Program Manager - Robotics & Drones

Program Manager - Robotics & Drones

We are Aptiv - a global technology company with 200,000 specialists in 48 countries. We develop innovative software and build the hardware to bring autonomous driving cars, advanced driver-assistance systems, connected vehicles and smart cities to life in a way that only we can. We work in partnership with almost all car manufacturers. Our sensors, systems and software can already be found in almost all passenger cars today.

Aptiv is building a new Robotics business focused on Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) and Drones for warehouse, industrial, and adjacent markets. A core differentiator of these systems is robust, reliable, and scalable perception across diverse environments and customer use cases.

We are seeking an experienced Program Manager to lead the development, commercialization, and delivery of robotics and drone hardware and software systems. This role combines strategic program leadership with hands-on project execution and people management responsibility for a team of Project Managers. The successful candidate will oversee a portfolio of complex development programs, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in alignment with technical, quality, regulatory, and business objectives.

As a key leader within the Adjacent Markets Robotics and Drones division, you will drive programs through the full product lifecycle, from concept definition and customer engagement through development, validation, launch, and production deployment. You will partner closely with engineering, product management, autonomy, localization, safety, manufacturing, operations, sales, finance, and executive leadership teams to establish scalable development processes, manage program execution, and ensure successful commercialization of innovative technologies.

This position requires a strong blend of technical understanding, operational discipline, leadership, and customer-facing experience, with the ability to transform emerging technologies and proof-of-concept solutions into reliable, scalable, production-ready products deployed across diverse customer environments.

Key Responsibilities

Program & Portfolio Leadership

• Lead a portfolio of robotics and drone development programs spanning hardware, software, autonomy, and integrated system solutions.
• Manage and mentor a team of Project Managers, establishing clear priorities, execution standards, and accountability across programs.
• Translate business strategy, product roadmaps, and customer requirements into executable program plans.
• Own program performance, delivery schedules, budgets, resource plans, risks, and business outcomes.
• Ensure successful execution of programs through all phases of the product development lifecycle, including concept development, prototype validation, productization, launch, and post-deployment support.
• Drive alignment across engineering, product, operations, manufacturing, and commercial teams to achieve program objectives.

Product Development & Launch Execution

• Establish and maintain program plans, milestones, deliverables, and execution roadmaps.
• Lead cross-functional development teams to deliver products on schedule, within budget, and to defined quality, performance, and safety requirements.
• Ensure readiness for design reviews, verification and validation activities, manufacturing readiness, product launch, and customer deployment.
• Drive risk identification, mitigation planning, issue resolution, and executive escalation processes.
• Partner with engineering leadership to balance program scope, technical innovation, resource constraints, and delivery commitments.
• Champion development process compliance and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Customer & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a customer-facing program leader for strategic development programs.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with customers, suppliers, partners, and executive stakeholders.
• Lead customer reviews, technical discussions, status updates, and escalation management activities.
• Understand customer technology roadmaps and identify opportunities to support future business growth.
• Support proposal development, business capture activities, and strategic growth initiatives.

Governance & Operational Excellence

• Develop and maintain program governance frameworks, reporting structures, and performance metrics.
• Provide portfolio-level visibility through KPI reporting, executive dashboards, and operational reviews.
• Establish consistent project management methodologies across the organization, leveraging Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid approaches as appropriate.
• Drive adoption of best practices, tools, and processes that improve predictability, scalability, and execution effectiveness.
• Ensure programs comply with internal development processes, regulatory requirements, customer standards, and quality management systems.

Resource & Financial Management

• Develop and manage program budgets, staffing plans, and resource forecasts.
• Partner with functional leaders to align engineering resources with program priorities and customer commitments.
• Monitor program profitability, cost performance, and investment requirements.
• Support capital appropriation requests, budget planning activities, and business case development.
• Drive efficient utilization of resources while maintaining delivery and quality objectives.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop Project Managers and cross-functional program teams.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and customer focus.
• Establish performance expectations and support professional development across the program management organization.
• Promote servant leadership principles while driving results in a fast-paced, highly technical environment.
• Build organizational capability by implementing scalable project and program management practices.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, Program Management, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience leading complex engineering, product development, or technology programs.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing Project Managers, engineering teams, or cross-functional development organizations.
• Demonstrated experience delivering complex hardware and software products through the full development lifecycle.
• Strong understanding of product development processes, systems engineering, risk management, and commercialization practices.
• Proven experience managing multiple concurrent programs, customers, and stakeholders.
• Strong customer-facing leadership experience with demonstrated success in executive communications and relationship management.
• Experience developing and managing budgets, schedules, resource plans, and performance metrics.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across a matrixed organization.
• Proficiency with project, portfolio, and product lifecycle management tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree (MBA, MS, or equivalent) in Engineering, Business, or a related discipline.
• PMP, PgMP, Agile, or equivalent program management certification.
• Experience in robotics, autonomous systems, drones, aerospace, automotive, defense, industrial automation, or related technology sectors.
• Experience managing hardware-software integrated system development programs.
• Familiarity with manufacturing readiness, product launch processes, and production scaling.
• Knowledge of quality systems, regulatory compliance, and customer development processes.
• Experience supporting proposals, business development, contract execution, or product strategy activities.
• Proven success operating in high-growth organizations transitioning products from concept to commercial deployment.

Traits we seek:

• Strategic problem solvers who bring structure to ambiguity, think systemically, and drive decisions that balance technical, operational, and business objectives.
• Empowering leaders who develop high-performing Project Managers, foster accountability, align cross-functional teams, and build trust at all levels of the organization.
• Operationally minded executors who can translate vision into actionable plans, establish scalable processes, and consistently deliver complex programs from concept through production deployment.
• Resilient change agents who remain composed under pressure, navigate competing priorities, remove obstacles, and continuously improve how teams and programs operate.

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Aptiv is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.