Senior Technical Program Manager, Milestone Execution

Source One is a consulting services company and we’re currently looking for the following individual to work for our client, a ride-sharing autonomous vehicle company in Foster City, CA.Title: Senior Technical Program Manager, Milestone Execution (Contract)Schedule: Onsite, Monday–FridayPay Rate: $93.58/hour (W-2)Summary: This role will lead the planning, coordination, and execution of critical company milestones that support product development, release readiness, and operational scaling.Working within the Program Management Office (PMO), you will collaborate with leaders across vehicle engineering, systems engineering, software development, manufacturing, fleet operations, and business functions to drive successful delivery of complex, cross-functional initiatives.This position is ideal for an experienced program manager who excels in fast-paced environments, enjoys solving complex organizational challenges, and has a strong track record of delivering large-scale technical programs. The Program Management Office (PMO) supports some of the company's most complex cross-functional initiatives. The team partners with engineering, manufacturing, operations, and business leaders to deliver key milestones on the path to commercial launch and beyond. The PMO is focused on transforming complex challenges into actionable plans, enabling effective decision-making, improving operational execution, and helping the organization achieve critical business objectives.Key ResponsibilitiesLead the execution of major company and product release milestones (releases).Develop milestone execution strategies, feature readiness plans, release frameworks, and testing approaches.Coordinate cross-functional efforts across systems engineering, vehicle engineering, software development, manufacturing operations, and fleet operations.Define and monitor KPIs, success metrics, and readiness criteria to measure milestone progress and business impact.Drive alignment among stakeholders and secure approvals through executive decision-making forums.Communicate program status, accomplishments, risks, dependencies, and mitigation plans to engineering leadership and executive stakeholders.Identify, assess, and mitigate risks that could impact product readiness, operational objectives, or milestone delivery.Partner with software, hardware, systems engineering, and operations teams to resolve issues and remove critical blockers.Support release readiness activities, validation efforts, and execution planning throughout the product development lifecycle.Improve program management processes, reporting structures, milestone tracking, and execution frameworks.Required QualificationsBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or equivalent technical experience.8+ years of experience in engineering, technical program management, or related disciplines.Proven success managing complex, cross-functional programs involving product launches, validation, testing, or release management.Experience in one or more of the following areas: Automotive systems, Aerospace systems, Autonomous vehicles, Test platforms, Simulation environments, Verification & Validation (V&V)Strong understanding of at least one of the following: Vehicle platforms, Software development lifecycle, Safety clearance processes, Test operationsExperience using project and program management tools such as Jira, Smartsheet, Gantt chartsRisk management frameworksStrong communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and present to senior leadership and executives.Preferred QualificationsPMP (Project Management Professional) certification or equivalent.Experience working with autonomous vehicle technologies.Experience developing and scaling operational processes, reporting structures, procedures, and escalation frameworks.Background in automotive or aerospace product development environments.