Head of Program Management

About us

Somo is an integrated hardware company that helps the hospitality industry improve user experience and control energy consumption.

How to thrive at Somo:

We are looking for people who are independent thinkers and can work within a sense of the unknown. You will be successful here if you are curious AND like to find the answers.

BASIC INFORMATION

Job Title:Head of Program Management

Department:Operations

Location:San Francisco Bay Area, hybrid, with regular travel to Mexico City and to customer sites.

Employment Type: Full-time

Reports To:COO

Annual Salary Range:$180k-$215k

JOB SUMMARY

Objective

This role will build and personally roll out the program management practices needed to keep complex, cross-functional products on track. This will result in faster, more predictable execution and ensure we can reliably deliver to our customers. They will create and execute product development prioritization and delivery.

Overview

Somo’s Head of Program Management will lead the execution of our most important cross-functional programs across product development, customer delivery, and other critical company initiatives. This person will translate company commitments into executable plans, drive decisions, resolve issues, and work directly with teams to keep programs moving and deliver successful outcomes.

As Somo grows, this person will also shape how we manage programs and develop products, building and continuously improving the practices, tools, and operating rhythms that enable the organization to execute effectively at scale. The right person will bring rigor without bureaucracy, create clarity without slowing the organization down, and help Somo consistently deliver on the commitments we make to our customers.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibility 1

Build and develop Somo's program management function and product development practices, including the tools and operating cadence needed to support the company's rapid growth.

Responsibility 2

Coordinate Somo's product development programs and cross-functional initiatives from program initiation through product release and customer delivery, establishing program direction, aligning stakeholders around shared objectives, and driving successful execution.

Responsibility 3

Serve as the primary point of accountability for program execution, creating clarity in complex or ambiguous situations, driving resolution of cross-functional issues and tradeoffs, and escalating decisions requiring executive involvement with clear recommendations.

Responsibility 4

Translate and deploy program objectives and company commitments into integrated execution plans, aligning schedules, milestones, dependencies, lead times, risks, and resource requirements across concurrent and upcoming programs.

Responsibility 5

Drive cross-functional execution and decision-making, securing the priorities and commitments needed to deliver programs on schedule and within budget.

Serve as the primary point of accountability for program execution, driving resolution of cross-functional issues and tradeoffs and escalating decisions requiring executive involvement with clear recommendations.

Provide the Leadership Team with visibility into program performance, risks, spend, product cost, key decisions, and changes to plan, enabling timely and informed decision-making.

Lead product release readiness across internal teams and external stakeholders, ensuring testing, validation, documentation, manufacturing readiness, and release deliverables are completed for successful customer delivery.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience. Degree in engineering or a related technical field preferred.

Experience

• 8+ years of program, project, or product delivery experience, including direct responsibility for delivering complex, cross-functional programs to committed dates.

• Experience at a company that designs, manufactures, and delivers connected hardware products, in a role with direct involvement in product development, release, or delivery.

• Demonstrated success establishing or substantially improving program management practices in an organization where they were absent or immature.

• Experience leading cross-functional teams, including engineering, without direct reporting authority, and presenting program status, risks, and recommendations to executive leadership.

• Early-stage or high-growth company experience.

Technical Skills

• Experience delivering connected hardware products that combine hardware, firmware, and software.

• Working understanding of the connected-device development lifecycle, including firmware release, manufacturing readiness, validation, and field deployment.

• Proficiency in integrated program planning, schedule development, dependency and critical-path management, risk management, and resource planning across concurrent programs.

Languages

• English.

• Ideal: Professional proficiency in Spanish.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS (NICE TO HAVE)

Preferred Skills

• Experience with products that integrate with third-party platforms, including building automation, property management, or similar systems.

• Experience in building automation, lighting, HVAC, hospitality technology, or related connected-device industries.

• Professional proficiency in Spanish.

• Experience supporting products through deployment, commissioning, or operation in customer environments.

Certifications

• None required
  

SOFT SKILLS / COMPETENCIES

Competency 1

Takes responsibility for outcomes, follows through on commitments, and holds a high standard for what the company delivers to its customers.

Competency 2

Creates alignment across teams with different priorities and perspectives, earns trust, drives decisions, and moves work forward without relying on formal authority.

Competency 3

Brings structure to complex or ambiguous situations, makes sound tradeoffs with incomplete information, and applies the right level of rigor without allowing process to slow execution.