Technical Program Manager - Partnerships Aurora
San Francisco, CA

Job Description

Aurora Overview

Bringing self-driving vehicles to our roads is the most transformative opportunity of our generation. Aurora is taking a fresh start with the development of self-driving technology, combining excellence in AI, rigorous engineering, and a team with decades of experience building robots that work.

Led by a team of seasoned experts, our mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. We are designing the software and hardware to power the transportation of our future that will make our roads safer, give more people access to mobility, and reduce congestion and pollution in cities - improving the quality of life for all. The challenge in what we are endeavoring to achieve is transcendent; we are developing perhaps the world's most complex computing system and asking it to perform the task of transporting and keeping safe our most precious asset: human life.

We're looking for people who are as excited as we are to solve these complex problems and make this tremendous impact on our future, and who want to be surrounded by great people while we do it.

This candidate will manage and coordinate complex partnership programs at a large scale -- spanning functional teams and cross-functional initiatives ranging from the integration of a new vehicle platform to deployment on Ride Sharing Networks or in Commercial Services. S/he will consolidate input to build program plans, assign responsibilities, track progress, resolve dependencies, and own the date of delivery of products and program milestones.

S/he will report to the Head of Partner Products & Programs and work closely with Strategy, Partnerships, and Engineering teams within Aurora and spend a significant amount of time with our automotive and transportation network Partners.

Responsibilities

* Manage and be accountable for complex projects at a large scale, spanning functional teams and cross-functional initiatives
* Consolidate input from engineering, safety, legal, and business teams to produce and distribute project work plans, Requests for Procurement, Statements of Work, and Gannt charts
* Understand technical implementation at the architectural level and propose alternatives when necessary, ask questions that clarify priorities and push the team to be effective
* Track partnership product deliverables, resolve dependencies, evaluate risks, and effectively communicate status to upper management and project stakeholders
* Proactively remove obstacles to drive momentum and progress, identify gaps in communication or schedule, provide support to teams balancing competing priorities and drive results
* Build and maintain relationships with Aurora's partners, understand their needs and drive alignment with Aurora's product vision
* Coordinate and drive workshops with partners; build agenda, track progress and be responsible for outstanding items and next steps
* Create weekly reports to be distributed internally and externally with appropriate level of detail for the respective audience
* Create and maintain guidelines and procedures to protect the confidentiality of all program documentation and materials

Requirements

* Based in SF, Palo Alto or Pittsburgh. Ability to travel frequently
* Experience in technical program management or NPI, bonus if in automotive or hardware disciplines
* Strong ability to communicate (verbal and written) succinctly and effectively to various global audiences at all levels, from line engineers to partner to C-level executives
* Master collaborator -- unflappable with impeccable attention to detail and organization, ability to influence, motivate and, generate goodwill with teammates while juggling multiple projects at once and never letting the ball drop
* Experience building project plans and roadmaps with clear dependency management Demonstrated direct impact through the design, development, and launch of exceptional products and programs (bonus if in a B2B context)
* Solid technical aptitude and an ability to understand technical designs, challenges and risks; ability to work closely with engineers

Working at Aurora

Our work has real purpose. Delivering self-driving will improve lives around the world, expanding access to transportation, revitalizing cities, giving people more time back every day.

We're one team. We're inspired by the challenge of what we're solving and the impact our work will have on society. Our camaraderie is built on respect for our work and the fundamental belief our success will be a result of working together.

The Founding Team

Aurora has assembled the most experienced leadership team in the space. Chris Urmson helped lead Carnegie Mellon's efforts in Darpa's Grand Challenges, then was a founding member of Google's self-driving team. Sterling Anderson worked on the tech at MIT before leading Tesla's Autopilot system. Drew Bagnell, also a Carnegie Mellon alum, is a machine learning expert who helped build Uber's autonomy effort. At Aurora, these three continue to bring experts from all areas of the industry to the team. We are funded by some of Silicon Valley's best venture capital firms, including Greylock and Index Ventures.