Technical Program Manager
Title: Technical Program ManagerJob Type: ContractContract Length: 6 monthsPay Range: $60-68/hrStart Date: ASAPLocation: San Diego, CAAbout The OpportunityOur client, a leader in Autonomous Vehicle Technology, is looking for a skilled Technical Program Manager to join their team for a 6 months engagement. This project involves leading the development and execution of the "Communication Backbone" of their autonomous fleet, focusing on high-stakes teleoperation links that span RF (LTE/5G), distributed middleware (DDS), and cloud orchestration (Kafka/AWS). This is a high-impact role that requires a self-motivated professional who can hit the ground running and deliver results quickly.KeyResponsibilities & DeliverablesThis role is focused on the successful completion of specific tasks and deliverables. Your responsibilities will include:Lead end-to-end program management for large-scale, multi-team engineering initiatives with significant business impact, from strategy through delivery.Serve as a strategic partner to VP- and Director-level engineering and product leaders, influencing roadmaps, resourcing decisions, and organizational priorities.Define and evolve program management frameworks, processes, and best practices across the engineering organization.Drive alignment across complex dependency landscapes involving multiple teams, external partners, and competing priorities.Anticipate and proactively manage risks, escalations, and trade-offs at a program and portfolio level.Communicate clearly and confidently to executive audiences — translating technical complexity into business impact and vice versa.Actively participate in architectural and technical scoping discussions, providing informed input on feasibility, sequencing, and delivery risk.Required Skills & Experience:We are looking for someone with a proven track record of successful contract engagements. The ideal candidate will have:7+ years of experience in technical program management, with a proven record of delivering complex, org-wide engineering programs.Deep expertise managing multi-team software programs across the full SDLC, including large-scale platform, infrastructure, or product initiatives.Strong technical foundation — able to engage credibly in architectural discussions, understand system design trade-offs, and evaluate technical risk.Exceptional communication and executive presence — skilled at influencing without authority and navigating organizational dynamics.Experience building or improving program management processes and tooling at an organizational level.Proven ability to manage ambiguity, drive clarity, and make sound decisions under pressure in fast-paced environments.Ability to use AI tools to make informed technical decisions regarding a given design or code changes.Knowledge of how agentic AI models work and how to execute programs with AI chatbots.Technical expertise in understanding the following technologies:Wireless Technologies - 4G/5G/Multi-WAN Load BalancingNetworking Technologies - UDP/TCP, NAT Traversal, Network Security (mTLS etc.)Data Pipelines - Experience with Kafka (kafkajs), Protobuf serialization, and AWS cloud infrastructure (API Gateways)Demonstrated ability to work autonomously and manage your own time effectively to meet project goals.Preferred Qualifications:Experience at a software company working on infrastructure, platform, or product engineering programs.Familiarity with cloud services (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and distributed systems concepts.PMP, PgMP, or Agile/Scrum certification is a plus.Prior background as a software engineer or in a technical role is advantageous.Excellent problem-solving and debugging skills.W2 only (No C2C or 1099 contractors)