---
title: 'Principal Technical Program Manager, Hardware at Hayden AI'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/principal-technical-program-manager-hardware-hayden-ai-san-francisco-r7xwg6jyrcwj'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-16'
---

# Principal Technical Program Manager, Hardware at Hayden AI

- **Company:** Hayden AI
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $214k–$278k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-09-30
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-16
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/haydenai/d8c05009-4bf4-4d17-8ea4-e33cc5ffedb1

## Job description

## About Us

At Hayden AI, we are on a mission to harness the power of computer vision to transform the way transit systems and other government agencies address real-world challenges. From bus lane and bus stop enforcement to transportation optimization technologies and beyond, our innovative mobile perception system empowers our clients to accelerate transit, enhance street safety, and drive toward a sustainable future.

What the job involves

The Principal Technical Program Manager will lead the development and execution of a portfolio of hardware programs. This role will collaborate with leaders across Hayden in highly ambiguous conditions to drive strategy into roadmaps and plans that deliver critical work on time and at high quality. They will set the standard for program excellence across the entire product lifecycle and drive systemic improvements across the company.

Responsibilities:

- Strategic Execution: Drive end-to-end delivery of enterprise engineering programs, bridging executive business goals and technical execution.
- Edge AI & On-Vehicle Systems: Partner with Perception and Platform engineering to ensure hardware programs account for the full edge inference stack - thermal envelope, compute constraints, sensor integration, and field serviceability - so that AI system requirements drive hardware decisions from day one.
- Advanced R&D & Technology Incubation: Partner with engineering leadership to drive early-stage R&D efforts, including proof-of-concepts (PoCs) and the rigorous evaluation of next-generation components, shaping the N+1 and N+2 product roadmaps.
- Phase Gate & Milestone Governance: Define, implement, and rigorously enforce phase gate reviews and program milestones across the hardware lifecycle. Ensure cross-functional readiness, quality standards, and executive alignment before advancing products to subsequent development phases.
- NPI Lifecycle & Manufacturing: Drive the end-to-end New Product Introduction (NPI) process (EVT, DVT, PVT) and oversee vendor delivery to ensure a seamless transition from prototype to Mass Production (MP).
- Requirements & Scope Definition: Partner with Engineering and Growth to shape what gets built at the hardware level — translating field feedback, customer deployment constraints, and regulatory requirements into clear hardware requirements before design begins, and holding the line on scope when program objectives drift.

Required Qualifications:

- B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in an engineering discipline
- 12+ years in Hardware TPM or Engineering Program Management
- Led 5+ multi-disciplinary hardware products from 0-to-1 through production
- Deep knowledge of NPI lifecycle (EVT, DVT, PVT, MP), phase gate governance, and CM/supplier management
- Experience with hardware reliability, regulatory compliance (FCC, CE), and supply chain risk
- Strong technical foundation in embedded systems, hardware/software integration, or computer vision systems

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with on-vehicle, edge-deployed, or ruggedized hardware
- Background in autonomous systems, robotics, or AI/ML hardware programs
- Experience delivering technology to government or municipal clients
- Familiarity with DFX methodologies (DFA, DFI, DFS)

## About Hayden AI

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Hayden AI provides an AI-powered, vehicle-mounted mobile perception platform that helps cities automate traffic enforcement to make streets safer and public transit more efficient.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series C)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Zac Levin (noted as Product Lead on the company site)

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Smart City Technology, Transportation, Government Technology (GovTech), Artificial Intelligence, Geospatial Analytics
- **Target customers**: B2G (Business to Government) - specifically municipal transit authorities, city transportation departments, and local governments.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "To develop artificial intelligence and geospatial analytics that will revolutionize how governments and businesses solve real world problems." [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/company)

