NPI Technical Program Manager

At Serve Robotics, we're reimagining how things move in cities. Our personable sidewalk robot is our vision for the future. It's designed to take deliveries away from congested streets, make deliveries available to more people, and benefit local businesses.

The Serve fleet has been delighting merchants, customers, and pedestrians along the way in Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, Atlanta and Chicago while doing commercial deliveries. We're looking for talented individuals who will grow robotic deliveries from surprising novelty to efficient ubiquity.

We are tech industry veterans in software, hardware, and design who are pooling our skills to build the future we want to live in. We are solving real-world problems leveraging robotics, machine learning and computer vision, among other disciplines, with a mindful eye towards the end-to-end user experience. Our team is agile, diverse, and driven. We believe that the best way to solve complicated dynamic problems is collaboratively and respectfully.

About the Role

We're looking for a highly motivated and experienced NPI (New Product Introduction) Technical Program Manager to lead hardware programs from design through mass production. In this hybrid role, you'll wear multiple hats—as a program driver, process engineer, and cross-functional connector—ensuring that product transitions from prototype to production are seamless, scalable, and built to last.

You'll work closely with engineering, manufacturing, and supplier partners across Asia to deliver high-quality hardware systems on time and within budget. The ideal candidate thrives in high-ambiguity environments, knows how to lead with influence (not just authority), and understands the end-to-end lifecycle of hardware development—especially in complex systems like power electronics, camera modules, and embedded communication devices.

Responsibilities

• Own the NPI Lifecycle: Drive hardware programs from early development through EVT/DVT/PVT to ramp and sustaining. Act as the single-threaded owner ensuring efficient execution from prototype to production.

• Drive Global Execution: Coordinate across internal teams and manufacturing partners in Asia to align timelines, milestones, and production metrics—ensuring communication is clear, consistent, and actionable.

• Technical Issue Resolution: Partner with engineering and suppliers to investigate technical failures, perform root cause analysis, and implement corrective actions across modules and systems.

• Communicate Early & Often: Deliver transparent and concise updates on program risks, tradeoffs, dependencies, and progress to executive stakeholders.

• Connect Across Teams: Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, firmware, and test engineers to coordinate system design, integration, and validation efforts across our Asia based supply chain

• Scale Sustainably: Support current product manufacturing and ensure lessons learned are rolled into future revisions and programs.

• Champion Accountability: Set clear expectations, drive follow-through, and help teams align on priorities and responsibilities throughout the development cycle.
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering (or equivalent experience).

• 7+ years total experience in hardware or cross-functional engineering programs.

• 5+ years in a program or project management role leading complex hardware products.

• 3+ years hands-on with hardware development (e.g., PCBA, power systems, cameras, embedded systems).

• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and leadership presence.

• Strong understanding of product development cycles (EVT/DVT/PVT), DFx, and manufacturing readiness.

• Comfort working with suppliers, vendors, and CM partners across Asia.

• Ability to drive decision-making with incomplete data and high ambiguity.

• Proficiency in tools like JIRA, Confluence, Smartsheet, or equivalent PM platforms.
  

What Makes You Standout

• Master's degree. in Mechanical, Electrical, or Systems Engineering (or equivalent experience).

• Experience with failure analysis techniques and reliability testing.

• Familiarity with camera optics, communication protocols (e.g., CAN, I2C), or power electronics.

• Mandarin or other Asian language fluency.