Technical Program Manager, Sensors
OpenAI · San Francisco, United States · 1mo ago
About Team
Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and advancing toward AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world environments. Working across the full model and systems stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the physical constraints of real-world systems to improve people’s lives.
About the Role
We are looking for a TPM to drive development and integration of a range of sensor systems for robotics. This role will drive cross-functional alignment across requirements, engineering design, integration, validation, manufacturing, supply chain, and release processes, helping turn complex sensor-system needs into clear plans, decisions, and milestones.
Location and in-person expectations: This role is based in San Francisco, CA and requires in-person presence 4 days a week.
In this role you will:
Drive requirements alignment across engineering design, integration, testing, and validation for camera modules, LiDAR, IMUs, RADAR, proximity sensors, audio components and the systems they interact with.
Coordinate the integration of modules including electrical, mechanical, harnessing, and software interfaces with the full robotic system with deep understanding of timelines to drive the respective PCBAs, enclosures, build and test fixtures, connectors and cables.
Establish effective cadences for technical reviews, BOM readiness, change management, production releases, approvals, and decision tracking.
Align harnesses, fasteners, assembly fixtures, test fixtures, and documentation so cross-functional teams can execute against a clear plan.
Lead validation planning around functional, reliability, NVH failure modes, including testing needs, schedules, and exit criteria.
Partner with manufacturing and supply chain to manage handoffs, lead times, dependencies, and production readiness.
Drive tradeoff decisions across cost, quality, performance, schedule, and lead time by collaborating cross-functionally and quantifying impact to meet program deliverables.
You might thrive in this role if you:
Bring experience in developing camera modules, microphones/speakers, radar, proximity sensing, etc. and their integration into mobile robots.
Have led complex electromechanical hardware programs from requirements through manufacturing.
Understand engineering development systems for version control, change management, technical reviews, approvals, and production releases.
Can work effectively across engineering, test, manufacturing, and supply chain teams.
What success looks like:
Requirements, interfaces, dependencies, and validation plans are aligned across engineering teams.
Sensor subsystems move from design through integration and testing with clear milestones and exit criteria.
Technical reviews, BOM readiness, change control, and production-release mechanisms are operating effectively.
Functional, reliability, and NVH risks are surfaced early and driven to closure.
Cost, quality, performance, schedule, and lead-time tradeoffs are quantified and resolved cross-functionally.
Mitigation strategies are well communicated and aligned upon, acceleration of hardware development from design to trials on the floor is quantifiable.
Tools and workflows built are well embedded in the daily routine of all the team members, thus do not seem an added overhead to get things done.
About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
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