Role: Technical Program Manager
Location: Fremont, CA 5 days onsite per week need local
Duration: 6-12 Months+ Contract long-term
Project Description
This TPM role is not a traditional project manager role. Tesla is looking for someone who can operate at the intersection of Product Management, Program Management, Software Engineering, and AI.
What Team Is This?This team appears to support Tesla's highest-priority initiatives across:
- Automotive
- Energy
- Megapack
- Powerwall
- Charging
- Market Expansion
- AI-powered internal and external products
The team builds and delivers AI-enabled software products used by Tesla engineers, service teams, operations teams, and customers. The TPM is responsible for ensuring the right products are built, prioritized, delivered, governed, and scaled. The role description specifically emphasizes AI product development, governance, and engineering execution. Similar AI program structures and governance responsibilities appear in internal AI program materials.
Duties/Day to Day Overview
What This Person Does Daily
1. Own Large Technical Programs
- Define scope
- Build roadmaps
- Create timelines
- Track dependencies
- Manage risks
- Drive execution from concept to production
Think:
"We're building an AI-powered service diagnostic platform. What are we building? Who owns what? When does it launch? What are the risks?"
2. Work With Engineering Teams Every Day
Partners with:
- Firmware Engineers
- Software Engineers
- Application Engineers
- Service Engineering
- Product Teams
Needs enough technical depth to challenge assumptions and understand architecture discussions.
Not expected to code daily, but should understand:
- APIs
- Databases
- Architecture
- Software development lifecycle
- AI system limitations
3. Drive AI Product Strategy
Tesla specifically calls out:
"Sound judgement in identifying appropriate use cases for AI solutions while recognizing technical limitations."
This means:
- Deciding when AI is appropriate
- Understanding LLM capabilities
- Understanding AI risks
- Identifying business value
- Measuring outcomes
4. Executive Reporting
Regularly presents to:
- Directors
- Senior Directors
- VPs
Must communicate:
- Progress
- Risks
- Roadblocks
- Resource needs
- Business impact
5. Governance & Quality
This is an unusual but important part of the role.
They want someone who can establish:
- Development standards
- Release processes
- Code review practices
- AI governance controls
- Production readiness requirements
Similar AI governance themes appear in internal AI program frameworks.
Top Requirements
(Must haves)
Must-Have Skills
1. Technical Program Management (Most Important)
Must have:
- 10+ years TPM experience
- Large-scale software programs
- Multiple engineering teams
- Complex stakeholder management
Red flag: Candidate only managed schedules and meetings.
2. Strong Software Engineering Background
Tesla specifically wants:
Hands-on frontend or backend software engineering experience.
Ideal:
- Former Software Engineer
- Former Systems Engineer
- Strong Technical Product Manager
Must understand:
- APIs
- Databases
- Cloud architecture
- SDLC
- Backend services
3. AI / Generative AI Understanding
Need experience with:
- AI products
- LLMs
- Copilots
- Automation platforms
- AI governance
They do not need to be an AI Engineer.
But they must understand:
- Use cases
- Limitations
- Risks
- Business value
4. SQL
Tesla specifically lists:
Knowledge of SQL and basic table structures
Should be able to:
- Query data
- Analyze metrics
- Understand schemas
- Validate KPIs
5. Executive Communication
Must be able to:
- Influence leaders
- Present to executives
- Drive decisions
- Resolve conflicts
Many TPM candidates fail here because they are only technical.
6. Jira & Agile
Expected:
- Jira
- Confluence
- Agile
- Scrum
- Release planning
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