Senior Software Project Manager Jobs in California

I. Job Summary:

Join EnerRenew Inc. as a Senior Software Project Manager responsible for driving the successful delivery of software development projects across our U.S. and China engineering teams. This is a senior individual-contributor role; the Senior Project Manager leads through influence and partnership with engineering managers rather than direct management of staff.

You will oversee the entire project lifecycle from initiation to closure, ensuring projects are completed on time, within scope, and on budget. This role requires strong leadership, project management expertise, and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional and distributed engineering teams.

II. Key Responsibilities:

1. Project Planning and Management:

- Drive project execution and ensure timely delivery of software solutions aligned with business objectives.

- Develop comprehensive project plans outlining project scope, objectives, timelines, resources, and budget requirements.

- Manage software development projects throughout the full software development lifecycle (SDLC).

- Coordinate with stakeholders to define project requirements and scope adjustments as necessary.

- Monitor project progress and track milestones using project management tools such as Jira and Microsoft Project within Agile development environments.

2. Cross-Team Leadership and Influence:

- Drive alignment across project teams on roles, responsibilities, and deliverables, partnering with engineering managers who own staffing and performance.

- Coordinate distributed engineering teams across the U.S. and China, ensuring effective collaboration across different time zones and cultural working styles.

- Foster a collaborative team environment, promoting communication and knowledge sharing.

- Conduct regular team meetings to review progress, address issues, and ensure alignment with project goals.

3. Risk and Issue Management:

- Proactively identify project risks, dependencies, and delivery challenges, and develop mitigation strategies.

- Implement risk management processes to minimize project risks and optimize project outcomes.

- Resolve conflicts and obstacles that may impact project timelines or deliverables.

4. Quality Assurance:

- Partner with engineering and QA leads to ensure agreed quality gates are met throughout the project lifecycle.

- Track quality reviews and testing milestones, surfacing risks where deliverables may not meet specified requirements.

- Implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance project quality and efficiency.

5. Cross-Regional Engineering Coordination:

- Coordinate cross-regional software development activities, ensuring alignment on technical requirements, sprint planning, and delivery schedules.

- Manage project dependencies and facilitate efficient handoffs across distributed development teams.

6. Stakeholder Communication:

- Provide clear and timely communication to stakeholders regarding project status, milestones, risks, and delivery expectations.

- Facilitate alignment between engineering, product, operations, and business stakeholders.

7. Resource Management:

- Work with engineering leads to forecast capacity needs and flag staffing gaps against project commitments.

- Monitor resource availability and escalate to engineering leadership when project priorities require staffing changes.

III. Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business, or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience managing software development projects, including at least 3 years coordinating multiple engineering teams concurrently.

• Demonstrated experience managing software projects across cross-functional and geographically distributed engineering teams.

• Experience with Agile development methodologies and project management tools such as Jira and Microsoft Project.

• Direct experience coordinating engineering work across U.S. and China teams (or a comparable cross-cultural, cross-time-zone setting).

• Technical depth sufficient to engage substantively with engineers on architecture, trade-offs, and integration challenges; comfort with hardware/software product environments is a plus.

IV. Preferred Skills:

• Experience managing software projects in a hardware/software integrated environment (robotics, EV charging, energy, IoT, or similar).

• PMP, CSM, or equivalent project management certification.

V. Working Conditions:

• This position is based at EnerRenew Inc in Mountain View, CA.

• Occasional travel may be required based on project needs.

• Flexibility in working hours may occasionally be required to support coordination across global teams and project deadlines.