Senior Technical Program Manager - Automation

Job Description

Job Description

RETHINK MANUFACTURING

The only way to ignite change is to build the best team. At Bright Machines®, we’re innovators and experts in our craft who have joined together to create a new category of manufacturing that will help transform the industry. We believe software and data are the answer, thoughtfully applied to solve our customers’ unique challenges. Through intelligent automation, we give factories newfound flexibility, scalability, and resilience. We deliver products to meet the demands of today while building a platform to take advantage of what comes next.

Working with us means you’ll have the opportunity to make lasting, impactful changes for our company and our customers. If you’re ready to apply your exceptional skills to create the factory of the future, we’d love to speak with you.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Senior Technical Program Manager, you will lead the development of core robotics and hardware capabilities within Bright Machines’ next-generation manufacturing platform, bringing AI-enabled, software-defined automation to data center infrastructure manufacturing. You will drive the development of complex electromechanical systems that integrate robotics, perception, controls, and ML into scalable, production-ready platforms. Operating at the system level, you’ll align hardware, software, and manufacturing teams to accelerate time from silicon to revenue, delivering faster ramps, higher yield, and more predictable performance in real-world production environments.

This role sits at the intersection of robotics, AI, and advanced manufacturing, defining how intelligent infrastructure is built and scaled.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

• Own the full program lifecycle for Bright Machines’ next-generation manufacturing platform—from concept and design through validation, release, and customer deployment.
• Partner closely with hardware (mechanical, electrical, robotics, motion, safety), systems, and software teams to deliver scalable, production-ready automation systems.
• Lead cross-functional planning for major platform features and hardware releases. Define scope, timelines, milestones, cost targets, and system requirements.
• Bring clarity to system architecture, integration, and validation plans.
• Think at the system level. Identify dependencies across mechanical design, controls, embedded systems, robotics, and manufacturing. Ensure hardware, firmware, and software are aligned and validated early.
• Drive disciplined hardware development processes, including requirements definition and traceability, architecture and design reviews, prototype builds, validation planning, and system-level testing.
• Provide clear updates to leadership on program health, risks, budget, and schedule. Highlight trade-offs and drive decisions quickly.
• Deliver milestones on time and within budget. Escalate issues early and remove blockers to keep momentum strong.
• Help build scalable program management processes that improve predictability, quality, and cross-team alignment as the platform grows.
• Bring structure and urgency without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Travel : Up to 25%, primarily during late-stage builds, supplier work, and customer validation.

WHAT YOU WILL BRING

IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU HAD

BE EMPOWERED TO CHANGE AN INDUSTRY

Bright Machines is a next-generation, AI-enabled manufacturer focused on data center infrastructure assembly operations. Bright Machines uses its proprietary AI-based robotics and software to assemble AI infrastructure hardware products (i.e., data center servers) for hyperscalers and leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). With its new AI factory, Bright Machines addresses increasing market demands for computing power due to the surge of AI and the U.S. national mandate to reshore manufacturing by building data center infrastructure at scale with higher quality and shorter time-to-market.

Bright Machines is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with an integration center in Guadalajara, Mexico. The company has been recognized as one of Forbes’ AI 50, awarded “Best AI-based Solution for Manufacturing” by AI Breakthrough, named a “Technology Pioneer” by the World Economic Forum, and highlighted by several other leading technology and innovation organizations.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.