Technical Program Manager - Hardware & Manufacturing

Who we are Pronto AI is a global leader in commercializing autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, deploying Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS) that automate operations in mines, quarries, and construction sites worldwide. While much of the industry remains in R&D, we deliver real, production-ready autonomy that is already operating in the field. We are on a mission to make mining operations safer, smarter, and more efficient through cutting-edge technology, and we are building toward becoming the world’s first profitable AV technology company. About the role The Hardware & Manufacturing TPM owns the queue where onsite hardware and QC issues meet engineering — the seam between the build floor (OEM production lines, upfit partners, kitting) and the teams that own the design. This role triages incoming hardware issues across active builds, on-road transport truck kitting and off-road mining kit installs alike, decides what escalates and to whom, and owns inventory issues before they hold up a build. Today those reports land in a shared channel with no consistent triage, so a cosmetic issue and a line-stopping one compete for attention in whatever order they arrive. This role replaces that with a single owned queue. What you’ll do Intake & Triage • Own a single intake queue for hardware and QC issues reported from build lines and field sites, replacing today's mix of ad hoc Slack messages and DMs. • Triage every incoming issue by severity and impact — distinguishing a line-stopping defect from a cosmetic one — rather than working items in the order they arrive. • Set and hold response-time expectations for build partners and plant contacts. Dev-Queue Prioritization • Prioritize the engineering dev queue against what's actually blocking a build or a site, not against whichever issue was reported most recently. • Identify when several individual tickets are the same underlying defect, and roll them into one engineering fix rather than let them get worked separately. Onsite QC & Inventory Escalation • Own escalation for onsite QC failures and inventory shortages — the shared point between the field/build floor and engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing. • Track recurring hardware defects (wrong part revisions, bracket or jig issues, harness defects) back to their root cause, and escalate to the owning team: engineering, supplier, or the line itself. • Escalate hardware issues affecting truck builds across both on-road transport upfit lines and off-road mining kit installs. What we’re looking for • Hands-on hardware, manufacturing, or field-ops background — has worked the floor, not just reviewed reports about it. • Comfortable as the triage point between site or build partners and engineering: thick skin, high urgency, able to make a prioritization call with incomplete information. • Has stood up an intake or QC process from scratch, not just operated one someone else built. • Track record working with vehicle or heavy-equipment hardware (wiring harnesses, sensor/compute mounting, electromechanical assemblies). Nice to have • Experience with on-road commercial vehicle (Class 8 truck) upfit, kitting, or OEM production-line environments. • Experience with off-road or heavy industrial equipment (mining, construction) hardware builds. • Familiarity with supplier and inventory escalation, and part-revision control. • Experience with Linear or a similar ticketing tool for tracking build issues to closure. Why join us • Work on real, production-deployed autonomy. • Build technology that directly improves safety, efficiency, and productivity. • Tackle complex challenges in demanding, real-world environments. • Be part of a fast-moving team with high ownership and impact. • See your work deployed and making a dif