Director Program Manager (Remote)

Voyant Photonics, based in the heart of New York City,  is transforming machine perception with a new class of LiDAR devices that are compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand and powerful enough to measure range, velocity, and reflectivity with unparalleled accuracy. By leveraging cutting-edge silicon photonic chips smaller than your fingertip, we deliver sensors that are not only revolutionary in performance but also affordable enough to integrate into any system.

Location: Remote or New York City-based. For remote candidates, travel of approximately 25% (typically once per month) is expected.

• Own the end-to-end program execution for Voyant’s platform, including optics, electronics, firmware, thermal, and mechanical integration
• Lead execution of key hardware milestones including customer evaluation units, and the next-generation production product
• Act as the single point of truth for cross-functional timelines, risks, and priorities across internal teams and external partners
• Partner closely with engineering leads to pressure-test architecture, prioritize tradeoffs, and make informed calls on scope, cost, and risk
• Manage our build cadence (dev kits, EVT/DVT/PVT), aligning vendor timelines, CM readiness, and internal test plans
• Build and mentor a growing program team instilling execution rigor, clarity of roles, and ownership
• Interface with product, operations, and executive leadership to ensure alignment between technical milestones and company-level fundraising and delivery goals
• Drive the institutionalization of repeatable program processes, risk reviews, and decision frameworks appropriate to our scale and ambitio

• BS or MS in Electrical, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline
• 8+ years of experience leading complex, multi-disciplinary programs, including direct ownership of roadmap, execution, and delivery
• Demonstrated success shipping complex hardware systems — ideally in sensing, embedded systems, or optoelectronics (e.g., LiDAR, cameras, robotics, or similar)
• Proven ability to manage system-level product development across electrical, mechanical, firmware, and software domains
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and global supply chain partners throughout the development lifecycle (EVT/DVT/PVT)
• Strong ability to drive clarity, alignment, and decision-making across teams in a fast-paced, high-ambiguity environment
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills — able to represent program status and risks to technical teams and executive stakeholders alike
• Operates with urgency, discipline, and empathy balancing technical depth with big-picture program ownership

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience scaling a hardware product from early prototype to high-volume production, particularly at a startup or in an emerging technology domain
• Background working in regulated or high-reliability environments (e.g., automotive, aerospace, or medical devices)
• Experience supporting fundraising, board communications, or strategic customer milestones in an early-stage company