Lead Technical Program Manager, Device Software

About the Role:

We are hiring a Lead Technical Program Manager (TPM) for our Device Software organization who will make an immediate, measurable impact as Motive accelerates toward our next growth milestone. In a pre-IPO environment where execution excellence and predictable delivery are paramount, you will serve as a force multiplier—bringing structure to complexity, visibility to ambiguity, and velocity to critical initiatives that directly influence our market position. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring Motive delivers high-quality, reliable embedded software to millions of deployed devices in the field, orchestrating seamlessly across firmware, hardware, cloud infrastructure, QA, product management, and field operations teams. You'll be expected to hit the ground running—immediately taking ownership of our most critical device software programs, establishing trust with senior leadership, and demonstrating tangible improvements in delivery predictability within your first 90 days. Your impact will be measured not just in on-time deliveries, but in your ability to elevate cross-functional collaboration, reduce time-to-market, improve software quality metrics, and build scalable processes that support our aggressive growth trajectory without adding unnecessary overhead.

What You’ll Do:

• Build and maintain formal project plans including schedules, deliverables, and cross-team dependencies—spanning internal engineering teams and external partners.
• Facilitate structured phase reviews to ensure each development stage is complete and ready for the next.
• Monitor program execution, escalate risks early, and provide clear, ongoing status updates to leadership.
• Drive strategies to reduce schedule risk and technical uncertainty across firmware, embedded software, and systems integration programs.
• Validate test strategies and ensure end-to-end testing is completed successfully before release.
• Coordinate quick, cross-functional resolution when issues arise during development or validation.
• Coach engineers, Product Managers, and technical leads on effective program execution processes.
• Champion Agile methodologies, continuous improvement, and scalable, repeatable engineering workflows.

What We’re Looking For:

• 8+ years in Technical Program Management, Engineering Management, or Systems Engineering.
• Deep experience with embedded systems, firmware, IoT devices, or hardware–software integrated products.
• A proven ability to lead large-scale, multi-stakeholder programs across global teams.
• Ability to dive into technical details—debugging, architecture, system design—while maintaining strategic oversight.
• Exceptional communication, influence, and executive-ready reporting skills.
• Experience with program governance, risk mitigation, and structured decision-making.
• Proven success operating in fast-paced, rapidly evolving environments.
• Experience with fleet-scale IoT systems, consumer electronics, automotive, or similar domains.
• Knowledge of connectivity stacks (Wi-Fi, BLE, LTE/5G), OTA update systems, device provisioning, and security.
• Familiarity with manufacturing software lifecycles, including factory tools, component EOL, and sustaining engineering.
• Experience shaping roadmaps, establishing processes, and scaling engineering or TPM organizations.
• Proficiency with Agile/Scrum, release trains, and hybrid hardware + software development workflows.

This position is not remote. It will require 2 days per week in our San Francisco, CA office.