Senior Manager, Development Test Operations Program Management

Senior Manager, Development Test Operations Program Management

Who we are

Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.

The Aurora Driver will create a new era in mobility and logistics, one that will bring a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future to everyone.

At Aurora, you will tackle massively complex problems alongside other passionate, intelligent individuals, growing as an expert while expanding your knowledge. For the latest news from Aurora, visit aurora.tech or follow us on Linked In .

What we are looking for

We’re searching for a Senior Manager of Program Management for our Development Test Operations. This manager will manage a team of Program Managers, each embedded as the single point of contact with an engineering group. This role is accountable for setting a program vision, coordinating the portfolio, and setting strong governance and standards for the PM team - turning a group of individually strong PMs into a standardized, predictable program management organization.

The Senior Manager must be fluent enough in engineering/development workflows to pressure-test PM decisions, unblock technical escalations, and represent the team credibly with Engineering leadership.

In this role you will

Own strategic planning and alignment for the team, including setting the vision for program management, coordinating test programs/portfolio and resourcing, and setting governance and standards

Manage, coach, and develop a team of Program Managers, establishing consistent operating norms to increase program quality.

Own program-level planning and quality across all engineering areas the team supports (lane and network expansion, track testing, road testing, and other development test work streams), ensuring every initiative has clear scope, description, and need‑by dates, every ticket has a clear, executable test procedure, and operations is receiving high‑quality testing requests.

Ensure every PM operates as the single point of contact with their engineering area, with clear communication on timelines and needs to/from Engineering and Planning; own the defined escalation path for conflicts and ensure PMs know when to use it.

Manage resources, budget, and track dependencies

Share test program risks and mitigations with relevant stakeholders

Review test execution and QA quality trends across the team, especially on blocked tickets, and drive root‑cause process fixes rather than one‑off firefighting, closing the feedback loop with both Engineering and Operations.

Drive process improvement by moving the team onto standardized workflows, supporting metrics development, and establishing a weekly reporting cadence

Required qualifications

7+ years of experience in Program Management, Project Management, or Technical Operations, including 5+ years directly managing a team of Program/Project Managers.

Demonstrated experience building or standardizing a reporting and operating cadence across a distributed team, replacing informal coordination with repeatable process.

Strong technical fluency across software and hardware development workflows, with the ability to translate engineering plans and progress into concrete, executable field test programs.

Proven experience managing relationships and expectations with both Engineering leadership and Planning/Portfolio stakeholders simultaneously.

Experience supporting technical or development programs in a cross‑functional, fast‑paced environment with shifting priorities.

Track record of driving change management and process improvement across a team, not just an individual workstream.

Experience in autonomous vehicle, automotive, robotics, logistics, or similarly complex operational environments.

Exposure to…