Principal Technical Program Manager, Software Platform

Atomic Machines is on Earth to radically advance humanity’s command over matter. Our mission is real-time bits-to-atoms manufacturing of anything at any scale, and to that end, we’re developing an entirely new digital micro-device manufacturing platform that is going to redefine how things are made, and do so while simultaneously enabling the rapid creation at any scale of new classes of machines – think medical micro-robotics, true lab-on-chip microfluidics, tunable antennas, ultrafast high-power and high-frequency RF switching devices and many more. The first device we are building with our platform has exceptional large-scale product/market fit and commercial traction, and we are pushing hard to share it with the world.

Our offices are in Berkeley and Santa Clara, California.

About the role:

We are seeking a highly talented and experienced Software Technical Program Manager to join our exceptional team. In this role, you will lead the development planning and execution for major systems in our groundbreaking digital micro-device manufacturing platform. Our “Hybrid Fab” environment fosters rapid iteration on both our manufacturing technology and the devices we produce, creating the ultimate cross-functional agile development setting. As our TPM, you will own and manage the development timeline and process for delivering key software systems for our robotic manufacturing platform. The ideal candidate is highly technical, principled, and thrives in a dynamic, collaborative, and apolitical workplace. You will be responsible for leading software development efforts, working closely with our cross-functional engineering team to define, prioritize, and track progress.

The ideal applicant is deeply technical in software and embedded engineering, creative, principled and self-starting. We use spiral and agile methodologies and approach development with tightly focused cross-functional teams, so experience with building in such an environment is highly desirable.

What you’ll do:

• Take full end-to-end ownership of a number of high-precision fully autonomous system projects, through iterative design, Hardware-in-the-loop testing, and deployment through to commissioning.
• Map business objectives to the technology development effort and work with the team to decompose business objectives, risk analysis and platform goals into clear iterative deliverables that are measurable, realistic, and specific. 
• Drive planning and development with the Atomic Machines Product Development Process (PDP, based on the Incremental Commitment Spiral Methodology, ICSM) taking ownership to prepare for and conduct design and iteration review meetings, conduct derisking analyses and decomposition of products into DoEs and intermediate/final deliverables, manage technical dependencies across subsystems and platform technical concerns.
• Facilitate cross-functional communication and problem solving by identifying critical points of multi-person collaboration and ensuring those collaborations occur and achieve desired outcomes. Such points include technical dependencies across subsystems, system-wide software to subsystem dependencies, and systemic technical concerns.
• Conduct rigorous xFMEAs at design and production level.
• Make contributions to the PDP itself based on learnings from its use to accelerate the company’s future development.
• Make strong use of agile development processes - sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives, stand-ups - to ensure frequent product feedback.

What you’ll need:

• 5+ years of experience as a Technical Program Manager in a multi-disciplinary environment, spearheading the development of complex integrated products with electronic/software control from initial concept through to commercial release.
• 3+ years of hands-on engineering experience in designing and building sophisticated software systems that drive automation hardware. Your technical proficiency enables you to engage in deep, technical discussions with the engineering team, driving alignment by evaluating various approaches and their associated risks and benefits.
• Proficiency with a mixed software development model, integrating open-source software with in-house development, utilizing a diverse range of languages and frameworks.
• Experience managing projects that involve embedded software development and integration for systems that control hardware in a high frequency feedback loop or platform systems that introduce new functionalities in a commercial setting.
• In-depth understanding of agile methodologies, with considerable direct experience preferred.
• A first-principles approach to decision-making regarding buy/build considerations, specificity/generalization of capabilities, and evaluating technology investments.
• Proven track record of releasing products to production in accordance with defined processes.
• Exceptional communication skills—articulate, concise, and with a high signal-to-noise ratio.
• Strong capability in mapping business objectives to technology development, with experience in decomposing business objectives, risk analysis, and platform goals into clear, measurable, and specific iterative deliverables.
• Minimum of a BS in Electrical Engineering or Computer Science.