Sr Technical Program Manager, Project Kuiper (Xico)

DESCRIPTION

Project Kuiper is Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite broadband network. Its mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers and communities around the world, serving a wide range of customers—from individual households to schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in locations without reliable connectivity.

Location: Guadalajara, Mexico. The role is expected to be on‑site 100% of the time at our contract manufacturers. Travel is anticipated up to 50% of the time, primarily between Mexico and the United States, with occasional international travel.

Key responsibilities

• Manage contract manufacturers’ end‑to‑end production process for assigned PCBAs.
• Ensure on‑time delivery to meet Kuiper production rate requirements.
• Drive production planning and execution aligned with cross‑functional priorities.
• Measure, control, and improve capacity, quality, manufacturing rate/processes, and delivery KPIs at contract manufacturers.
• Lead technical deep dives to resolve manufacturing blockers and constraints.
• Balance development and engineering needs to minimize production impacts.
• Implement continuous improvement initiatives to optimize production efficiency.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to identify and mitigate supply chain risks.
• Develop and maintain supplier performance metrics and reporting systems.

A day in the life

As a Sr Operations Technical Program Manager at Kuiper, you will start your day reviewing upcoming deliveries, blockers, constraints, production metrics, and WIP status across your assigned contract manufacturers. You will participate in daily production meetings to address, update, and elevate immediate issues and coordinate with cross‑functional teams on path‑to‑green decisions to resolve shipments. Throughout the day, you will analyze production performance data to identify bottlenecks, conduct deep‑drive investigations into constraints, and work with suppliers to implement process improvements that ensure current and future rates and deliveries are met and sustainable. You may spend time in technical reviews with engineering teams to evaluate new design requirements, impact analysis, trade‑offs, or travel to supplier sites for hands‑on problem‑solving and capacity planning. You will regularly present performance updates to leadership, support Monthly and Quarterly Business Reviews (MBR’s and QBR’s), and collaborate with other program managers to optimize shared production resources. You will also help develop more junior team members through mentoring and modeling of effective practices.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience in technical program management, operations, or supply chain roles.
• 7+ years of experience working directly with engineering teams.
• Experience managing programs and driving initiatives across cross‑functional.
• Technical understanding of PCBA manufacturing processes and materials, capacity assessments, and quality requirements.
• Experience driving continuous improvement activities, and performing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Correction of Errors (COE).
• Demonstrated ability to use data and metrics to drive decisions, evaluate trade‑offs, and provide path‑to‑green options.
• Ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Experience driving supplier development programs and manufacturing technology transfers.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain Management, or related field.
• Direct experience managing high‑complexity electronics contract manufacturers, preferably in aerospace or defense industries.
• Demonstrated success in implementing advanced manufacturing processes and quality systems in regulated industries.
• Deep expertise in space‑grade electronics manufacturing, including familiarity with J‑STD‑001 Space Addendum, IPC‑A‑610 Space Addendum, and AS**** requirements.
• Proficiency in statistical process control (SPC) and design of experiments (DOE).