Program Manager

An industry leader in autonomous driving technology is on a mission to revolutionize transportation, making it safe and effortless for everyone. Partnering with Aquent, this pioneering organization is seeking a dynamic professional to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of autonomous driving. In this impactful position, you will directly influence the safety, reliability, and efficiency of groundbreaking self-driving systems by optimizing complex workflows, leveraging advanced tools, and ensuring the seamless execution of critical validation testing. Your dedication and real-time problem-solving will directly contribute to how people and goods move globally, making this an unparalleled opportunity to drive continuous improvement at the forefront of technological innovation.

Your Impact and Key Responsibilities

• Support regional teams with coordination and execution to meet rigorous validation testing targets across operational sites and depots.
• Analyze operational performance data and leverage AI productivity tools to optimize daily workflows and support depot operations.
• Collaborate closely with site operations leads, supervisors, and cross-functional teams to ensure validation resources are efficiently utilized and testing targets are met.
• Provide daily operational oversight, issue triage, and coordination across vehicle platforms, software configurations, and vendor operations.
• Investigate shift performance, root-cause depot bottlenecks, vehicle online rates, and staffing shortages to drive operational efficiency.
• Review dashboards and spreadsheets for anomalies or performance drops during morning reporting, briefing regional managers on key insights.
• Triage fast-paced pings, escalations, and cross-functional requests in real-time throughout the day.
• Conduct on-site visits to inspect vehicle rollouts, monitor driver mission readiness, and resolve platform issues.
• Execute manual, time-intensive operational tasks when necessary, such as auditing route prioritization plans, demonstrating a willingness to get hands-on.
• Manage day-to-day oversight and performance tracking of operations vendors running driver fleets and depot operations.

Essential Qualifications

• Hands-on experience in physical operations environments (e.g., warehousing, delivery fleets, logistics, e-commerce fulfillment, transportation, autonomous vehicles). Candidates without physical operations experience will struggle.
• High comfort with ambiguity, rapid iteration, and shifting priorities.
• Low ego, willing to engage in manual operational tasks while capable of presenting to senior stakeholders.
• Strong spreadsheet skills (e.g., Google Sheets, Excel), including pivot tables and data trend identification.
• Ability to leverage AI productivity tools for automating tasks, data interpretation, and streamlining workflows.
• Flexible years of experience (5 to 25+ years welcome, provided skill match exists).

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with data visualization and query tools such as SQL, Looker, Tableau, or Power BI.
• Prior experience within a similar industry or with large-scale operational environments.