Technical Project Manager
8 days ago
Santa Clarita
Role: Technical Project Manager Department: Engineering Reports To: CTO Location: Onsite in Santa Clarita, CA Employment Type: Full-time FLSA Status: Exempt Salary Range: 125-150k About Tombot Tombot is a robotics startup company based in the greater Los Angeles area. Jennie, our robotic puppy, was named a Best of CES® Award winner at CES 2026, and was designed to support over 50 million seniors with dementia worldwide. We’re building a passionate team to help deliver these life-changing robotic companions to the people who need them most. Job Overview We are seeking a Technical Project Manager to drive execution, coordination, and delivery across Tombot’s robotic product development programs—from engineering through manufacturing and production. This role is responsible for ensuring cross-functional alignment, tracking progress against key milestones, and removing blockers across hardware, firmware, software, and operations teams. You will work closely with engineering, product, and operations to ensure that complex, interdependent workstreams stay on track and deliver high-quality results. This is not a passive coordination role. You will be expected to drive clarity, push decisions forward, and remove blockers to keep programs on track. Responsibilities • Own program execution across hardware, firmware, software, and operations—driving timelines, coordinating engineering and manufacturing efforts, and ensuring readiness for builds and production, • Build and manage project plans, timelines, milestones, and dependencies across multiple concurrent workstreams, • Identify risks, blockers, and gaps early, and drive resolution with accountable owners, • Drive engineering development cycles from EVT through DVT, PVT, and production ramp, • Facilitate cross-functional meetings, including sprint planning, milestone reviews, and program check-ins, • Support development and enforcement of structured processes for project tracking, issue management, and communication, • Improve project management processes, tools, and operating cadence over time Required Qualifications Education and Experience • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Mechanical, Electrical, Computer Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience), • 3+ years of experience in technical project management, program management, or engineering leadership roles, • Experience working in cross-functional hardware/software environments (robotics, consumer electronics, or similar) Skills and Competencies • Strong project management skills, including planning, scheduling, and risk management, • Ability to manage complex, interdependent systems across multiple teams, • Familiarity with hardware development lifecycles (prototype through production), • Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams (mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, operations), • Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, • Ability to drive clarity and execution in ambiguous or rapidly changing environments, • Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Jira, ClickUp, Asana, or similar) Preferred Qualifications • Experience managing robotics or electromechanical product development programs, • Experience supporting manufacturing ramp (DVT, PVT, MP) and production environments, • Background in engineering (mechanical, electrical, software, or systems), • Familiarity with test, validation, and certification processes (UL, IEC, etc.), • Experience working with contract manufacturers or international vendors, • Exposure to data tracking systems, dashboards, or program analytics, • Experience improving or implementing project management frameworks and processes Work Environment and Physical Requirements Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Compensation & Benefits Final compensation will be determined based on experience, skills, internal equity, and market factors. The base salary for this role is expected to be between $125k and $150k per year. In addition to cash compensation, this role may be eligible for equity awards, aligning individual impact with Tombot’s long-term success. Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents. Workplace Model & Collaboration Expectations Tombot is currently an in-office organization. We believe that real-time, in-person collaboration supports innovation, strengthens cross-functional partnership, and enables the rapid iteration required to build complex, human-centered robotic products. Team members are expected to work onsite at our Santa Clarita, CA office during standard business hours (though occasional extended hours may be required to meet project deadlines or product development milestones). While we support flexibility for personal appointments and individual needs and have Flexible Fridays where employees may choose to work remotely on Fridays; our work is primarily designed to be performed in person to support teamwork, communication, and product development success. We recognize that flexibility is important and encourage open communication with managers to support reasonable scheduling needs while maintaining our collaborative, onsite-first culture. Work Authorization Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. Tombot does not currently provide employment visa sponsorship. Tombot participates in E-Verify to confirm work authorization. E-Verify compares information provided by employees on Form I-9 with federal government records to confirm eligibility to work in the United States. Additional information about E-Verify is available upon request. Tombot does not use E-Verify to pre-screen applicants. Equal Employment Opportunity Tombot is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. Reasonable Accommodation Tombot is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability during the application or interview process, please inform our hiring team. Employment with Tombot is at-will, meaning that either the employee or Tombot may terminate the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause or notice, subject to applicable law. This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with this role. Responsibilities may change based on business needs.