Program Manager

Job Description

Overview

Lightship is the first American all-electric recreational vehicle manufacturer currently developing an aerodynamic, battery-powered trailer for the electric age. As the macro transition to an all-electric transportation ecosystem accelerates, Lightship is bringing the increased convenience and superior performance that electrification offers to a pastime enjoyed by over 11 million American families.

Honoring Diverse Perspectives

Lightship is committed to hiring and developing top talent from diverse backgrounds. We believe representing and supporting diverse groups is key to the success of our team members, customers, shareholders and the achievement of our mission and vision. We operate in a collaborative environment with a flat organizational structure and expect a high degree of integrity, autonomy and creativity from all members of the team.

About the Role

At Lightship, we are building a company to allow more people to connect with nature and each other. We are doing this by bringing the first purpose-built, aerodynamic, battery-electric travel trailer to market.

This is not a standard corporate role. We are a startup in high-growth mode, which means the road ahead is unpaved. We are looking for a Staff Program Manager who will be the "connective tissue" across our engineering, product, and operations teams. You won’t just be tracking tasks; you will be architecting the systems that allow us to scale and driving the development process from concept to production to ensure the products are delivered on time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

• Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure successful project execution across engineering, design, supply chain, finance, product, manufacturing, and quality
• Proactively identify and mitigate project risks, develop contingency plans, and provide regular status updates and recommendations to stakeholders across the company
• Ability to hold teams accountable and drive results without direct authority, maintaining high morale through high pressure
• Create and maintain detailed project timelines and plans that account for workflow interdependencies
• Mediate high-stakes trade-offs between departments to find optimal paths for the business
• Act as a mentor and coach for additional Program Managers, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous professional development
• Design and implement scalable program management frameworks and processes that improve velocity across the entire organization
• Consistently document outcomes and decisions, and communicate them to affected teams
• Collaborate, build trust, break down silos, and gain buy-in across the company

• BS or MS degree in Engineering or equivalent professional exposure
• 8+ years total experience, including:
• Professional experience in technical program management or equivalent
• Experience as a technical hardware contributor or equivalent
• Strong track record of managing large cross-functional hardware projects from concept through launch
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, collaboration skills, and the ability to present to executive leadership about complex problems
• Deep technical fluency across the full hardware/software stack, enabling the ability to assess technical architectures for program risk, and to approach them in an actionable manner
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to handle multiple competing priorities in a fast-paced environment with high levels of ambiguity

• Expert-level knowledge of Jira, Confluence, and Gantt-based scheduling tools (e.g., Smartsheet, MS Project)
• Experience working in automotive, robotics, or manufacturing industries
• Experience with Agile and Waterfall project management methodologies
• Experience working at a startup taking a consumer product to market and scaling teams
• Experience working with Industrial Design teams

• Lightship compensation consists of the yearly salary above plus equity, which gives you a stake in the company.

Hybrid roles at Lightship require onsite work from our offices Monday, Wednesday, and…