Sr. Staff Technical Program Manager (Hardware)

About the Team

DoorDash Labs is an independent team within DoorDash. We are working on building autonomous delivery robots from the ground-up and other automation solutions as part of DoorDash's core delivery platform. If you have a passion for applying AI and robotics solutions in a service used by millions of people, then we want to talk to you!

About the Role

As the Hardware TPM at DoorDash Labs you will play a central role within the robotics hardware team and across all of DoorDash Labs as we improve last-mile deliveries using autonomy. You will report to the Lead of our Technical Program Management team. This role requires onsite presence in one of our two HW Labs in either San Francisco or Oakland minimum two days per week.

You're excited about this opportunity because you will...

• Be part of an exciting effort to develop and manufacture an autonomous delivery robot
• Work with our robotics hardware, software, autonomy and operations teams on a daily basis to solve challenging technical autonomous vehicle problems
• Program manage and help lead development, testing, validation and manufacturing of our current and next generation mechanical, electrical and electronic robotics hardware
• Take hardware projects from product requirements or engineering concept to public roads driving
• Work with leaders and engineers across Hardware, Software, Firmware, Controls, Autonomy and Ops to plan, track, follow up and resolve issues
• Leverage your expertise not only in hardware but software and firmware integration as well
• Manage vendor relationships domestically and internationally, both for prototyping and mass production.

We're excited about you because...

• B.S., M.S., or PhD. in engineering, e.g. robotics, mechanical, electrical or computer science
• 8+ years of industry experience working in engineering and program management
• Experience with software and hardware development processes
• Experience taking hardware from product requirements to mass production overseas, e.g. consumer or automotive electronics
• A track record of managing complex, cross-functional programs
• Excellent understanding of vehicle mechanicals and electronics and their interplay with firmware and software for a robotics system
• Strong knowledge of autonomous vehicle sensor systems and compute systems
• Working knowledge of program management tools, such as Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet/MS Project, and Google Workplace applications

What You'll Do

• Define program charter and success metrics for hardware initiatives spanning mechanical, electrical, and electronic subsystems.
• Create detailed work breakdown structures and schedules that coordinate engineering design, prototyping, and validation activities.
• Establish cross-functional governance with robotics hardware, software, firmware, and operations teams to maintain program alignment.
• Manage vendor relationships and contracts for both domestic prototyping and overseas mass production of robotics platforms.
• Lead risk identification, mitigation planning, and issue resolution across the hardware development lifecycle.
• Develop test and validation protocols to ensure autonomous vehicle sensor and compute systems perform in real-world conditions.
• Coordinate with manufacturing partners to transition designs from low-volume prototypes to high-volume production specifications.
• Implement program tracking using tools such as Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet or MS Project to monitor status and dependencies.
• Drive integration efforts between hardware components, firmware, and software stacks on the robotics platform.
• Maintain traceability between product requirements, design decisions, and verification results for regulatory and audit purposes.
• Collaborate with operations to ensure that manufacturing and deployment processes support real-world delivery workflows.
• Communicate program progress, risks, and decisions to executive stakeholders using data-driven status reports.
• Champion continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned and updating playbooks for future hardware programs.

Requirements

• B.S., M.S., or PhD. in engineering, e.g. robotics, mechanical, electrical or computer science.
• 8+ years of industry experience working in engineering and program management.
• Experience with software and hardware development processes.
• Experience taking hardware from product requirements to mass production overseas, e.g. consumer or automotive electronics.
• A track record of managing complex, cross-functional programs.
• Excellent understanding of vehicle mechanicals and electronics and their interplay with firmware and software for a robotics system.
• Strong knowledge of autonomous vehicle sensor systems and compute systems.
• Working knowledge of program management tools, such as Jira, Confluence, Smartsheet/MS Project, and Google Workplace applications.