Hardware Operations Program Manager

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy.

Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.;
San Diego;
Ft. Walton Beach, Florida;
Ann Arbor, Michigan;
London;
Stuttgart;
Munich;
Stockholm;
Bangalore;
Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at

We are an in-office company, and our expectation is that full-time employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

This in-office expectation does not apply to contractor positions

In this role, you will bridge high-rate, agile hardware iteration with the rigorous quality, safety, and field-reliability requirements of heavy, mission-critical physical hardware. You will own product manufacturing execution and operational bring-up—from early prototype builds through validation and commercial launch readiness—working directly with contract manufacturers, tier-1 suppliers, and system integrators.

• Drive end-to-end operational execution for complex physical hardware systems combining high-density electronics, embedded compute, sensors, hydraulics, or ruggedized enclosures.

• Manage build schedules, clear-to-build (CTB) tracking, and milestone gates (Proto, EVT, DVT, PVT) across contract manufacturers (CMs), joint-development partners (JDMs), and internal engineering teams.

• Balance the speed and rapid lifecycle expectations of consumer technology with the safety, compliance, and field-durability demands of industrial/heavy-vehicle deployments.

• Oversee BOM (Bill of Materials) risk management, identifying single-source components, long-lead industrial parts, and availability risks early in the design phase.

• Drive design-for-manufacturability (DFM/DFA) and design-for-serviceability (DFS) reviews alongside Mechanical, Electrical, and Systems Engineering.

• Partner with Strategic Sourcing to track product COGS, manage tooling NRE budgets, and execute cost-reduction roadmaps.

• Lead factory line bring-ups, build yield tracking, and initial line-stop escalations both domestically and internationally.

• Enforce rigorous quality standards (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or military/industrial equivalents) and direct root-cause failure analysis (8D / CAPA) for build or early field-test failures.

• Manage Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and running changes to minimize scrap, rework, and field disruption.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Mechatronics, Industrial Engineering, or Supply Chain Management.

• 5+ years of experience in hardware operations, manufacturing engineering, or technical program management.

• Proven track record delivering products in Consumer Electronics OR a Complex Physical Industry (Automotive/Autonomous Vehicles, Heavy Trucking, Defense, Construction, Mining, or Agricultural Robotics/Equipment).

• Direct experience with hardware validation life cycles (EVT/DVT/PVT), high-reliability electronics assembly (PCBA), and system-level integration of heavy mechanical or electromechanical assemblies.

• Supplier & Factory Operations: Hands-on experience managing Tier-1 industrial suppliers and global Contract Manufacturers (CMs).

• Tools: Proficiency in PLM tools (Agile, Arena, Windchill), ERP systems (SAP, Net Suite), and project tracking software (JIRA, MS Project).

• Experience spanning both fast-paced consumer tech and heavy industrial/automotive standards (e.g., PPAP, APQP, functional safety/ISO 26262).

• Deep knowledge of environmental testing for rugged applications…