. • Drive Cross-Functional Alignment: Serve as the primary Release Management point of contact for QA, Operations, System Testing, and Engineering partners. You will ensure all stakeholders are synchronized on release scope, hardware/software dependencies, and deployment windows. • Lead Enablement Project Management: Assist in the planning, tracking, and progress monitoring of enablement projects—such as CI/CD upgrades, simulation tooling, or developer self-service tools—ensuring they stay on track and deliver measurable value. • Translate Strategy into Technical Tactics: Convert high-level product roadmaps into actionable release trains, defining the branching strategies and technical milestones (e.g., SiL/HiL testing) necessary to ship on time. • Partner with the PMO: Align release milestones with the broader corporate roadmap, providing the Program Management Office with the technical visibility needed for strategic planning. • Proactive Risk Management: Identify and evaluate technical and execution risks to release cycles, assessing their potential impact on Zoox driverless release programs. You will participate in the disposition of these risks, including the identification of mitigation options and workarounds with cross-functional partners. • Deliver Concise, Data-Driven Reporting: Synthesize technical statuses into clear "Go/No-Go" updates for Engineering Managers and Product Leads, ensuring absolute clarity on launch readiness and program performance. • Lead Stakeholder Syncs: Facilitate release readiness reviews and tactical "Go/No-Go" meetings, driving consensus among cross-functional leads to ensure a safe and stable deployment. Qualifications • BS or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field. • Minimum of 5 years in program management, software development, or software validation, with at least 2 years specifically in program management. • Experience in the SW development lifecycle and SW release process. • Familiarity with project management and issue tracking tools such as Jira, Confluence, Smartsheets, Lucid, and others. • Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills. Bonus Qualifications • Exposure to safety-critical or mission-critical systems (e.g., Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics, Aerospace, Medical Devices). • Familiarity with hardware-software integration (sensors, compute) and integrated testing environments (HiL/SiL). • Release & Project Expertise: Hands-on experience with the SDLC, Git-based branching, CI/CD pipelines, and technical project management in Jira.