---
title: 'Technical Program Manager, Autonomy at DiDi Labs'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/technical-program-manager-autonomy-didi-labs-san-jose-qqr86j3cpk46'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-09'
---

# Technical Program Manager, Autonomy at DiDi Labs

- **Company:** DiDi Labs
- **Location:** San Jose, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-08-31
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-09
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/didi/jobs/8168356

## Job description

## About the Company

DiDi's autonomous driving unit was established in 2016 with the mission of developing Level 4 autonomous driving (AD) technology to make transportation safer and more efficient. In August 2019, the unit became an independent company, DiDi Autonomous Driving, dedicated to advanced AD R&D, product application, and business expansion. We believe integrating AD technology into a shared-mobility fleet will generate immense social value. By leveraging DiDi's specialized technology, operational expertise, and integrated ecosystem, we are positioned to build and operate a highly efficient, user-oriented autonomous fleet.

## About The Role

We are seeking a dedicated Technical Program Manager (TPM) to help us accelerate and optimize our software development processes and manage project schedules, resources, and deliverables. In this role, you will work closely with cross-functional teams to drill down our roadmap and facilitate effective execution at each stage of our growth curve. You will partner with engineering and operations teams to track project deliverables, identify milestones, flag risks early, and clearly communicate on-going progress to ensure our autonomous vehicles navigate the path to production smoothly.

## Responsibilities

- Milestone Planning: Work with team leaders to break down high-level strategies and project goals into detailed deliverables, clear owners, and realistic timelines.

- Progress Tracking: Maintain project objectives and schedules by diligently tracking work progress, ensuring every project working team understands what they need to deliver at all times.

- Release Logistics: Help manage daily software releases, logistics, workflow documentation, and cross-team communication.

- Process & Meetings: Define and manage development processes and regular syncs; set the agenda for key decisions to be made at each meeting to eliminate bottlenecks and retire risks early.

- Reporting & Action: Track and report on overall project progress, proactively driving corrective actions and escalating issues as needed when schedules or scopes drift.

## Qualifications

- B.S. or M.S. degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Automotive Engineering, or a related technical discipline.

- 1–3 years of hands-on experience in engineering, project management, or technical program management.

- Deep familiarity with modern software development lifecycles or automotive development processes.

- Strong track record or demonstrated ability in coordinating and supporting complex cross-functional projects.

- Excellent communication skills with the ability to build strong working relationships with technical leaders and engineers across different functional teams.

- Strong analytical capability to identify and act on opportunities to improve processes, resolve inefficiencies, and increase overall team productivity.

- Practical experience working within or supporting Agile software development teams.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Familiarity with or strong interest in autonomous driving, robotics, or advanced driver-assistance systems.

- Experience using modern project management and tracking tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence).

- Prior internship or work experience in a technical role (e.g., software engineering, testing, or systems engineering) before transitioning to project management.

The base salary range for the Technical Program Manager position is $115,000–$165,000 annually, in addition to bonus, equity, and benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by the role, level, and location. Within the range, individual compensation is based on the work location as well as other factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and training.

I acknowledge that prior to submitting this application, I have read and accepted the Privacy Notice for California Residents which is available on https://v.didi.cn/AQnxlBa

## About DiDi Labs

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: DiDi Labs is the U.S. research and development arm of DiDi, focused on advancing Level 4 autonomous driving technology through large-scale AI models and real-world ride-hailing data.
- **Entity Type**: Private (subsidiary of DiDi Global Inc., which is not publicly traded)
- **Headquarters**: Mountain View, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2017 (DiDi Labs); parent company Didi Chuxing founded in 2012
- **Founders**: DiDi Labs was launched under the leadership of Cheng Wei (DiDi founder and CEO) and initially led by Dr. Fengmin Gong, Vice President of DiDi Research Institute.

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Autonomous driving (Level 4), artificial intelligence, mobility technology
- **Target Customers**: B2B (integrated into DiDi’s shared-mobility fleet), enterprise partnerships (e.g., automotive OEMs, cities for smart transportation)
- **Mission**: Develop Level 4 autonomous driving technology to make transportation safer and more efficient, and integrate it into a shared-mobility fleet to generate broad social value.

## Products & Services
- **VLA (Vision-Language-Action) Foundation Models**: Large-scale deep learning systems for multi-agent behavior prediction and autonomous vehicle planning, built on DiDi’s massive real-world driving dataset.
- **Behavioral & Motion Planning Systems**: Core decision-making and trajectory optimization algorithms that enable safe, smooth navigation in complex urban environments.
- **AI Research (Computer Vision, NLP, Speech, Mapping)**: Through DiDi AI Labs (China-based but collaborative), the company develops speech interaction, smart mapping, and perception solutions.
- **Autonomous Vehicle Testing & Fleet Operations**: DiDi Autonomous Driving operates test fleets in the United States and China, and runs open-source challenges (e.g., Udacity Self-Driving Car Challenge).

