Technical Program Manager - Hardware/Systems, Principal

At d-Matrix, we are focused on unleashing the potential of generative AI to power the transformation of technology. We are at the forefront of software and hardware innovation, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Our culture is one of respect and collaboration, valuing humility, direct communication, and inclusive perspectives to drive better solutions. We seek individuals passionate about tackling challenges and driven by execution.

Location: Hybrid, working onsite at our Santa Clara, CA headquarters 3-5 days per week.

About the Role

We are seeking a Principal Technical Program Manager to drive engineering excellence across the global hardware organization. This role will focus on creating lightweight, scalable processes that enable predictable project delivery in a high-growth startup environment. You will partner with engineering leaders to translate company objectives into actionable programs, improve planning and execution practices, and foster collaboration across geographies and technical domains. The ideal candidate should be comfortable working in a fast-paced, globally distributed environment and is passionate about delivering high-quality product on time.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end program management across post-silicon & system hardware development cycle:
  • Preparation for silicon arrival: creating lab space, bring-up systems/boards, production (EVK) design, validation across Silicon & Systems Hardware, Firmware, QA, and Manufacturing engineering teams.
  • Firmware deployment and development leading up to demonstration of all key features of the chip and systems.
  • Power and performance characterization, demo version delivery, leading up to kick-off of quals: silicon qual, board qual, product qual, and NPI.
• Establish well-defined predictable milestones for development within the company and 3rd party partners.
• Coordinate delivery across teams in North America, India, Serbia, and Australia.
• Define metrics, create dashboards, and reporting to track progress and program health.
• Develop playbooks and best practices for program management across the organization for cross-functional deliveries.
• Identify and mitigate risks to delivery schedules and quality.
• Act as a liaison between hardware teams and company leadership, providing clear updates and insights.
• Collaborate with Product, Hardware, and other partner teams to manage dependencies.

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience in IC chip and board development as an engineer, engineering manager, or technical program manager, with the last 3 or more years as technical program manager.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to influence without authority.
• Experience in companies with complex software/hardware integration.
• Proven track record managing distributed, multi-region engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of the system development and qualification cycle and waterfall program management methodologies.
• Experience establishing scalable processes in fast-moving engineering organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior industry experience as Engineering Manager responsible for chip-to-ship execution – post-silicon to product.
• Background in datacenter hardware development companies.
• Experience scaling engineering teams at Series B/C stage startups.
• Proficiency with JIRA, Smartsheet, and project toolchain integration.
• Experience managing external dependencies and customer-driven timelines.

Benefits

• Opportunity to shape program management practices across a fast-growing AI company.
• High-impact role influencing effectiveness of a global software team.
• Collaboration with world-class engineers at the cutting edge of AI and system software.
• Competitive compensation, equity, and professional growth opportunities.

Success Metrics

• Predictable release cycles with measurable delivery improvements.
• More accurate planning and forecasting across projects.
• Stronger cross-team coordination, measured by stakeholder feedback.
• Scalable practices supporting growth to 300+ engineers.