Technical Program Manager II

Overview

North Star Staffing is seeking an experienced Technical Program Manager II to lead cross-functional hardware development programs from definition through mass production. This critical role demands strong technical fluency, structured program execution, and the ability to drive collaborative efforts across engineering, operations, and external vendor partners.

The ideal candidate possesses a proven background in consumer electronics or hardware technology development environments and is adept at managing multiple moderate-complexity programs with intricate interdependencies.

Key Responsibilities

• Program Execution & Delivery: Define, plan, and deliver complex hardware programs within scope, schedule, quality, and budget constraints. Develop comprehensive development, validation, and qualification schedules. Identify and mitigate risks across multiple concurrent initiatives, tracking top issues and driving cross-functional resolution.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Partner with Product Design, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems, Reliability, and Operations teams. Coordinate engineering design deliverables, including specifications, design of experiments (DOEs), and validation plans. Establish structured communication frameworks across all stakeholders and present program updates, risks, and milestones to leadership.
• Hardware Development & Manufacturing Readiness: Support the development and qualification of hardware components for various build phases. Drive design for manufacturability (DFM), tooling readiness, and validation processes. Coordinate delivery timelines aligned to system requirements and production targets, collaborating with internal and external partners to ensure readiness for mass production.
• Process & Governance: Implement structured phase-gate development methodologies. Optimize program structure for clarity, transparency, and execution efficiency. Strengthen cross-functional best practices in technology development.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• Experience as a Technical Program Manager or Engineering Lead in consumer electronics or hardware technology environments.
• Experience working with ODM, JDM, and CM vendor engagement models.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical system development, DFM, tooling, and validation processes.
• Experience operating across multiple concurrent technical programs.
• Demonstrated analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to collaborate across multi-disciplinary teams and global time zones.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or advanced technical degree.
• PMP or PMI certification.
• Experience in large-scale, multi-platform systems environments.
• Experience managing top-issue tracking and structured risk mitigation frameworks.

Work Environment

This is a 100% remote role, with California-based candidates preferred. You will thrive in a fast-paced hardware development environment, engaging in extensive cross-functional collaboration across engineering and manufacturing teams.

Key skills/competency

• Program Management
• Hardware Development
• Consumer Electronics
• Risk Mitigation
• Cross-functional Leadership
• DFM (Design for Manufacturability)
• Vendor Management
• Mechanical Engineering
• Validation Processes
• Project Scheduling