## Market Standing
- **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed for DiDi Labs; parent DiDi Global was valued at over $60 billion during its 2021 IPO (now delisted and private).
- **Key Metric**: Total funding for DiDi exceeds $20 billion across multiple rounds (SoftBank, Tencent, etc.). DiDi Labs benefits from parent’s resources.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: DiDi’s investors include SoftBank Vision Fund, Tencent, Uber, Apple, and others. DiDi Labs partners with Udacity, and its team includes security expert Charlie Miller.
- **Growth Signals**: Independent autonomous driving unit established in 2019; active hiring in 2025 for VLA and motion planning roles; integration with DiDi’s massive ride-hailing network (over 500 million users) provides unmatched real-world data.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Massive Real-World Data**: Access to DiDi’s billions of trips across Asia, Latin America, and Australia gives the team proprietary training data for behavior prediction and planning.
- **Integration with Shared Mobility**: Autonomous fleet can be deployed directly into an existing ride-hailing platform, offering a clear go-to-market path.
- **Top Talent & Research**: Deep roster of AI researchers, published in top conferences (NeurIPS, CVPR, ICLR, etc.), and strong collaboration with global research network.
- **Open Innovation**: Hosts open-source challenges and engages with the broader self-driving community.

## Strategic Focus
- **Current Priorities**: Scaling VLA foundation models for multi-agent prediction and planning; deploying Level 4 autonomous vehicles in operational domains; optimizing latency and safety for production deployment.
- **Direction for Growth**: Expanding the autonomous fleet, deepening partnerships with cities, and building the “smart transportation ecosystem” through AI-driven infrastructure.

## Why Work Here
- **Cutting-Edge AI at Scale**: Work on large-scale distributed training (hundreds to thousands of GPUs), transformers, diffusion models, and real-time planning for safety-critical systems.
- **Impact**: Directly contribute to autonomous driving technology that could transform urban mobility and reduce traffic accidents.
- **Compensation & Benefits**: Competitive base salary (e.g., $129k–$247k for ML Engineer, plus bonus, equity, and benefits). Roles in Mountain View with hybrid/office expectations.
- **Culture & Perks**: Collaboration with world-class researchers, access to massive datasets, and a mission-driven environment focused on safety and innovation.
- **Work Model**: Based in Mountain View, CA; roles are likely on-site or hybrid given the hands-on nature of autonomous vehicle development.

## Sources
1. [Job Board - Machine Learning Engineer, VLA](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/didi/jobs/7975368)
2. [Job Board - Software Engineer, Motion & Behavioral Planning](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/didi/jobs/7975371)
3. [PRNewswire - DiDi Launches U.S. Labs in Silicon Valley](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/didi-launches-us-labs-in-silicon-valley-to-build-global-nexus-of-innovation-300420435.html)
4. [Golden - DiDi Labs Company Profile](https://golden.com/wiki/DiDi_Labs-GE84KD8)
5. [DiDi Official - AI Labs Page](https://www.didiglobal.com/science/ailabs)

## Other roles at DiDi Labs

- [Software Engineer / Sr. Software Engineer, Planning Selection Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-sr-software-engineer-planning-selection-autonomy-didi-labs-znt50prkgrw8) — San Jose, CA
- [Software Engineer, Motion Planning](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-motion-planning-didi-labs-san-jose-gj5n60m2bt8x) — San Jose, CA
- [Sr. /Staff System Safety Engineer, Autonomy](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-staff-system-safety-engineer-autonomy-didi-labs-san-jose-hr27mnazva4n) — San Jose, CA
- [Staff/Principal AI Transformation Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/staff-principal-ai-transformation-engineer-didi-labs-san-jose-0kt7qqpjbfaz) — San Jose, CA
- [Sr. / Staff Software Engineer, Infrastructure (Autonomy)](https://feeny.ai/job/sr-staff-software-engineer-infrastructure-autonomy-didi-labs-san-jose-fgb84pk2gbty) — San Jose, CA
- [Software Engineer, Map Fusion & Planning](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-map-fusion-planning-didi-labs-san-jose-g8fe119htkz6) — San Jose, CA
- [Motion Planning Engineer (PhD, Intern)](https://feeny.ai/job/motion-planning-engineer-phd-intern-didi-labs-san-jose-md1kry2qmm4c) — San Jose, CA
- [Senior/Sr. Staff AI Infrastructure Engineer, Inference & Optimization](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-sr-staff-ai-infrastructure-engineer-inference-optimization-didi-labs-san-09dry78v6mty) — San Jose, CA