## Products & Services
- **Automated Bus Lane & Bus Stop Enforcement**: The flagship product. A mobile perception system mounted on public transit buses that automatically detects and records vehicles illegally parked in bus lanes or bus stops. This helps cities clear unauthorized parking, improving bus speeds, reliability, and ridership.
- **Automated Bike Lane Enforcement**: A similar system for detecting vehicles illegally parked or driving in bike lanes, enhancing cyclist safety. Currently being deployed in cities like Santa Monica. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
- **Digital Twin Modeling & Spatial Analytics**: The platform can also be used to create digital twins of city environments and provide spatial analytics to help governments and businesses solve real-world problems.
- **Civil Traffic Enforcement System**: An integrated hardware and software system (including forward-facing cameras, ALPR, and detection software) that has received UK Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) approval for use in England to detect parking, bus lane, cycle lane, and moving contraventions. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: **$173.42M Total Funding** across multiple rounds, with the most recent being a **$90M Series C** raised approximately two years ago. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai) Annual Revenue is not publicly available.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Includes Autotech Ventures, Berkeley SkyDeck, Drawdown Fund, and The Rise Fund. The company also has a strong partnership network with major US transit authorities. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
- **Growth Signals**:
    - **GovTech 100 Winner**: A six-time consecutive winner (2021-2026) of the GovTech 100 award. [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/company)
    - **TIME Magazine Top GreenTech Company 2024**: Recognized as a leader in green technology.
    - **Global Top 100 Geospatial Company**: Listed among the top geospatial companies globally.
    - **International Expansion**: Received UK VCA approval in June 2026, enabling expansion into the United Kingdom and signaling a major new market. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
    - **Proven US Deployment**: Already deployed in major US cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
    - **Patents**: The company has filed 27 patents, primarily in machine learning, road traffic management, and artificial neural networks. [cbinsights.com](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Purpose-Built AI Hardware & Software**: Unlike generic computer vision systems, Hayden AI develops its own purpose-built cameras and hardware optimized for vehicle mounting and real-time analysis.
- **Privacy-First Design**: The platform is explicitly designed to identify objects (vehicles, license plates) and not people, using edge processing and encryption to comply with privacy regulations. This forward-thinking approach is a key selling point for privacy-conscious governments. [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/company)
- **Real-World, Proven Impact**: The company's technology has a strong track record of measurable results in major cities, such as increasing bus speeds and reducing traffic violations.
- **Regulatory Endorsement**: The recent VCA certification in the UK provides a strong, independently verified stamp of approval that eases adoption in new markets.

## Strategic Focus
- **International Expansion**: The VCA approval for the UK market is a major strategic focus, opening a new continent for business development.
- **Product Diversification**: Expanding from bus lane enforcement into bike lane enforcement and general civil traffic enforcement (restricted routes, parking), broadening their addressable market.
- **Continued Innovation**: The company's patent filings and focus on "digital twin modeling" suggest a long-term strategy to become a core data and analytics platform for urban management, not just an enforcement tool.

## Why Work Here
- **High-Impact Mission**: Employees have a clear, tangible impact on making city streets safer and public transit more efficient. The work directly improves quality of life in urban areas.
- **Market Leadership & Reputation**: Joining a six-time GovTech 100 winner and globally recognized leader provides strong career validation and exposure to cutting-edge technology.
- **Strong Growth Trajectory**: The company is well-funded (over $173M raised), actively expanding internationally, and has a clear product roadmap, suggesting strong job security and opportunities for advancement.
- **Technical Challenges**: The work involves solving complex problems in computer vision, embedded systems (firmware), state estimation, and large-scale data processing, making it a compelling environment for engineers.
- **Work Policy**: **Hybrid** model. Employees typically work on-site **3 days a week** at one of their three offices (San Francisco, CA; Kenilworth, NJ; New York, NY). [builtin.com](https://builtin.com/company/hayden-ai)
- **Culture**: Described as "curious, ambitious, and always optimistic," the company values innovation and is looking for motivated people to join their mission. They emphasize an inclusive, equal-opportunity workplace. [hayden.ai](https://hayden.ai/careers)

## Sources
1. [hayden.ai - Company Page](https://hayden.ai/company)
2. [hayden.ai - Careers Page](https://hayden.ai/careers)
3. [cbinsights.com - Hayden AI Profile](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/hayden-ai)
4. [builtin.com - Hayden AI Careers](https://builtin.com/company/hayden-ai)
5. [linkedin.com - Hayden AI](https://www.linkedin.com/company/haydenaitech)
6. [jobs.ashbyhq.com - Hayden AI Jobs](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/haydenai)

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