sr Program Manager

Job Description :

We are seeking a Program Manager to join our Firmware Test Engineering (FTE) team in San Jose, CA. In this mid-level role, you will play a crucial part in translating the FTE team’s strategic objectives into actionable program plans that deliver measurable quality and efficiency improvements. You will lead cross-functional initiatives and coordinate stakeholders across firmware development, hardware, quality, and product teams to ensure our firmware testing efforts are aligned with product release goals. This role has a broad scope of impact – you will drive data-driven program management practices, leverage analytics and automation to optimize test processes, and guide a team of engineers toward successful firmware validation outcomes. Your work will directly influence the reliability of our products and the speed at which we deliver innovations to customers.

Key Responsibilities
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Program Leadership & Planning: Own and manage multiple concurrent firmware test projects, developing program roadmaps and setting testing strategies aligned with product milestones. Define clear program goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and ensure on-time delivery of testing deliverables in line with overall business objectives.
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Cross-Functional Coordination: Act as the primary liaison between Firmware Test Engineering and other groups (firmware development, hardware engineering, product management, etc.) to manage interdependencies and ensure seamless integration of testing into the product development lifecycle. Build positive relationships with all stakeholders to drive alignment and successful program execution.
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Stakeholder Communication: Provide regular updates on project/program status, including progress against schedule, risk assessment, and issue tracking. Facilitate program reviews and cross-functional meetings to drive decision-making, address risks, and keep everyone engaged and informed of key developments.
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Data-Driven Decision Making: Establish methods for measuring and monitoring test program performance (e.g. test coverage, defect escape rates, cycle time). Utilize data analytics and visualization (e.g. developing dashboards in Power BI) to track these metrics and extract actionable insights. Leverage data to identify trends and continuously improve test effectiveness and efficiency.
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Issue Resolution & Risk Management: Proactively identify potential risks, bottlenecks, or quality issues in the testing process. Serve as a front-line liaison for triaging problems – coordinating with engineering leads to resolve firmware bugs, test failures, and resource constraints promptly. Implement risk mitigation plans and contingency strategies to keep programs on track.
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Process Optimization & Innovation: Drive ongoing improvements in test processes and workflows. Leverage prior experience and lessons learned to optimize and standardize testing methodologies. Champion the introduction of new tools or techniques – for example, applying AI/ML-driven analytics for smarter test selection or using Python automation to reduce manual effort – to increase the speed and quality of firmware validation.
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Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a program team of test engineers and project leads, even in a matrixed environment. Set clear priorities, influence without direct authority, and foster a collaborative team culture. By “leading through influence,” ensure that team members across different sites and departments remain motivated, adopt necessary process changes, and work together toward program objectives

Required Qualifications & Skills

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Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. 5+ years of experience in program management or project leadership within a technology environment (preferably involving software/firmware development or testing). Demonstrated success managing complex projects or programs with cross-functional teams.
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Technical Domain Knowledge: Solid understanding of the software/firmware development life cycle and software testing processes. Familiarity with embedded systems or firmware for hardware devices is highly beneficial for context in this role.
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Project Management Skills: Proven expertise in both Agile and Waterfall project management methodologies. Able to plan sprints or project phases, run Scrum ceremonies or schedule reviews, and adapt process as needed. Proficiency with project management and collaboration tools – especially JIRA for issue/task tracking and Confluence or similar for documentation – is required.
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Data Analytics & Reporting: Strong data analysis skills and a metrics-driven approach to management. Able to define meaningful metrics for program success, and comfortable analyzing large data sets (e.g. test results, defect trends) to derive insights. Experience creating reports or dashboards using Power BI (or similar BI/analytics tools) to communicate status and support decision-making is required.
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Programming/Scripting: Hands-on ability with Python programming for automation or data processing tasks. You should be capable of writing or understanding scripts to automate test processes or to manipulate and analyze test data. (Direct firmware coding experience is not required, but the ability to engage with engineers on technical details and contribute to tooling via scripts is important.)
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AI/ML Familiarity: Knowledge of basic machine learning concepts and AI tools in a data analytics context. The ideal candidate can work with data scientists or engineers to apply AI/ML techniques for predicting failures, optimizing test coverage, or other process improvements. Experience leveraging AI/ML for real-world engineering or quality analytics is a strong plus.
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Soft Skills: Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills are a must. Able to clearly convey complex information (e.g. technical issues, data insights, program status) to both technical and non-technical audiences. Strong organizational and leadership capabilities, including the ability to lead through influence and keep teams focused on shared goals. Demonstrated problem-solving aptitude and a proactive, ownership-driven attitude toward overcoming challenges.
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Teamwork: A track record of effective collaboration in cross-functional and multi-cultural/global teams. Ability to work across time zones and adapt to work with team members in different geographic locations. High degree of flexibility and cultural awareness in coordinating a global test effort.