# Senior/Staff TPM - Hardware at Rhoda AI

Senior/Staff TPM - Hardware at Rhoda AI in Mountain View. Full-time, paying $175k–$280k. Posted November 3, 2026.

- Company: Rhoda AI
- Location: Mountain View
- Job type: Full-time
- Pay: $175k–$280k
- Experience: 8+ years
- Posted: 2026-11-03
- Apply: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/rhoda-ai/446f7b1a-bb65-49f7-bba1-0727a73b73f7/application
- Source: https://jobmagic.ai/jobs/senior-tpm-industrial-programs-rhoda-ai-swygx2

## Requirements

- 8+ years of experience in hardware program management in robotics, EV, aerospace, or complex electromechanical systems.
- Demonstrated ownership of EVT/DVT/PVT cycles.
- Strong understanding of actuator architectures, embedded systems integration, safety-rated motion control, and multi-axis robotic systems.
- Experience managing contract manufacturers through NPI and low-volume ramp.
- Proven ability to operate in low-structure startup environments.
- Ability to synthesize technical risk into executive-level clarity.

## Description

At Rhoda AI, we’re building the next generation of generalist intelligent robots. We own the full robotics stack from high-performance hardware and robot systems to the infrastructure and state-of-the-art foundation world models that control our robots. Our robots are designed to be generalists capable of operating in complex, real-world environments and handling long-tail edge cases, made possible by our cutting edge research and end-to-end system design. We've raised over $450M and are investing aggressively in model research, infrastructure, hardware development, and manufacturing scale-up to make generalist robotics a reality.
As Senior/Staff TPM for Hardware, you own the cross-functional execution of our robot hardware programs, from system integration through EVT/DVT validation, low-volume builds, and early customer deployment. You sit at the intersection of mechanical, electronics, firmware, controls, AI, and manufacturing, driving each hardware generation from integration to build-ready and scaling toward the next.
This is a deeply technical leadership role. You are expected to engage substantively with mechanical, electronics, firmware, and controls engineers, understand design tradeoffs, surface risk early, and hold the program to a high bar of engineering quality, decision velocity, and schedule integrity.
**Responsibilities: Program Execution**

- Own the hardware integrated master schedule (IMS) and drive EVT to DVT gate readiness.

- Coordinate system integration milestones and ensure alignment between hardware freeze dates and AI/controls needs.

- Track long-lead items and tooling readiness across all subsystems.

**Hardware Integration**

- Align actuator development and coordinate torque sensor validation and calibration plans.

- Ensure EtherCAT network readiness and manage compute integration (edge inference platform).

- Align camera and sensor selection and validation; track safety architecture validation (ISO 13849, IEC 61508 considerations).

**Manufacturing & NPI**

- Coordinate DFM workshops with shortlisted contract manufacturers.

- Manage EVT/DVT builds with a low-volume NPI partner and drive ECO cadence.

- Track tooling, fixtures, and test infrastructure readiness; ensure supply chain risk mitigation and dual sourcing where applicable.

**Risk & Decision Velocity**

- Maintain an active risk register (RPN-based prioritization) and escalate critical blockers with low decision latency.

- Structure cross-functional resolution sessions and drive root-cause closure with clear accountability.

**Cross-Functional Ownership**

- Run weekly cross-functional execution reviews across mechanical, electronics, firmware, controls, and supply chain.

- Define clear entry/exit criteria for EVT and DVT.

- Coordinate test infrastructure needs (actuator rigs, dyno requirements, endurance testing).

- Align certification workstreams (CE, UL, and regional requirements) for target deployment markets.

- Drive readiness for low-volume build targets.

**What You'll Bring: Required:**

- 8+ years of experience in hardware program management in robotics, EV, aerospace, or complex electromechanical systems.

- Demonstrated ownership of EVT/DVT/PVT cycles.

- Strong understanding of actuator architectures, embedded systems integration, safety-rated motion control, and multi-axis robotic systems.

- Experience managing contract manufacturers through NPI and low-volume ramp.

- Proven ability to operate in low-structure startup environments.

- Ability to synthesize technical risk into executive-level clarity.

**Nice to Have**

- Experience with humanoid or high-DoF robotic systems.

- Familiarity with EtherCAT-based distributed architectures.

- Familiarity with SIL2/SIL3 functional safety concepts.

- Experience with real-time systems.

- Experience scaling hardware from prototype to mid-volume production.

**Why This Role: **

- Own the execution of Rhoda's robot hardware from EVT through DVT and into early customer deployment: a rare opportunity to shape how a new robotics platform gets built.

- Direct access to executive leadership and a clear path to program leadership as the hardware roadmap scales.

- Be the connective tissue across every discipline building the robot: hardware, firmware, controls, AI, and manufacturing.