Who we are:
Motive empowers the people who run physical operations with tools to make their work safer, more productive, and more profitable. For the first time ever, safety, operations and finance teams can manage their drivers, vehicles, equipment, and fleet related spend in a single system. Combined with industry leading AI, the Motive platform gives you complete visibility and control, and significantly reduces manual workloads by automating and simplifying tasks.
Motive serves nearly 100,000 customers – from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses – across a wide range of industries, including transportation and logistics, construction, energy, field service, manufacturing, agriculture, food and beverage, retail, and the public sector.
Visit gomotive.com to learn more.
We are seeking an exceptional leader to build and guide our Technical Program Managers. This is a strategic, high-impact role that will be instrumental in defining how we execute across our engineering organization as we develop cutting-edge custom hardware and software solutions. You will lead a team of Technical Program Managers—including specialists in embedded software, hardware engineering, and regulatory compliance—who orchestrate the daily execution of our Connected Devices Engineering initiatives.
This role demands exceptional cross-functional leadership, as you'll serve as a critical bridge between engineering, product, operations, and business stakeholders. You'll have executive-level visibility and will be accountable for ensuring our most strategic programs deliver on time while continuously improving our operational efficiency. Beyond keeping programs on track, you'll be responsible for cultivating a culture of transparent communication, proactive problem-solving, and seamless collaboration across embedded software, hardware, firmware, manufacturing, and all supporting functions throughout Motive.
What You’ll Do:- Build and scale a high-performing TPM organization by recruiting, developing, and retaining top talent across both individual contributor TPMs and TPM managers, establishing clear career paths and growth frameworks
- Drive flawless execution of mission-critical programs by maintaining schedule integrity, proactively identifying and eliminating blockers, clarifying requirements, and ensuring alignment across all stakeholders
- Shape strategic direction by influencing product roadmaps, driving data-informed feature prioritization decisions, and owning end-to-end schedule commitments with full accountability for delivery
- Champion operational excellence by designing, implementing, and continuously refining scalable processes, frameworks, and rituals that enhance cross-functional collaboration, visibility, and decision-making velocity
- Serve as an escalation point for high-stakes technical and organizational challenges, demonstrating sound judgment in navigating trade-offs and making decisions under uncertainty
- 10+ years of hands-on experience managing complex technical programs in Embedded Software or IoT domains, with demonstrated success shipping multiple products from concept through mass production
- 5+ years of progressive people management experience, including managing managers, with a proven track record of building cohesive teams, developing talent, and driving organizational culture change
- Deep hardware product development expertise, with direct experience leading teams that delivered custom hardware devices through the full lifecycle—including prototyping, DVT/PVT phases, certification, manufacturing ramp, and post-launch support
- Strong technical fluency in IoT ecosystems, embedded systems architecture, firmware development, wireless connectivity protocols, and hardware-software integration challenges—sufficient to earn credibility with engineering teams and make informed trade-off decisions
- Demonstrated resilience and adaptability in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where priorities shift and resourcefulness is essential
This role will require 2 days a week in our San Francisco, CA office.
Pay Transparency
Your compensation may be based on several factors, including education, work experience, and certifications. For certain roles, total compensation may include restricted stock units. Motive offers benefits including health, pharmacy, optical and dental care benefits, paid time off, sick time off, short term and long term disability coverage, life insurance as well as 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). Learn more about our benefits by visiting Motive Perks & Benefits.
The compensation range for this position will depend on where you reside. For this role, the compensation range is:
Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is one of Motive's core values. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives.
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The applicant must be authorized to receive and access those commodities and technologies controlled under U.S. Export Administration Regulations. It is Motive's policy to require that employees be authorized to receive access to Motive products and technology.
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What We Do
Motive builds technology to improve the safety, productivity, and profitability of businesses that power the physical economy. The Motive Automated Operations Platform combines IoT hardware with AI-powered applications to automate vehicle and equipment tracking, driver safety, compliance, maintenance, spend management, and more. Motive serves more than 120,000 businesses, across a wide range of industries including trucking and logistics, construction, oil and gas, food and beverage, field service, agriculture, passenger transit, and delivery. Visit gomotive.com to learn more.
Why Work With Us
We work hard, with humility and we see our efforts rewarded in tangible ways every day. At Motive, you’ll have the chance to make a difference for the drivers who keep our world moving. We trust each other to do great work because together we can achieve collective goals that reach beyond the physical economy.
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