Director of Program Management
Apply NowCompany: unspun™
Location: Emeryville, CA 94608
Description:
Why This Role Matters
At unspun, our mission is to reduce global carbon emissions by 1% by transforming how clothes are made. We envision a future where garments are produced on-demand, eliminating overproduction and reconnecting people with what they wear. At the core of this vision is our proprietary Vega technology-a revolutionary 3D weaving platform that builds clothing directly from yarn, enabling zero-waste, high-speed manufacturing.
Who You Are
We're looking for a Director of Program Management to drive the execution and alignment of our most critical cross-functional initiatives-bridging engineering, manufacturing, product, and commercialization efforts to bring Vega to market at scale. This role is ideal for someone with a strong engineering background who has led large, technical hardware programs and is skilled at managing both strategy and execution.
You'll lead the program management function at unspun, ensuring that engineering development, factory deployment, and commercialization plans move in lockstep. You'll operate as a key partner to the executive team and a trusted leader across functions, able to zoom into technical details while keeping the broader program on track.
What You'll Do
Ideal Qualities
Bonus Points
We're relentless in pursuing our mission, intentional in our decisions, and fundamentally human in how we work together. We celebrate small wins, speak up to benefit many, and aren't afraid to make mistakes along the way.
Benefits
We won't roll our eyes if your socks don't match. We get it. But then, if you spend those extra few minutes in the morning matching your socks and shirt, we get that too. Our workspaces are sometimes spotless and sometimes chaotic, and we celebrate messy exploration. We work through complex problems but generate simple and elegant solutions. We strive to look at things differently, and never do anything solely because "that's the way it's always been done."
We're a team of designers and engineers, industry-veterans and serial entrepreneurs, artists and developers. We're aspiring chess masters and climbers, bakers and photographers. Originally spun out of Stanford and the University of Colorado, we now call the SF Bay Area home, with strong ties to Hong Kong. We are looking for teammates who share our desire to work on ambitious problems and leave the world better than we found it.
unspun is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to being a diverse team that reflects a broad range of background, thought, and experience. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, status as an individual with a disability, status as protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristics. Women, minorities, and people from underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
Location
Emeryville, CA (On-site, 9am-6pm Monday to Friday)
Department Hardware Locations unspun // oakland factory Yearly salary $172,000 - $208,000 Employment type Full-time
At unspun, our mission is to reduce global carbon emissions by 1% by transforming how clothes are made. We envision a future where garments are produced on-demand, eliminating overproduction and reconnecting people with what they wear. At the core of this vision is our proprietary Vega technology-a revolutionary 3D weaving platform that builds clothing directly from yarn, enabling zero-waste, high-speed manufacturing.
Who You Are
We're looking for a Director of Program Management to drive the execution and alignment of our most critical cross-functional initiatives-bridging engineering, manufacturing, product, and commercialization efforts to bring Vega to market at scale. This role is ideal for someone with a strong engineering background who has led large, technical hardware programs and is skilled at managing both strategy and execution.
You'll lead the program management function at unspun, ensuring that engineering development, factory deployment, and commercialization plans move in lockstep. You'll operate as a key partner to the executive team and a trusted leader across functions, able to zoom into technical details while keeping the broader program on track.
What You'll Do
- Own and drive program strategy, execution, and delivery for the Vega platform-from engineering development through manufacturing deployment and customer delivery
- Lead cross-functional alignment across hardware engineering, operations, product, and commercial teams
- Build and lead a team of program managers to scale execution as we grow
- Establish and manage development phase gates, commercialization timelines, and internal readiness checkpoints
- Translate strategic goals into clear, trackable plans with milestones, dependencies, and risk mitigation plans
- Facilitate structured decision-making, ensuring alignment on priorities and trade-offs among stakeholders
- Maintain clear and consistent communication of program status, escalations, and decisions across all levels-including executive leadership
- Implement systems and processes that improve execution, visibility, and accountability company-wide
Ideal Qualities
- 7+ years in technical program management roles, with at least 3 years managing or mentoring other program managers
- Engineering background (Mechanical, Electrical, or related) with a strong understanding of hardware development, system integration, and manufacturing processes
- Proven success leading complex hardware programs from early development through production or deployment
- Experienced in driving alignment across engineering, operations, and go-to-market teams
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; able to break down ambiguity and guide teams through complexity
- Excellent communicator with experience managing executive stakeholders and cross-functional teams
- Confident leading without formal authority, holding peers and leaders accountable to shared outcomes
Bonus Points
- Experience with robotics, additive manufacturing, or large mechanical systems
- Familiarity with ERP, PLM, or hardware program tracking tools
- Exposure to hardware-software integration and real-time systems
- PMP, Scrum, or Agile program management certification
We're relentless in pursuing our mission, intentional in our decisions, and fundamentally human in how we work together. We celebrate small wins, speak up to benefit many, and aren't afraid to make mistakes along the way.
Benefits
- Self-regulated vacation policy
- Comprehensive (gold & platinum) health/dental/vision insurance
- Company sponsored 401k
- Monthly wellness or education grant up to $150
- Pre-tax commuter benefits
- Weekly team lunches
We won't roll our eyes if your socks don't match. We get it. But then, if you spend those extra few minutes in the morning matching your socks and shirt, we get that too. Our workspaces are sometimes spotless and sometimes chaotic, and we celebrate messy exploration. We work through complex problems but generate simple and elegant solutions. We strive to look at things differently, and never do anything solely because "that's the way it's always been done."
We're a team of designers and engineers, industry-veterans and serial entrepreneurs, artists and developers. We're aspiring chess masters and climbers, bakers and photographers. Originally spun out of Stanford and the University of Colorado, we now call the SF Bay Area home, with strong ties to Hong Kong. We are looking for teammates who share our desire to work on ambitious problems and leave the world better than we found it.
unspun is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to being a diverse team that reflects a broad range of background, thought, and experience. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, status as an individual with a disability, status as protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristics. Women, minorities, and people from underrepresented backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.
Location
Emeryville, CA (On-site, 9am-6pm Monday to Friday)
Department Hardware Locations unspun // oakland factory Yearly salary $172,000 - $208,000 Employment type Full-time