Senior Technical Program Manager - Vehicle Hardware

Overview

Lightship is the first American all-electric recreational vehicle manufacturer currently developing an aerodynamic, battery-powered trailer for the electric age. As the macro transition to an all-electric transportation ecosystem accelerates, Lightship is bringing the increased convenience and superior performance that electrification offers to a pastime enjoyed by over 11 million American families.

Honoring Diverse Perspectives

Lightship is committed to hiring and developing top talent from diverse backgrounds. We believe representing and supporting diverse groups is key to the success of our team members, customers, shareholders and the achievement of our mission and vision. We operate in a collaborative environment with a flat organizational structure and expect a high degree of integrity, autonomy and creativity from all members of the team.

About the Role

Lightship RV is seeking an experienced Senior Technical Program Manager to spearhead our electric RV's development and production. As a key member of our team, you'll collaborate with talented engineers, designers, supply chain managers, and manufacturing engineers to ensure the success of our groundbreaking product. Reporting to the program management function, you'll drive the development process from concept to production, ensuring timely delivery, adherence to budget, and the highest quality standards. The primary focus of this role would be to assist the vehicle engineering team in helping to advance the development of the chassis, exterior body and interior systems.

• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including engineering, design, supply chain, finance, product, manufacturing, and quality to ensure seamless project execution.
• Proactively identify and mitigate project risks, develop contingency plans, and provide regular status updates and recommendations to stakeholders across the company.
• Create and maintain detailed project timelines and plans, considering workflow interdependencies.
• Manage and execute programs end-to-end, escalating decisions when necessary, and balancing constraints across stakeholders.
• Develop templates, workflows, and processes tailored to the team's needs.
• Recommend program, product, engineering, strategy, and operational changes as needed.
• Consistently document outcomes and decisions, and effectively communicate them to affected teams.
• Foster collaboration, build trust, break down silos, and gain buy-in across the company.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering or equivalent professional exposure.
• Minimum of 5 years of total experience, including 3+ years of professional experience in technical program management or equivalent, and 3-5 years of experience as a technical hardware contributor or equivalent.
• Strong track record of successfully managing large cross-functional hardware projects from concept to launch.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, collaboration skills, and the ability to present complex technical problems to executive leadership.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills applicable in both technical and non-technical areas.
• Demonstrated ability to lead high-complexity projects with large, cross-functional teams.
• Ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment with various levels of ambiguity.
• Proficiency in grasping complex technical topics and abstracting key issues and risks into actionable forms.

• Mechanical Engineering degree
• Experience working in the automotive industry  and vehicle is advantageous
• Mechanical Engineering in chassis design and composite design is a plus.
• Experience collaborating with Industrial Design teams is beneficial.
• Previous experience at a startup involved in launching consumer products to market is desirable.

• Lightship compensation consists of the yearly salary above plus equity, which gives you a stake in the company.

Employee Benefits & Philosophy - Applies to Full Time Employees only

- Healthcare, Dental, Vision

- 401k

- Flexible Paid Time Off - that we actually want you to use!

- 12 weeks paid parental leave

- $2,000 per year towards an RV trip of your own &/or professional development opportunities - we call this a LightTrip

Lightship offers all of its full time employees and their dependents full benefits including health, dental and vision insurance and covers 100% of the insurance premium. We are on a mission to create a more healthful all-electric experience for a pastime that millions of families enjoy and believe strongly that our team should not have to worry about quality healthcare for themselves or their loved ones along the way.