Lead Technical Program Manager, Reference Platforms

Home/Company/Careers/Lead Technical Program Manager, Reference PlatformsLead Technical Program Manager, Reference PlatformsLead the integration and delivery of next-generation reference platforms, turning breakthrough silicon into customer-ready productsWest Lafayette, IN (In Office)Full-timeApply NowShare this JobAbout IxanaIxana is a Purdue University spinoff pioneering brain-inspired wearable computing. We've developed Wi-R, a patented communication tech that's 100x more energy-efficient than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Join our 60-person team building the next era of real-time, AI-powered human-computer interaction. We provide relocation packages and visa transfer support (if required) for candidates based in the San Francisco Bay Area and other major U.S. hubs. The Wi-R RevolutionWi-R is our patented non-radiative near-field communication technology that creates secure "wire-like wireless" experiences through small E-field bubbles around your body. This breakthrough enables unprecedented energy efficiency at sub-0.1 nanojoules per bit, making long-term wearable and implantable devices finally practical. See Wi-R in Action: High-speed data, transferred through skin contact - Demonstration of Wi-R communicationThe Role:●We're hiring the person who makes Ixana's silicon tangible — the Lead TPM for Reference Platforms, owning complete customer-ready reference designs and dev kits from product definition and prototypes through validation, pilot manufacturing, release, and shipment.●Accountability spans chip boundary to reliable customer use: boards, sensors, firmware, SDKs, host software, mechanical systems, power, test infrastructure, documentation, supply chain, and manufacturing. This isn't schedule-tracking — you need system-level depth to spot integration risks, frame tradeoffs, drive decisions, and help engineering close hard issues. At Ixana, a demo isn't a release: a release is reproducible hardware, stable firmware/software, validated performance, complete developer docs, and a repeatable build/test process. What You’ll Do●Own the integrated roadmap, requirements, milestones, critical path, resource dependencies, and release criteria across multiple concurrent programs●Translate product objectives and silicon capabilities into system-level requirements spanning electrical hardware, firmware, embedded software, mechanical design, applications, test, and operations●Coordinate silicon, board revisions, firmware, SDKs, sample apps, enclosures, accessories, documentation, and manufacturing builds into one executable plan●Define and run development gates (architecture closure, prototype builds, EVT/DVT/PVT or equivalent) per platform●Establish configuration and change control across hardware, firmware, software, SDKs, manufacturing files, and customer docs●Lead build readiness with suppliers/CMs — BOM readiness, component availability, DFM/DFT, assembly, programming, calibration, fixtures, end-of-line test, unit traceability●Own system verification and release criteria: functionality, power, performance, reliability, usability, interoperability, manufacturability●Drive cross-functional issue resolution with clear owners, root-cause plans, decision deadlines, and escalation paths●Ensure every release ships the full developer package: validated hardware, firmware, SDK/API, host tools, sample apps, schematics, BOM, build info, test results, release notes, known issues, troubleshooting●Partner with applications engineering and customer-facing teams on early feedback, demos, design-ins, and real-world platform readiness●Run concise program/exec reviews covering status, risks, decisions needed, schedule exposure, and recovery plans●Build a repeatable reference-platform process that scales Ixana's launches without adding unnecessary overheadWhat We're Looking ForPreferred:●8+ years developing complex hardware/embedded systems, with substantial cross-functional program execution responsibility●Track record taking multiple hardware products from definition/prototype through validation, manufacturing introduction, and external shipment●Strong technical foundation in EE, computer engineering, embedded systems, systems engineering, test engineering, or related discipline●Able to read and reason through schematics, block diagrams, interface specs, power budgets, BOMs, validation data, manufacturing reports, and failure analyses●Experience coordinating hardware, firmware, software, mechanical, test, manufacturing, and supply-chain deliverables within one program●Direct NPI experience: prototype/pilot builds, DFM, DFT, contract manufacturers, suppliers, test fixtures, calibration, production-line validation●Experience with tightly coupled hardware/firmware products, not independent HW/SW schedules●Strong technical judgment on when issues need deeper investigation, a tradeoff, a process change, more resources, or escalation●Clear written/verbal communication with engineers, suppliers, customers, and senior leadership●Comfortable in